13 March 2012

Less Canberrans are cycling, less often

| Leon Arundell
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The Pedal Power website still claims that “Our objective is ‘More Canberrans cycling, more often, for a better community,’ a year after Pedal Power members voted to reject that objective.

This is doubly embarrassing for Pedal Power, because the evidence indicates that less Canberrans are cycling, less often.

Figures from the ABS and the Australian Sports Commission show that only 18% of Canberrans cycled in 2009. This is the lowest figure since the turn of the millennium, and 1.2% below the 2006 figure.

At the turn of the millennium most of Canberra’s cyclists were children. Canberra’s on-road cycling facilities have increased adult cycling, but done nothing for children.

Our children are giving up cycling faster than our adults are returning to it.

And the average time Australian children spend cycling has fallen from over six hours per fortnight in 2000, to less than five in 2009.

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CatlikeTread said :

Perhaps not the children giving up but their parents. I was behind a neighbour today and the driver of the family car took both children (aged 7-9) to school in the car. Approximately 250 metres away from home an all on a quiet street with little traffic.

What hope do children have of a healthy lifestyle when this happens.

Actually, that could be entirely a legal issue. There’s some ridiculous law that states that children under a certain age (pretty sure it’s 10, but it might be 12) essentially have to be hand-delivered to the school. Some bollocks about liability and that the school is technically responsible for your child on their way to/from said school. My sister-in-law has even been cautioned on this by her children’s school, who told her (to paraphrase) that not picking her children up was negligent parenting and they could inform child services.

But on to cycling… Fewer Canberrans cycling can only be a good thing. No more lycra-clad weirdos riding 40km below the speed limit on a single-lane road. No more “green” zones to confuse everyone but the most studious person. Wider lanes on Northbourne Avenue (and maybe even going back to a speed limit of 70, which everyone does anyway). No more wasted tax dollars on infrastructure that only 1% of our population will ever use…

pink little birdie9:22 pm 29 Jul 12

HenryBG said :

pink little birdie said :

Thanks 🙂

I’m lazy and want to do a combined bike skills and maintenace course. I can even supply a classful of people to do it.

Are you planning on making all your minions take up cycling?

My minions look forward to their end of term 2 and 3 cycle trip to McDonalds (Canoe in term 1 and 4) – They get soft serve.

A little bicycle safety for 8-11 year olds wouldn’t go astray and being cub scouts they would all get their level 1 cycling badge for it. 😀

Postalgeek said :

Pedal Power runs maintenance courses.

http://www.pedalpower.org.au/events/details.asp?IntContId=4281

+1
I’ve done their basic and intermediate courses, they were excellent. You need to join PP to attend, but you can easily save your membership fees in bike shop discounts over a year. Their magazine also has useful articles on bike maintenance, etc.

Damien, his/her alter ego – also dressed in black, with no lights or reflectors – nearly died last night when my taxi came around a curve in Narrabundah to find this idiot in the middle of the road about 10m in front, with a car turning into the road from the other direction. My driver swerved, and we must have missed contact by about 10cm. As far as I am concerned, the cabbie was put in the position of train drivers who find someone on the tracks in front of them. It was a miracle that this moron was not wiped out.

I’d like to thank the cyclist dressed in black and unlit who while cycling along Lathlain St last night decided to suddenly become a pedestrian and turn onto a zebra crossing to cross the road, without stopping or even checking to see if a panel van was trundling into the zebra crossing.

“I don’t understand why people wouldn’t use the footpath, which IS wide enough to comfortably to support cyclists and pedestrians together. Or failing that, using one of the many bike paths that run through the inner-north.”

When I go north I usually go Northbourne Avenue on the road. Why am I not on the footpath or the other shared recreational paths? Because you can go considerably faster on the road. It also depends how I’m riding. A tootle with kiddies in tow, of course I’l use the shared pathes, but for me, no. If I’m on the footpath I need to slow and stop every 200 metres at each corner to wait for cross traffic turning into or out of Northbourne. There are also driveways with existing and entering cars. And there are all sort of other perfectly legitimate users.

If I’m on the road I go with the flow of traffic with no need to stop until the traffic lights turn orange or are red.

DrKoresh said :

This is why riding on the road down Northbourne is an effing mental idea. Forgive me, I’m not trying to sound unsympathetic,I’ve suffered some nasty physical trauma myself and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
But you have to agree that the road isn’t wide enough to support a cycle lane and three lanes of traffic. We had to pass a cyclist on Nthbne. the other day and it’s not something you can safely do while staying in your lane.

I don’t understand why people wouldn’t use the footpath, which IS wide enough to comfortably to support cyclists and pedestrians together. Or failing that, using one of the many bike paths that run through the inner-north.

Northbourne is wide enough to handle three busses side by side and leave plenty of room for the cycle lane.

Your incompetence behind the wheel is not due to the “narrow” lanes on Northbourne, each of which makes Sydney roads look like goat tracks.

