Cyclists break the road rules...

beerwolf

John Tserkezis wrote:

> scotty72 wrote:
>
>> Yes, peds can get over on the eastern side
>> bike on the western
>
> Ah, that explains it.
>
> I wonder how much lobbying will it take to have escalators installed?

Have a look at this, SMH, Dec 17 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/347w7e

--
beerwolf

beerwolf

scotty72 wrote:
>
> the harbor bridge bike way is not shared
>
> if fact there are 2 guards on duty at any time who will throw peds off.
> I've seen them do it.

Now that's what I call zero tolerance!

--
beerwolf

Zebee Johnstone

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:35:56 +1100
John Tserkezis <jt@techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> wrote:
> Tomasso wrote:
>
>>> ...I didn't realise there were non-shared paths in NSW, where are some?
>
>> Harbour Bridge?
>
> That one is shared. There are very few non-shared paths, there is one in
> Fairfield, alas it was a million years ago when we passed that one, so can't
> remember exactly where.
>

THe bridge one isn't. The peds are supposed to be on the other side.
I have come across a jogger on the bridge path which annoyed me but at
least he was wearing lots of reflec so it was easy to tell what he
was.

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:53:07 +1100
John Tserkezis <jt@techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> wrote:
> scotty72 wrote:
>
>> Yes, peds can get over on the eastern side
>> bike on the western
>
> Ah, that explains it.
>
> I wonder how much lobbying will it take to have escalators installed?

North Sydney council are talking about extending it a fair distance.
I think they are going to add ramps for on/off.

Take years though.

Escalators would be very expensive, won't get them. I'm surprised
someone hasn't pushed for lifts on the ped side though.

Trikes are right outside planners understanding I've found, there are
a couple of places on my regular commute that are very trike
unfriendly due to the bollard design. One's been fixed, the other
probably never will be.

I have no idea if the various bike consulting groups have trikers on
them, or if the two wheelers know three wheelers so they think "what
about trikes?"

Maybe what you need is to find someone who uses a trike cos they are
disabled, then raise a fuss about how the councils are not living up
to their obligations.

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:23:12 +1100
John Tserkezis <jt@techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> wrote:
>
>> The Adelaide City Council parking rangers didn't have quotas. What
>> they did have was "past performance". So if a bomber wasn't booking
>> as many people as had been booked in that area at that time in
>> previous years, they would be asked why not. If they had an
>> explanation such as a change in parking restrictions or a popular
>> business moving, then that was that. If there was none then they'd be
>> told to get moving and possibly checked up on to be sure they were
>> doing the job, not off having coffee.
>
> At the end of the day, I'm not playing word games. If it looks like a
> quota, and smells like a quota, and barks like a quota, then....

Which it isn't, as that description shows. A quota isn't going to
change depending on circumstances for example.

How do you propose a council or police force can determine if the
employees are doing the job or skiving off?

Dunno about police, but I do know the bomber's job is hard,
unpleasant, and so difficult to fill. Good recipe for people not
working just saying they do. What would you do to make sure the
work's being done?

Zebee

TimC

On 2008-01-13, Zebee Johnstone (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Trikes are right outside planners understanding I've found, there are
> a couple of places on my regular commute that are very trike
> unfriendly due to the bollard design. One's been fixed, the other
> probably never will be.
>
> I have no idea if the various bike consulting groups have trikers on
> them, or if the two wheelers know three wheelers so they think "what
> about trikes?"

It's not just trikes though. Tourers, parents with kids on tagalongs,
and trailers all have problems. Bollards are a truly stupid idea.
And those fences that divert you around a U-turn.

--
TimC
Entropy requires no maintenance. -- Markoff Chaney

John Tserkezis

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> Trikes are right outside planners understanding I've found, there are
> a couple of places on my regular commute that are very trike
> unfriendly due to the bollard design. One's been fixed, the other
> probably never will be.

I've been lucky, only found one bridge bollard in Pennant Hills where I have
to manouver creatively to get past, but I have the narrowest trike in the
range though - that *really* does help.

> I have no idea if the various bike consulting groups have trikers on
> them, or if the two wheelers know three wheelers so they think "what
> about trikes?"

Doesn't even cross their minds. We occasionally have people from the
council at our BUG meetings, but lobbying outside your local is a bit
difficult. You need to get onto the bug that handles that area, and mention
the problem areas to them.

You're not playing the common sense game anymore, this is politics.

