Alistair Coe picking at the cycleways

Someone should write a letter to the editor of the Times about this. Always brings out the stinky push-bike nutters to defend how rightous they are. I love it!

All of these bike lanes are nothing but an absolute waste of time and effort.

When done well, bike lanes have great potential.

Heading north across Commonwealth bridge at 515pm in my car today I encountered a bit of a jam, got slowed down and was duly overtaken by a cyclist in the bike lane.

She was no slouch on the bike, but by no means was she Lance Armstrong either.

I lost sight of this lass and didn’t catch up to her until O’Connor as she continued trundling down the bike lane.

This was not a waste of time and effort on her part by any means – the bike lane really sped things up for her without comprising the flow of cars.

Care to explain how exactly they’re a waste of time? Or are you just going to make this statement with nothing to follow through with?

All of these bike lanes are nothing but an absolute waste of time and effort.

As I said in an earlier thread on this issue, I’d vote No 1 for any politician or party that proposes to get rid of all these stupidities around this city.

Been watching the Streeton Dr treatment over the last few weeks. Really its an absolute shambles because it hasn’t slowed the traffic and the traffic is treating it as a sorta one and half lines – yes they straddle the lanes. Bet the same happens with Gininderra D. No point wingeing because no one is losing out.

Hey, another effort to watch out for is the construction on the intersection outside Belco mall. I think its Benjamin Way and Emu Bank. The contractors have put those plastic bollards up in such a way that when they park their trucks there as well anyone turning right out of Benjamin Way is playing Russian Roullette. I almost came to grief there earlier today.

Maybe a cycle lane could be justified if the cyclists obeyed basic road laws. I didnt realise cyclists were an exception to the law?

1. If you are on the road act as a car would and stop at a red light. Just because your a bike doesnt mean you can go through red lights or switch to a green pedestrian crossing.
This is just confusing everyone as you go off on your own self absorbed tangent.

Dry your eyes Princess, plenty of car drivers break the law as well by going through red lights or speeding. Not all bike riders break the law and not all car drivers break the law. The road rules apply to cyclists and motorists equally, a cyclist can be fined for running a red light. Doesn’t sound like you know the road rules yourself. Maybe you should go and study the rules again before post drivel like this and/or cause an accident due to your ignorance of the road rules.

2. Get off your bike if your crossing a zebra crossing. How obvious are the issues that present itself when you fly at full speed over a ped crossing?

Granted that it is against the law but in my experience most drivers get upset for holding them up the extra 20 seconds or so it takes to walk across the crossing so it is a win win situation to do as Niftydog suggested for cyclists to slow down and make eye contact with the drivers as they approach the crossing.

3. If your cycling on one of those bikes that looks like a rowing machine, you look like a fukin tard!

You possibly look like a fukin tard when driving your car but we won’t hold that against you.

Keep in mind that the ACT Government is probably going to go bankrupt in the next 5 years – they have to do the job of local and state governments and there is not enough money. I suggest that they may be trying to cut maintenance costs by using cheap gravel top for roads and reducing lanes so resurfacing is reduced. The population of ACT is only marginally larger than Blacktown City Council. Big wide roads, nice wide bridges, lots of green belts, bike paths, all cost money. Anyway, thought I would throw a slight slant to the discussion.

The Streeton Dr bike lane is ridiculous and then it just ends. Half the others are the same. The catch then is all the crap from the road ends up on the cycle lane and when resealing happens ala Belco way the cycle lane is only half done and then practically impossible to ride on for the gravel.

Al Coe has a point – some of the cycle lanes being put in place are crap.

re: #16, take a look at the intersection improvements at Canberra Av and National Circuit heading to Manuka and then the old markings about 10mtrs afterwards. They have painted the new bike lane skewing the two road lanes by about 1mtr but instantly the new markings disappear and technically without a swerving yourself you end up half way in another lane. Really stupid dumbass markings, but I suspect it comes down to outsourcing as the contractors will only paint what they are paid to paint.

The lines have been marked… and it was absolute kaos this afternoon. What a stupid place to put a bike lane and a form one lane. I predict a couple of rear enders happening, especially when the traffic line to turn on to William Webb extends beyond the turn right lane and ends just as the form one lane starts.

Yuck, don’t know what happened to that link. Try this link instead. See comment #53.

Aronde, see this thread where Footloose asks and finds out about a similar lane in Weston Creek. (Good work BTW Footloose)

Bike lane markings recently are getting very weird. Springvale Drive in Hawker had a patch resealed which now has this new bike lane that starts and ends on the resealed patch only. I mean what is the point of that?

Don’t know the road or path being referred to here, but it’s not another case of traffic-calming measures being created by painting a few large and superfluous bike lanes on the road a la Streeton Drive in Weston Creek recently is it?

I just want to know when they plan on getting around to painting all of this new roadwork they’ve done. I generally find lane markings somewhat handy when driving, but perhaps that is just me.

the path in question wanders off around the lake just before Coulter Drive…

And here, I suspect, lies the nub of the issue.

2. Get off your bike if your crossing a zebra crossing. How obvious are the issues that present itself when you fly at full speed over a ped crossing?

Yes, riding at full pelt through a crossing is bloody dangerous, but in my experience dismounting causes many drivers to become exasperated. I presume that’s because they only have 4.5 seconds to live. 😀

What seems to work for me is slowing down and making eye contact with the drivers as you approach – I’d say 95% of them happily wave you across.

I can’t see the logic in it either, but…

the path in question wanders off around the lake just before Coulter Drive, which is no good to you if you want to continue east. What they should do is link the two existing bike paths along Ginninderra Dr, east and west of Coulter Drive, by paving the well-formed existing goat track and adding a safe crossing of some sort. Currently the only ‘official’ crossing is an underpass which takes you about 1km out of your way down Coulter Drive.

I would rather the cash being spent on these PC/public diplomacy exercises be spent on community servcies – footpaths in Florey along Ratcliffe Crescent are a disgrace for a national capital – mud (when it rains) covers 20+ metres near the primary school), huge cracked section 20 cm high further along – basic suburban maintenance would be nice.

I drive along this road a lot, and I’d been wondering why they reduced it to effectively two and a half lanes. Guess that explains it…

no, nothing painted as of last night – 3 lanes at traffic light suddenly is 2 lanes 10 metres up.

This was raised about 3-4 weeks ago in concert with a similar discussion re southside magic green safety zones appearing on roads there.

I have to say, while I generally supported the “green paint” lanes when they first went in, the one in question seems of much less benefit, and reduces the road from three to two lanes.*

* I have never been a regular commuter along this road on bicycle or motor vehicle.

Well, if you want to defend this cycle lane then we’d all be curious as to your reasoning?

Too true JB – what the hell was I thinking 😉 Opposition member = the easiest job in politics! Just disagree with EVERYTHING the leadership are doing. Pay me thier bucks and I’ll be happy to do it!

To be fair TM it would help you to remember you’re talking about an opposition member.

Raising issues is what they’re there for.

Fixing them is the Government’s job.

Yes – we are all w**kers. Gov’s make the decisions, we are the targets. Nice one! Nothing like feeling like a pawn. Perhaps Mr. Cow could concentrate on ACTUALLY re-opening Flynn primary, and then making cycle paths more direct, clearly sign posted and maintained better.

Oh hang-on – that would mean actually having to do something other than point a finger. I can’t believe I voted for this f’tard!

Dunno about that, but it was bloody dangerous two weekends ago as no one knew where the lanes were supposed to be.

Have they marked the lanes yet?