The footpath is not wide enough to handle absent-minded pedestrians who just walk where they want (usually a beeline from the door of the coffee shop to their car, parked illegally in the loading zone), especially during peak hour with all those suits in a hurry to get indoors before they freeze/boil/suffer caffeine withdrawal.

If this is of interest or use to anyone…

FREE Adult Cycling Classes – 2012

Learn 2 Ride courses (x 4 sessions) – start: 6th August, Mondays 2012, adult learn to ride a bike course.

Cycling Skills & Road Safety course (x 8 sessions) – start: 7 August, Tuesdays 2012, learning safe cycling skills.

Health Directorate (ACT Health) in conjunction with Cycle Education is happy to offer a FREE Bicycle training courses.

For Women and Men (over 18 years) and not in current employment and are of any cycling skill level can come along – from absolute beginners to those already with some bike skills. Bike hire included on the day if needed.

BOOKINGS: For more information or to register contact, Sommer at Health Promotion Branch on 6205 7348 or sommer.sherwood@act.gov.auThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots.

pink little birdie said :

Thanks 🙂

I’m lazy and want to do a combined bike skills and maintenace course. I can even supply a classful of people to do it.

Are you planning on making all your minions take up cycling?

cranky said :

Read an article recently (but unable to find it) where the revocation of helmet laws has had a beneficial effect on medical trauma.

America, I think.

Seems the clots riding without helmets were still coming undone at the same rate, but their injuries were now serious enough to require their life support to be turned off.

Gave those requiring transplants a whole new field of donors.

I would love to see that one. Any idea where it was published?

Read an article recently (but unable to find it) where the revocation of helmet laws has had a beneficial effect on medical trauma.

America, I think.

Seems the clots riding without helmets were still coming undone at the same rate, but their injuries were now serious enough to require their life support to be turned off.

Gave those requiring transplants a whole new field of donors.

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Care to elaborate on the basis for characterising compulsory helmet laws as “ridiculous”?

Do you also think compulsory seatbelt laws are ridiculous?

pink little birdie3:43 pm 26 Jul 12

Thanks 🙂

I’m lazy and want to do a combined bike skills and maintenace course. I can even supply a classful of people to do it.

pink little birdie said :

Are there any cycling and bike maintenance courses around Canberra? I would like to do one that possiblibly runs for 3 hours. Basic use of gears, chain and tyre maintenace would be enough.

I have never used a bike with gears and as I will be mainly riding to work (3.5km, not worth driving) I think a course will be benefitial.

Pedal Power runs maintenance courses.

http://www.pedalpower.org.au/events/details.asp?IntContId=4281

Jivrashia said :

Guilty as charged.

Call me a wimp but ever since my bicycle and I were cleaned up by a car on Northbourne during morning traffic I manage to find the smallest of excuse not to ride.

Even before one starts arguing about the rights of cyclists vs arrogant, rude, and disobedient cyclists, the general population is not educated enough to realise that there are cyclist sharing the road.

I’m sure the sight of me lying semi-conscious on Northbourne would have dissuaded some from riding, especially during peak-hour traffic that appears to make cyclists harder to see for drivers.

This is why riding on the road down Northbourne is an effing mental idea. Forgive me, I’m not trying to sound unsympathetic,I’ve suffered some nasty physical trauma myself and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
But you have to agree that the road isn’t wide enough to support a cycle lane and three lanes of traffic. We had to pass a cyclist on Nthbne. the other day and it’s not something you can safely do while staying in your lane. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t use the footpath, which IS wide enough to comfortably to support cyclists and pedestrians together. Or failing that, using one of the many bike paths that run through the inner-north.

Little Birdie – check the PP website and their latest newsletter. They have them pretty regularly.

pink little birdie12:03 pm 26 Jul 12

Are there any cycling and bike maintenance courses around Canberra? I would like to do one that possiblibly runs for 3 hours. Basic use of gears, chain and tyre maintenace would be enough.

I have never used a bike with gears and as I will be mainly riding to work (3.5km, not worth driving) I think a course will be benefitial.

KB1971 said :

I tend to stick with the bike paths from Woden (the whole way actually as much as I can) as I find it more relaxing not having to deal with the cars.

Commuting Aranda – Woden, I find the path via Scrivener is constant low level stress that mounts up.
Major roads I find more variable, concentrate when the traffic peaks, relax in the gaps.

KB1971 said :

Diggety said :

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

Please read the article before commenting Stevian.

Piss poor excuse Diggety, any bit of safety clothing you can wear while doing something active is a bonus.

What is the real reason?

Do you partake in any other exercise?

If you can’t differentiate the logic of wearing a ‘seat belt’ compared to a ‘helmet’, you should probably be wearing a helmet permanently, and never drive a car.

shadow boxer6:24 pm 14 Mar 12

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

You just want to be rid of them to punish the car drivers who don’t subscribe to youe lifestyle choices.

Excuse me? I must have missed the exact moment when I said I wanted to get rid of the car parks in Civic. All I was pointing out was that the $28 figure is probably about right. If you think that means that we should get rid of them then that is entirely your own opinion.

