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May 2008 newsletter |
Dear
Fellow Cyclist,
I have
not had the heart to write a newsletter for a while. I am continuing to enjoy my
riding in this beautiful part of the world however, the Byron Shire Council
Bikeways Committee, of which I have been a long standing member, has continued
to have less influence on our Council than we would have hoped. Despite lots
and lots of good words on the part of the Greens & allied Councillor
majority and some of the "others", Council continues to only
build bikeways & shoulders at the same snails pace as it did before this
term of Council. Council Staff have so far strenuously opposed
setting any meaningful yearly targets, and the Mayor & Councillors do
not appear to have the will or commitment to impose such. The
Mayor appears to be making an effort to get the bike plan completed, but seems
to have backed off from her written word to increase bikeways
built per year from about 2 Km to 10 Km. So far there are no stated
over-arching aims such as increasing ridership or enabling
most kids to ride to school, nor is there a road shoulder plan or
policy. Less funds have been allocated to bikeways this coming
financial year (08/09) Council budget than in the past few. The phrase
"the road to hell is paved with good intentions" comes to mind. There
may be some glimmers of hope with the change of most senior Council Staff
positions and the appointment of an experienced Traffic & Transport
Planner, as well as a new Council being elected in September.
The
Sorry Saga of the Shire Bike Plan - Illustration of the lack of political will.
2002
-2003: Bikeways Committee establishes list of agreed priority routes, some
have been carried out at the 2-3Km per year.
late
2004: Council insists on a Plan "before any more funds are
allocated", and decide to make it both Pedestrian and Bikeways
2005-2006: Multi-national
consultancy GHD is paid well over $50,000 to produce the Plan. After
lots of meetings, Staff involvement, the Bikeways Committee is asked for
input, most of it appears to be then ignored.
early
2007: Plan is delivered by GHD, is clearly considered unusable by most and
is abandoned. Staff are then asked to prepare a comprehensive list of
bikeways routes with maps.
2008:
List and maps are not yet complete although a final effort is being made by the
Councillors to get a completed plan during this term, there are still no more
funds allocated.
We should remember all this when the Council elections
occur in September.
For
what is possible see for example Fairfield Council: http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/default.asp?iNavCatId=11&iSubCatId=113#Cyclepaths
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Shire Speed Limit
Survey
Byron Shire Council is conducting a community
survey on whether all roads in the Shire (except for the Pacific Highway)
should have a maximum speed limit of 80Kph. They intend to use the results of
the survey (assuming support for this initiative) in their submissions to the
RTA who have ultimate authority of such matters.
The deadline is 31 May and we urge all to vote Yes.
We know that most of our roads are not safe for cars or bikes and leaving
it up to the individual drivers to "drive to conditions" demonstrably
often does not work.
There is a copy of the survey in the Byron Shire
News under Council notices.
You can vote directly via the Council web
site, just click on: http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Council/Notices.aspx#id983
Alternately you can just send a letter of support to BSC, PO Box 219, Mullum, NSW
2482.
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Byron Bay Freeriders
Cycling Club is conducting the first in a series of Road
Races starting this Sunday 11 May along
7.30am sign on opposite
Any queries call
Chris Pratt – President Byron Bay Freeriders Cycling Club on 0437859959 or chrispratt@internode.on.net Race entry payment at sign on
desk $10.00 Cycling Australian Race Licenses to be presented, day licenses
available
Presentations immediately after the event, and
then breakfast/coffee at Julian's Cafe in Byron for those so inclined.
Check our website for updates and photos home.exetel.com.au/philspace/freeriders/
Club training rides on Tuesday
and Thursday at 6.00am meet at the Clock Tower in
Please note that its Cycling
Australia membership renewal time covering your race licence & insurance but social club members always welcome. Keep them
wheels spinning & Ride safely
Glen Hannan & Caroline Mitchell, 6654
4139, 0438 793 022, hannamitchell@iinet.net.au
Byron
Shire Bicycle Spring
It
promises to be a very exciting spring here with several great biking events.
20-28 Sep NSW Bike Week (Sun 28th Bike Rides to
Bruns) http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/usingroads/events/bikeweek/index.html
13 Oct Ride for a Better Day ("Cerebral Palsy and
Men's Depression" charity ride from Brisbane to Canberra passing through
the Shire with local participants)
15 Oct National Ride to Work Day http://www.bicyclensw.org.au/Ride2Work.asp
http://www.smh.com.au/news/earth-hour/pedal-pushers-consider-power-of-the-hour/2008/03/11/1205125911560.html
18 Oct Freedom Mountain Bike Race Rummery Park to Minyon
Falls http://tr.nelson.co.nz/freedommarathon.htm
26 Oct Kites & Bikes Festival Brunswick Heads http://www.brunswickheads.org.au/brunswick/whats-on/kites-and-bikes/43
8 Nov Byron Criterium http://tr.nelson.co.nz/byron_bay_criterium.htm
9 Nov Rainbow Ride Byron to Corrumbin http://tr.nelson.co.nz/rainbow_ride.htm
BSBUG
will be involved, your ideas and participation are most welcome. More
information to come.
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Insurance
for Bike Riders
By
joining Bicycle NSW http://www.bicyclensw.org.au/Membership.asp,
you not only help the biking cause, get a great biking magazine 6 times a year,
but get insurance while riding. This includes cover for injury and even loss of
earnings.
http://www.cyclecover.com.au/webcontent19.htm
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Cadel
Evans laments 'dangerous attitude' on the roads
Samantha Lane The Age January 7, 2008
Last year's Tour de France runner-up has just four
more weeks in Australia before he hits the European cycling circuit in a bid to
win the world's best-known bike race in July.
But as the part-time Barwon Heads resident made his
daily training rides on two wheels around the Bellarine Peninsula during his
sabbatical Down Under, he was abused by passing motorists, and was bemused by
just how much aggression there was on the roads.
Yesterday Evans participated in the third Amy's Ride,
which commemorated the death of former Australian rower-turned-cyclist Amy
Gillett in a road crash while training in Germany three years ago.
After riding with about 2200 others, including fellow
champion cyclist Stuart O'Grady, Evans donated $40,000 of the $50,000 prize he
won for being judged Fairfax's Sports Performer of the Year in 2007 to the Amy
Gillett Foundation.
"Honestly, the scariest part of my job is riding
on the Great Ocean Road, which I live on, between Christmas and New Year,"
Evans said.
"I'd say in my career I've cycled in every
continent in the world, other than Antarctica, and it's incredible. Drivers in
America and Australia just have attitudes.
"I don't necessarily say attitudes towards
cyclists, but even towards other road users. It's incredible that people just
don't realise the danger they're causing other people.
"People in Europe have narrower roads and they
have more traffic but they have better awareness and just a better
attitude."
The worst offenders, in Evans' experience, were very
young and very old drivers. But they were not the only ones.
"People throw glass bottles, people try and hit
people, people try and ride dangerously close to riders," he said.
"Yesterday out riding there were people driving
just far too close, people not having judgement of the tray on the back of
their ute. Or the worst one is a car carrying trailers that are wider than the
car — they're shocking. I've nearly had my leg torn off so many
times because of that and people are just completely unaware of it. It's
people's lives — in my case it's my career — and I
just think people need to be more aware."
Evans is giving the remaining $10,000 of his Fairfax
prize to Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth, which focuses on supporting children
in remote Aboriginal communities.
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Our comment: the dreadful conditions that Cadel Evans describes occur
daily in our Shire, particularly on the busiest roads like Ewingsdale Rd and
Gulgan Rd. These roads are disasters in the making.
Yours in biking, be safe,
have fun, Bernard