Motorcycles on bike paths

thebirdman

[img]images/icons/icon1.gif[/img]News Bulliton ABC- Radio National Friday morning 07/07/2006

Motorcycle group lobbies to use bike paths during peak hour (max speed limit 30km/h).

My understanding and experience/observations from around Australia, is that, for starters all the 'bikepaths' I have come across are actually Dual/Multi Use Paths. During peak hour traffic these same paths are already heaviely used by pedestrians and cyclists.

I don't know wether or not I should have given this the oxygen of publicity or let it die natural death but I thought it be useful to show the thinking of some other transport user groups.

beauyboy

Smeggin Hell you have got to be joking.

Like they would keep to a 30kmph speed limit. Pedestrians already complain about cyclist being on bikeways imagin it with motorbikes as well. Also lets state the obovous if a bicycle hits a pedestrian at speed lets say a few broken bones on both sides, a motorbike hitting a pedestrian at speed i see dead pedestrian.
I hate it when motorbikes use bikeways illegally that scare the smeg out of me when u are riding a km away from the local road and out comes a motorbike from the dark.

Besides the above there is also the fact that they are alot heavier than a cyclist and with that could do some real damage to the lightly constructed bikeways. Afterall a bikeway is not like a road with a deep layer of road base many are just concreat on dirt and sometimes the concreat is only 75mm thick. Also many of the early bikeways were made with very soft concreat and they are already cracking with age.

Beauyboy

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Archibald

sod them.
they can stay on the "motor"way like everything else with a motor.
unless they want to pedal their several hundred kilo bike...

Jeytown

it should be put into perspective


from my interpretation they want to use the first 30m before traffic lights

while i dont think it is their greatest idea

i do wonder since we already lost william street i guess well lose this as well

thebirdman

Is this a Sydney only thing? Do you know who's behind it?

Jeytown

no i think it originated in qld


however it wont be long before its wide practise

busboytim

From what happened in Melbourne last week, the police had a blitz on Motorbikes using on road cycle lanes. Arguemants that usually come from them is that there are no bikes in them so why can't they use them...my reply there is no one walking on the footpath..can I use that to get around the traffic?

Just waiting for them to want to use the off road paths as well...

Baalzamon

Imagine what would happen if a roadie overtook a motorbike on a bike path. Do you reckon they would stick to 30km's/hr if roadbikes were overtaking them.
They would probably get annoyed about a cyclist overtaking them and speed up.

gclark8

Keep them seperate.

Agreeing to a mix @ 30kph will end up with a 30k speed limit for bikes too. Currently in WA we have a blanket speed limit of 50kph, unless signposted otherwise. (eg: some of Kings Park is 10k)

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asterope

this is such a ploy to get anything that hasnt got 4+ wheels off the road... greedy bastards.

i use both forms of two wheeled transport to get around (road bike and 50cc scooter) and there is no way i would want to use the little precious space allocated to pedal powered transport just to go around cars.

im the kind of scooterist that will ride slowly behind a bike rider on a normal but busy road so cars will go AROUND me and hence around the cyclist.

i occasionally jump into an empty bike lane for the last 100 or so meters before traffic lights to jump the queue, but its only when i am that close to the front that i will do it. and never in front of a cyclist.

i agree, keep motorbikes off bike paths... i dont like the thought of limiting bicycle speeds to 30km/h and i dont like the thought of some huge motorbike spewing fumes into my lungs... i also dont like the thought of doing that to a fellow cyclist.

mikesbytes

As an ex motorcyclist I know dam well that it is near impossible to keep a motorbike to a posted speed limit and as it is unlikely that the speed limit will be enforced, most motorbike riders will be doing considerably more than 30kmh. All of the concerns posted above would defently happen.

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beauyboy

I most certainly do not like the idea of a blanket limit of 30kmph on a bikeway. Most of us relay on the fact that we can exceed 30kmph to get to our destination. Atm bikeways unless posted have an open speed limit mind u the chance of exceeding 50kmph is pretty low in most cases. I say if you want a big motor in it you stay on the road and out of a bike lane or bikeway.
It's funny when Qld Transport did Smart Travel Chioces so many people complained about there being a limit of 250watts for vehicals being put on the bikeways. The thing that these people did not realise is that is around the average output for a cyclist effectively meaning that QLD Transport making it a level playing field for powered and non powered vehicals on the bikeways.
Beauyboy

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BCC give us more bikeways for a safe commute!!

Baalzamon

Also some paths have got very tight corners which motorbikes would not get around.

Jeytown

well i gotta ask

does australia ahave a cyclingbody that the media can contact to voice there opinon