Sorry, didn’t notice you had tagged in.

Jim Jones said :

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

+1

I have seatbelts fitted to all the seats on my bike.

shadow boxer said :

You just want to be rid of them to punish the car drivers who don’t subscribe to youe lifestyle choices.

Excuse me? I must have missed the exact moment when I said I wanted to get rid of the car parks in Civic. All I was pointing out was that the $28 figure is probably about right. If you think that means that we should get rid of them then that is entirely your own opinion.

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

$28 a day pfffft…..

So I take it you don’t think land in Civic is worth $1500/m^2 ?

It’s a sunk cost dude, i.e. it’s already paid for.

Wrong.

A sunk cost is past cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. We could put the land up for auction tomorrow and get the cash.

You may note that in the report it does state that the ACT Government carparks require ongoing maintenance, upkeep etc, which is above what they are earning from them. So they are actually losing money on the car parks, awesome business model.

shadow boxer4:01 pm 14 Mar 12

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

$28 a day pfffft…..

So I take it you don’t think land in Civic is worth $1500/m^2 ?

It’s a sunk cost dude, i.e. it’s already paid for.

Wrong.

A sunk cost is past cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. We could put the land up for auction tomorrow and get the cash.

That is a very different thing to saying a car park “costs” $28 a day. That is like saying your house costs x amount a day because you haven’t sold it.

The car parks that exist today “cost” stuff all per year. As long as new developments come with the appropriate parking they should never cost anything.

You just want to be rid of them to punish the car drivers who don’t subscribe to youe lifestyle choices.

shadow boxer said :

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

$28 a day pfffft…..

So I take it you don’t think land in Civic is worth $1500/m^2 ?

It’s a sunk cost dude, i.e. it’s already paid for.

Wrong.

A sunk cost is past cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. We could put the land up for auction tomorrow and get the cash.

There’s no way I would allow my child to ride on cycle paths, let alone a road these days. Not with all those lycra nutjobs ready to abuse them for getting in their way… !

shadow boxer12:14 pm 14 Mar 12

davo101 said :

shadow boxer said :

$28 a day pfffft…..

So I take it you don’t think land in Civic is worth $1500/m^2 ?

It’s a sunk cost dude, i.e. it’s already paid for.

JonahBologna12:01 pm 14 Mar 12

Don’t let the facts get in the way: here is a link to the latest Canberra cycling survey data.

http://www.pedalpower.org.au/documents/cordon%20count%20report%202011.pdf

I cycle 3 days a week from Calwell to Woden using both cycle paths and on-road cycle lanes.

I find most drivers are fine although some don’t pay attention e.g they turn right right across you. I’m 178cm and 85kg so I’m not that small I can’t be seen. You sit pretty high up on a bike too. People driving around in a daydream are dangerous full stop, not just to bike riders.

There is the odd nob. Usually a young guy in a shit car who takes offence at the fact you and he get to the same place at the same time and he has to slow to let you pass (I keep a record of your licence plates dickwits, and me and my 50 cent coin will get acquainted with your paintwork when I happen across your car in the parking lot).

Not too sure I’d cycle down Northbourne though. If I worked in the city I’d use the on-road lane up Yarra Glen/Adelaide Ave no worries. Looks like heaps do it.

BicycleCanberra11:15 am 14 Mar 12

carnardly said :

Absolutely we do.

I’m not for or against one or the other and use them all depending on a range of situations. I ride on shared recreational paths and minor roads and biggish ones too if there is a lane.

I have no problem with money being spent on things for hardcore cyclists (i’m not one of them), run of the mill riders (i’m possibly one of them) , or Sunday family cruisers. Of course i don’t think school kids should be on the major roads. Most of them can tootle around the suburbs on suitable paths.

Many of the paths are unsuitable sadly to “tootle along”, usually of poor surface, poorly maintained, not wide enough,overgrown and shared with Pedestrians.
Residential roads can be shared with cars if the speed limits were reduced to 30km/h so you don’t need separate paths all the time. The focus of the last cycle network consultation was only limited to commuter cyclists ,school networks didn’t matter apparently!

Absolutely we do. I’m not for or against one or the other and use them all depending on a range of situations. I ride on shared recreational paths and minor roads and biggish ones too if there is a lane. I have no problem with money being spent on things for hardcore cyclists (i’m not one of them), run of the mill riders (i’m possibly one of them) , or Sunday family cruisers. Of course i don’t think school kids should be on the major roads. Most of them can tootle around the suburbs on suitable paths.

BicycleCanberra10:46 am 14 Mar 12

carnardly said :

I actually ride up and over Barry Drive a couple of times a week to get to CIT so I know that corner you talk about, but can’t comment on the other one at Southern Cross Drive.

No I get that many bike lanes aren’t as good as Athllon Drive or Adelaide Ave and I don’t pretend they are.

Again – it was in reference to the broad statement of on road lanes are extremely dangerous. While some might be, they aren’t all, and while some people rant and rave about Northbourne Ave and there seem to be a lot of accidents there, I don’t actually think that is a particularly dangerous street to ride on.

Athllon Drive has its own share of on road lanes that disappear before every roundabout so you have to do a quick head check and claim a lane, or get run into a gutter by a driver looking right but pulling left.

There is a roundabout near Lennox Gardens at the lake that has a high volume of cars at peak hour. The number of drivers that turn right around that from Flynn Drive to the Chinese embassy street (sorry don’t know what it is? possibly Coronation Drive) that veer into the bike lane is well over 50%. I’ve learnt not to be next to anyone going into that corner as there’s a huge chance i will get bumped sideways. Do I want to be mooshed? no.

Does it make the design of that corner unsafe? or the bike lane unsafe? Or are some drivers so dopey that they aren’t aware of other people around them and focus on their own intentions to the detriment of others.

Bike cam certainly makes interesting footage.

I think you need to look at the rest of the Canberra population, while you might find it comfortable on the cycle lanes many people don’t and there is very little room for error. You don’t see cycle lanes on major roads in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Sweden etc. Countries that have cycling rates in double figures.
Cycle lanes are used on low volume low speed roads <50km/h. The higher the speed and higher volume of traffic the greater the separation.This makes real sense. ACT Roads believes that as Canberra is a 'planned city' we done need follow this international best practice, Why?
To quote from David Hembrow:
"Campaigners want on-road facilities for themselves (the "fast cyclists") while also asking for off-road infrastructure to cater for "slow cyclists". This approach is wrong. For a start, it loses the support of many people because it sounds rather like "cyclists" are greedy. It sounds like a request from a greedy person who wants both to have their cake and also to eat it.'
For real progress in cycling, campaigners need to start to "think of the children". However, children should be thought of not as small people to be condescending towards, but as the rightful heirs of our future transport network. Today's child cyclists are tomorrow's adult cyclists."

A consultant run training program designed for ACT Roads " Designing for Cyclists and Pedestrians states that there are are many different rider groups and that 'secondary school students may prefer to use the on road cycle lanes'. Now it is important to provide training for school students but the idea that we should let children mix with high speed high volume traffic is a ridiculous one.

We need a network that is designed for everyone to use! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn2s6ax_7TM

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

+1

shadow boxer said :

$28 a day pfffft…..

So I take it you don’t think land in Civic is worth $1500/m^2 ?

carnardly said :

Athllon Drive has its own share of on road lanes that disappear before every roundabout so you have to do a quick head check and claim a lane, or get run into a gutter by a driver looking right but pulling left.

There is a roundabout near Lennox Gardens at the lake that has a high volume of cars at peak hour. The number of drivers that turn right around that from Flynn Drive to the Chinese embassy street (sorry don’t know what it is? possibly Coronation Drive) that veer into the bike lane is well over 50%. I’ve learnt not to be next to anyone going into that corner as there’s a huge chance i will get bumped sideways. Do I want to be mooshed? no.

Does it make the design of that corner unsafe? or the bike lane unsafe? Or are some drivers so dopey that they aren’t aware of other people around them and focus on their own intentions to the detriment of others.

Bike cam certainly makes interesting footage.

I use that roudabout regularly but not usually from Flynn Dve but Alexandrina Dve so I dont get the issues you are getting but I definately can see your point there. I have seen drivers turn in front of riders heading straight through at the top of Flynn Dve off State Circle. In the drives defence the rider has not signalled their intention but then the driver has not given room either as they are required.

I tend to stick with the bike paths from Woden (the whole way actually as much as I can) as I find it more relaxing not having to deal with the cars. I can still do home to work (30km) between 57″ to 1’02” depending on how I feel on the day.

Do you ride Athllon all the way? I saw a woman doing this one day, she turned out of Wanniassa opposite the school, she got in front of me at the underpass as I crossed under but I caught her again at Sulwood Dve & stayed with her all the way to Maris so she was at no advantage but was a greater risc because of the lack of room the two lane road provides.Even coming down the hill into Woden there is not much room & I would almost say that she was obstructing traffic.

I have also been in a bus while it has tried to pass riders in this area & it is a PITA for them.

I would not do it (especially at the busy time) but each to their own I guess.

shadow boxer9:14 am 14 Mar 12

Hosinator said :

According to a report commissioned by the ACT Government (link attached below), the current break even for an ACT Government owned car park is $28 a day per car spot. On average ACT Government owned car parks charge about $7 a day. At $32 a day a car park will make a profit and be more attractive to commercial investors.
Also, take into account the Myway system on ACTION buses, it’s designed to map and analyse peak times by the data it collects on passenger numbers, trip lengths, popular routes and more.
The Government can’t continue to prop up ACTION buses to the tune of $80 to $90 million a year.

It will only be a matter of time before these issues are addressed and the Government starts charging more for parking. As a commuter you will need to decide on whether you choose to continue to pay for parking, catch a bus or start riding.

http://www.transport.act.gov.au/references-docs/Luxmoore%20Parking%20Consulting,%202010,%20Parking%20Supply%20Options.pdf

Well no, you need to include our rates and general consolidated revemue taxes and charges in that calculation.

$28 a day pfffft…..

Diggety said :

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

Please read the article before commenting Stevian.

Piss poor excuse Diggety, any bit of safety clothing you can wear while doing something active is a bonus.

What is the real reason?

Do you partake in any other exercise?

I actually ride up and over Barry Drive a couple of times a week to get to CIT so I know that corner you talk about, but can’t comment on the other one at Southern Cross Drive.

No I get that many bike lanes aren’t as good as Athllon Drive or Adelaide Ave and I don’t pretend they are. Again – it was in reference to the broad statement of on road lanes are extremely dangerous. While some might be, they aren’t all, and while some people rant and rave about Northbourne Ave and there seem to be a lot of accidents there, I don’t actually think that is a particularly dangerous street to ride on. Athllon Drive has its own share of on road lanes that disappear before every roundabout so you have to do a quick head check and claim a lane, or get run into a gutter by a driver looking right but pulling left.

There is a roundabout near Lennox Gardens at the lake that has a high volume of cars at peak hour. The number of drivers that turn right around that from Flynn Drive to the Chinese embassy street (sorry don’t know what it is? possibly Coronation Drive) that veer into the bike lane is well over 50%. I’ve learnt not to be next to anyone going into that corner as there’s a huge chance i will get bumped sideways. Do I want to be mooshed? no. Does it make the design of that corner unsafe? or the bike lane unsafe? Or are some drivers so dopey that they aren’t aware of other people around them and focus on their own intentions to the detriment of others. Bike cam certainly makes interesting footage.

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

Please read the article before commenting Stevian.

According to a report commissioned by the ACT Government (link attached below), the current break even for an ACT Government owned car park is $28 a day per car spot. On average ACT Government owned car parks charge about $7 a day. At $32 a day a car park will make a profit and be more attractive to commercial investors.
Also, take into account the Myway system on ACTION buses, it’s designed to map and analyse peak times by the data it collects on passenger numbers, trip lengths, popular routes and more.
The Government can’t continue to prop up ACTION buses to the tune of $80 to $90 million a year.

It will only be a matter of time before these issues are addressed and the Government starts charging more for parking. As a commuter you will need to decide on whether you choose to continue to pay for parking, catch a bus or start riding.

http://www.transport.act.gov.au/references-docs/Luxmoore%20Parking%20Consulting,%202010,%20Parking%20Supply%20Options.pdf

BicycleCanberra said :

Pedestrians have high rates of head injury…

I don’t suppose that you have any evidence for this?

I’ve been riding in Canberra for more than 20 years and I typically ride over 5000kms/year, on the road; on fire trails and single track; and on the shared paths. I’ve had one serious accident in that time – in a moment of inattention on a shared path, I managed to lock up the front wheel on a fast downhill and went over the handlebars. I ended up with a cracked rib and a helmet which was smashed to bits, but no head injury. If I hadn’t been wearing the helmet, I would have had a concussion at the very least and much more likely a fractured skull.

Will a helmet save you if you end up under the wheels of a truck? Of course it won’t. Will it save you in lots of other situations? Absolutely.

It is interesting that we have gone to two pages of comments on a post that doesn’t even make a point. In the absence of there being one in the OP, I will infer from the final paragraph that Leon’s intention was to bring to our attention to the fact that children have instinctively freed up an hour in every fortnight for literacy training. When we’ve finished teaching them the difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’, we could start on persuasive writing…

I’ve noticed more oncoming riders on my ride to work, and more bikes in the racks at work.
So more commuters, which is what PP is counting. The others must be counting something else.

As for the green lanes, my favourite is southbound on Yarra Glen at the up ramp to Carruthers St.
Its the longest – easy for exiting vehicles to pass well ahead or behind me.
My least is city bound across Belconnen Way just before the lights to Barry Drive.
The restrictive line markings make it worse as some drivers see the paint as more important than the presence of a cyclist. Still helps to signal right (for straight) there.

carnardly said :

On road cycling lanes are extremely dangerous?

Where are you?

I commute by bike most days of the week and choose major roads with on road lanes. Eg between Woden and the city you have a lane that is in parts as wide as a car lane.

How many serious accidents have happened there in the last 10 years? Bugger all I would think. I know there are far more incidents on Northbourne Avenue, and i think there is probably an equal number of dumb cyclists as there are car drivers. Do i have any hesitation about riding Northbourne on the road? No.

Maybe dangerous is in the eye of the beholder.

I pass a good number of riders each day and an even higher number of faster people pass me. Do you think all of us would be doing it if we honestly thought it was dangerous?

But in saying that, if something crap does happen, we know we’ll come off worse, so that’s why we ride safely, predictably and (in my case at any rate) obey all traffic signs and signals.

See, that’s the problem with using such a small sample of on-road paths, and just assuming that the rest are as good as those on your daily commute. Let me tell you, they’re not.

Some examples:

The on-road path on Southern Cross Drive, which when heading towards Belconnen ends a short time before the Southern Cross / Starke St and Southern Cross / Florey Drive intersections. You’d be hard pressed to find a more dangerous set of intersections in Canberra (can’t wait for the roundabouts), yet the cycle lane just peters out and anyone riding is left to run the gauntlet. There is no footpath to bail out onto on that side of the road either.

Heading from the City, past the ANU and up Barry Drive. The cycle lane doesn’t begin until after the ‘form one lane’ section past the Barry Drive / Clunies Ross St intersection, when heading away from the City. The piece of road you have to ride on without a bicycle lane is heavily used by buses heading to Belconnen, plus a whole lot of drivers more interested in figuring out how to merge than looking out for cyclists. Again, no alternatives exist, aside from an on-road / off-road detour through the CSIRO, with a trip through the trees and scrub to get back to the road once the cycle path starts. It’s almost as though the Govt. expects that cyclists just materialise whenever an on-road path begins.

These are just two examples, but the same thing happens all over Canberra. On-road cycle lanes have been added to roads, with absolutely no regard to actually providing an integrated network. If the cycle lane can be created with just the addition of some paint, then no worries. If any actual modification to the road to accommodate a cycle lane is needed though…then no dice.

I wish that they were all as useful as your ride down Adelaide Avenue, but I think that you’re actually extremely lucky to have such a good run. Your experience is the exception, not the rule.

BicycleCanberra8:36 pm 13 Mar 12

Stevian said :

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

The comparison with seat belts is a ridiculous one and only a non cyclist would say that. Pedestrians have high rates of head injury, should will all walk around in Helmets when crossing the road? no.
There are road accident experts that call for Motoring helmets to prevent head injury in cars, would you wear one if it became compulsory?

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/05/motoring-helmets-for-real-high-risk.html

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

Do those “ridiculous” seat belt laws prevent you from driving?

Ah! So that explains something. They seem to bloody well all be walking up Mt Ainslie – largely still kitted out in lycra …

CatlikeTread said :

… related to the topic content. “Our children are giving up cycling faster than adults are returning to it”

Perhaps not the children giving up but their parents. I was behind a neighbour today and the driver of the family car took both children (aged 7-9) to school in the car. Approximately 250 metres away from home an all on a quiet street with little traffic.

What hope do children have of a healthy lifestyle when this happens.

Agreed! Nanny state and abduction fears haven’t helped.

The teenage daughter (year 11) couldn’t be bothered walking to school so more often than not, her mother drives her. Now given she forked out for a gym membership, I think it would make more sense for her, in the short term at least, to invest 45 mins to walk to school instead?
Or heaven forbid, get out her bike?

I guess I must be a crazy person for thinking this way.

CatlikeTread6:05 pm 13 Mar 12

… related to the topic content. “Our children are giving up cycling faster than adults are returning to it”

Perhaps not the children giving up but their parents. I was behind a neighbour today and the driver of the family car took both children (aged 7-9) to school in the car. Approximately 250 metres away from home an all on a quiet street with little traffic.

What hope do children have of a healthy lifestyle when this happens.

I don’t doubt there are accidents – but are there more than 10 years ago. Probably, but there are also more cyclists out there. But how many accidents are preventable? or didn’t really need to happen? through various bike forums around the place you hear what happens as people post what they see. You don’t simply get on and ride. There are other things to it, especially if you’re going to ride major roads.

Never trust anyone. If you’re passing stationery traffic, make sure you glance at the drivers in case they do a mirror check (that is a prelude to turning one way or the other). Making yourself visible, and assertive where you need to, but not agressive. Making sure you’re very visible in terms of lights as well as not riding in blind spots during slow moving traffic. Don’t be afraid to to an “over the shoulder head check” to cars slightly behind you before going into a killing zone (err green stripe). Claim a lane where you have to to avoid being squeezed agains the gutter if there isn’t a lane.

Learn how to predict or read the traffic so no-one can turn across you. Don’t fang through stationery traffic in a bike lane (especially if cars have left a gap for oncoming cars to turn across) etc. Learn who will try and push their way in in front of you (ie the woman in the red sporty looking car who tried to turn left from Eggleston Cres Chifley onto Melrose this morning while I was almost upon you on your right hand side…. I had right of way you know.. and given you only had to stop at the red at the Hindmarsh corner anyway… .)

I know on-roads don’t cater for all. My comment was in relation to the one that on road lanes are for sports cyclists and not commuters.

BicycleCanberra5:31 pm 13 Mar 12

Diggety said :

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

You’ll be waiting a long time, maybe move to the Northern Territory where you can ride on the bike paths without a helmet and if you are over the age of 17.

SnapperJack said :

I’d be inclined to believe this trend away from cycling and exercising. After the gym today I was walking thru the food court at Woden Plaza and saw a construction worker in a fluoro orange top with the most enormous gut I’d ever seen. It extended almost a metre from his body and defied the laws of gravity being ball shaped. I have to wonder why the construction company employed him in the first place. Surely such a huge gut would be a safety hazard for other workers onsite and severely interfere with his ability to perform his duties.

What sort of bicycle was he riding ?

damien haas said :

Leon Arundel is also the Canberra Pedestrian Forum

So a bit like Harold Scruby who seems to be most of the Pedestrian Council of Australia?

I’ll ride when the ridiculous compulsory helmet laws are abolished.

BicycleCanberra4:58 pm 13 Mar 12

carnardly said :

On road cycling lanes are extremely dangerous?

Where are you?

I commute by bike most days of the week and choose major roads with on road lanes. Eg between Woden and the city you have a lane that is in parts as wide as a car lane.

How many serious accidents have happened there in the last 10 years? Bugger all I would think. I know there are far more incidents on Northbourne Avenue, and i think there is probably an equal number of dumb cyclists as there are car drivers. Do i have any hesitation about riding Northbourne on the road? No.

Maybe dangerous is in the eye of the beholder.

I pass a good number of riders each day and an even higher number of faster people pass me. Do you think all of us would be doing it if we honestly thought it was dangerous?

But in saying that, if something crap does happen, we know we’ll come off worse, so that’s why we ride safely, predictably and (in my case at any rate) obey all traffic signs and signals.

There have been some serious accidents on Northbourne Ave and in other places, the rate of accidents has been going up over the last ten years or so.

In terms of the overall number of cyclists riding now is difficult to get accurate figures.The ABS figures only have to and from work, so discount cycling for all other means, even cycling to school. Recent studies by the ACT Government shows that if the ACT wants to met its 2026 target of 7% of journeys to work are by bicycle. To meet that target you will need to maintain and need an extra 12 new cyclists every week.

On road cycle lanes which may be used by the strong a fearless cyclists do nothing to encourage the rest of the population into cycling particularly school students.
David Hembrow has written a good article on his blog about this , called ‘Who do we campaign for?”

Leon Arundel is also the Canberra Pedestrian Forum

astrojax said :

Deref said :

That would be “Fewer Canberrans are cycling, less often”.

You’re welcome. 🙂

mebbe read the extant posts before offering such sage advice..? you’re welcome… 😉

🙂 Thank you.

Deref said :

That would be “Fewer Canberrans are cycling, less often”.

You’re welcome. 🙂

mebbe read the extant posts before offering such sage advice..? you’re welcome… 😉

devils_advocate said :

sien said :

Fewer Canberrans are cycling not less.

I think they meant “lesser Canberrans are cycling”, which while correct in a gramatical sense is fairly redundant.

I think you meant “grammatical”.

I’d be inclined to believe this trend away from cycling and exercising. After the gym today I was walking thru the food court at Woden Plaza and saw a construction worker in a fluoro orange top with the most enormous gut I’d ever seen. It extended almost a metre from his body and defied the laws of gravity being ball shaped. I have to wonder why the construction company employed him in the first place. Surely such a huge gut would be a safety hazard for other workers onsite and severely interfere with his ability to perform his duties.

Not quite sure why the OP started out with Pedal Power. What does this have to do with Pedal Power?

> This is doubly embarrassing for Pedal Power, because the evidence indicates that less
> Canberrans are cycling, less often.
> Figures from the ABS and the Australian Sports Commission show that only 18%
> of Canberrans cycled in 2009. This is the lowest figure since the turn of
> the millennium, and 1.2% below the 2006 figure.

And < 1% of the ACT population is part of Pedal Power (?3400 members). Like it or not, the off-road infrastructure is funded by the ACT government. In fact, the many possible reasons for falling rates of youths cycling are looked into by (also) Leon at http://grapevine.net.au/~mccluskeyarundell/leon_pubs.html

I don’t see how Pedal Power can have much to do with rates of car ownership, and distances from schools, complexity of bicycles, bicycle fashions (see articles) etc.

I think the post is a good one, but the point would be stronger with the first 2 paragraphs left out.

That would be “Fewer Canberrans are cycling, less often”.

You’re welcome. 🙂

shadow boxer said :

Most parents wouldn’t let their children near those on road cycle paths, that’s why we built bike paths through the leafy suburbs and stopping at the schools in the 70’s and 80’s.

We have those in our newer areas too you know, not just in the inner north/inner south/Woden/wherever you live because it’s some nucking utopia. Just because you see people riding on-ride cycling lanes, doesn’t mean there aren’t off road options in the same area. I ride both to vary the ride.

For the record, I think there are some places with on road lanes that shouldn’t have them and others where they are fine. Flemington on-road is a doddle for example, as the lane is wide as. There are also bike paths meandering through the suburbs either side leading to, you guessed it, schools. Fun…for…everyone.

Jivrashia said :

Call me a wimp but ever since my bicycle and I were cleaned up by a car on Northbourne during morning traffic I manage to find the smallest of excuse not to ride.

That doesn’t sound great but even after 5000km of commuting last year, no way known I’m gettting near Northbourne on the stretch from Dickson to the City. I wimp out and take the long way on the Lyneham bike path. It’s not that much longer and you only have to dodge fixie riding uni students, who infuriate me no end.

I assume that Leon is the same Leon that failed to get his motion accepted at last year’s AGM? Perhaps everyone else at the meeting was happy with the definition of promote:

To further the growth, development, progress, or establishment of (a thing); to advance or actively support (a process, cause, result, etc.); to encourage.

I’m not entirely sure arguing about the minutiae of the organization’s constitution is going to cause anyone to take or give up cycling.

PS: If not “cyclist” then what?

Jivrashia said :

I’m sure the sight of me lying semi-conscious on Northbourne would have dissuaded some from riding, especially during peak-hour traffic that appears to make cyclists harder to see for drivers.

Pics or it didn’t happen.

Guilty as charged.

Call me a wimp but ever since my bicycle and I were cleaned up by a car on Northbourne during morning traffic I manage to find the smallest of excuse not to ride.

Even before one starts arguing about the rights of cyclists vs arrogant, rude, and disobedient cyclists, the general population is not educated enough to realise that there are cyclist sharing the road.

I’m sure the sight of me lying semi-conscious on Northbourne would have dissuaded some from riding, especially during peak-hour traffic that appears to make cyclists harder to see for drivers.

shadow boxer3:44 pm 13 Mar 12

Most parents wouldn’t let their children near those on road cycle paths, that’s why we built bike paths through the leafy suburbs and stopping at the schools in the 70’s and 80’s.

Those paths are where cyclists should be concentrating their efforts, we would all support you, rather than insane ideas like closing a lane of Northbourne or the green paint (pucker your arse and hope for the best) method of commuting

On road cycling lanes are extremely dangerous?

Where are you? I commute by bike most days of the week and choose major roads with on road lanes. Eg between Woden and the city you have a lane that is in parts as wide as a car lane. How many serious accidents have happened there in the last 10 years? Bugger all I would think. I know there are far more incidents on Northbourne Avenue, and i think there is probably an equal number of dumb cyclists as there are car drivers. Do i have any hesitation about riding Northbourne on the road? No.

Maybe dangerous is in the eye of the beholder.

I pass a good number of riders each day and an even higher number of faster people pass me. Do you think all of us would be doing it if we honestly thought it was dangerous? But in saying that, if something crap does happen, we know we’ll come off worse, so that’s why we ride safely, predictably and (in my case at any rate) obey all traffic signs and signals.

I wonder if the decrease in the number and frequency of children cycling correlates with an increase in the number of children being driven to/from school?

chaser said :

Less people are cycling because of compulsory helmet laws.

‘fewer’ [again] – but can you cite evidence for this? these laws have been in for some while now, so hard to see this is a factor in a recent reduction in cyclist no.s

personally, i suspect it is the baby boom erupting in canberra and new parents rely more on a car to carry out parently duties and have fewer opportunities to whip out the trundly… well, that’s my excuse. [that and being cleaned up from behind in 2009 while on my bike making me yet now a little more circumspect in using that transport option…]

When Petal Power find out that Andrew Barr is planning a covered, all weather stadium they will be demanding all bike paths in the territory be covered as well.

There are old cyclists and bold cyclists, but there are no old, bold cyclists.

devils_advocate3:01 pm 13 Mar 12

sien said :

Fewer Canberrans are cycling not less.

I think they meant “lesser Canberrans are cycling”, which while correct in a gramatical sense is fairly redundant.

Leon, can you expand on your comment that Pedal Power members rejected the stated objective? As a cycling commuter, I am considering becoming a member but am concerned if they have other hidden objectives.

I am somewhat dismayed by Canberra’s focus on cycling infrastructure that clearly favours the sports cyclist and ignores commuters. The on-road cycling lanes are extremely dangerous and Canberra adults can be forgiven for being reluctant to take that risk. Most days I have extremely near misses with ignorant or aggressive drivers (especially buses in the latter category) and believe that the current on-road cycling lanes are the wrong solution.

There needs to be a physical barrier between the cyclist and the motor traffic. The on-road lanes could be modifed with a small concrete ‘hump’ instead of the almost useless white painted lines that divide cyclists from the traffic.

The green patches at major exits are curious. Surely green means “go”? A colour like red would at least draw motorists’ attention to the possibility of danger (not, of course, to themselves, but to the brave but unprotected cyclists who are doing their bit for physical fitness (less burden on the public health system) and the environment (fewer greenhouse gas and other polluting emissions)).

Finally, to those who say cyclists should pay road user fees “just like everyone else”, I, like most commuter cyclists, have a car that remains garaged at home during the week on which we pay full road user fees despite removing it from the daily traffic jams.

Some food for thought.

Less people are cycling because of compulsory helmet laws.

Fewer Canberrans are cycling not less.

That’s quite old data, and doesn’t seem to fit with my observations. Cycling seems to have boomed in the last two years. Cycling is clearly growing in other cities, and the last few years have been record years for bike sales.

Canberra is blessed with an abundance of mountain biking – there’s something for all ages, and some of it is very close to suburbia (Bruce, Majura). There’s also new dirt jumps in Gungahlin and the new skate/bike park in Belconnen.

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