> Maybe what you need is to find someone who uses a trike cos they are
> disabled, then raise a fuss about how the councils are not living up
> to their obligations.

I'm guessing that will only be viable with an advertising campaign too. One
person can't make a change unless said person "knows" the right people in the
right places.

It's actually incredible how quickly and efficiently things get done that
way though.
--
Linux Registered User # 302622
<http://counter.li.org>

Theo Bekkers

scotty72 wrote:
> the harbor bridge bike way is not shared
>
> if fact there are 2 guards on duty at any time who will throw peds
> off. I've seen them do it.

Do they ask them if they can swim first?

Theo

John Tserkezis

Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> if fact there are 2 guards on duty at any time who will throw peds
>> off. I've seen them do it.

> Do they ask them if they can swim first?

Interestingly enough, when we passed there yesterday, there were three of
them. All evenly spaced towards the centre.

You don't get to find out you're not supposed to be there until you're well
onto the bridge.

That and, we passed TWO pedestrians, though that was towards the ends, and
before they've had a stern talking to.

Or perhaps to fine them (being the cynic that I am), where you don't have
opportunity to escape when you're in the middle.

Said peds likely do what 50% (*) of the rail customers do. Give them false
details.



(*) A SMH report a couple of years back claimed 50% of the fines on the
railway system (trains and stations) belonged to false names and could not be
traced.

--
Linux Registered User # 302622
<http://counter.li.org>

scotty72

At either end of the bridge's cycleway entrance there are signs about 6-10 ft tall that clearly state that peds and joggers are prohibited and fines apply.

It's no one but the peds' fault if they walk around with their eyes wide shut.

John Tserkezis

scotty72 wrote:

> At either end of the bridge's cycleway entrance there are signs about
> 6-10 ft tall that clearly state that peds and joggers are prohibited and
> fines apply.
>
> It's no one but the peds' fault if they walk around with their eyes
> wide shut.

Shrug. I didn't notice either.

However, in my defence, on the trike, my head is barely a foot or two off
the ground, and signs are that far up relative to the cycling crowd around me
(mainly all rear wheels and arseholes) that they're obstructed and I don't see
them unless I have some room to move.

On the way down on at the northern end, I *certainly* wasn't looking for
signs, I was concentrating on carrying a cumbersome trike with full plastic
cleats on hard smooth concrete and/or tiles.

Not fun at all.

Last time I did that with the dual MTB, I rode down (the stairs, not the
girly smooth bit in the middle). Now *that* was fun. :-)

--
Linux Registered User # 302622
<http://counter.li.org>

Zebee Johnstone

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:26:52 +1100
John Tserkezis <jt@techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> wrote:
> On the way down on at the northern end, I *certainly* wasn't looking for
> signs, I was concentrating on carrying a cumbersome trike with full plastic
> cleats on hard smooth concrete and/or tiles.

My HighRacer is tall enough that I can wheel it down the ramp and have
access to the brakes.

Couldn't ride the trike down on the ramp?

Zebee

John Tserkezis

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> My HighRacer is tall enough that I can wheel it down the ramp and have
> access to the brakes.
> Couldn't ride the trike down on the ramp?

You might not remember mine last time you saw it, there is barely two inches
ground clearance to play with. So if there are any lumps in the terrain, you
certainly know about it.

Also, if you grab the rear to lift it, you don't realistically have access
to the brakes. They're too far front, with you too far leaned over to make it
a viable rolling method.

If I tried it, I would have to lift the rear and roll the fronts, but it
would scrape the front chainring when the ramp flattens out at each block of
steps. (and that's with me crouching down to hold the rear as low as possible).

And if that wasn't enough, holding the entire weight of the trike back from
rolling down with only one hand is a bit of a challenge. It ain't a small
hill remember...

On the other hand, if I go fast enough to launch it so it doesn't bottom
out, by the time I get down the bottom, I would have lost a good kilo worth of
scraping aluminium, and a good respectable kilo worth of nappy filler off
myself in the process.


So no, I don't have any option other than to carry it down.
--
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<http://counter.li.org>

Hamish Moffatt

scotty72 wrote:
> .. but motorists never do, right.
>
> Are you as sick of the constant whinge about 'cyclists break the law,
> so lets register them and that will solve it' crap?
>
> Cars are registered. Doesn't stop them CONSTANTLY breaking the law.
>
> watch this (about 1min 50 sec)
>
> ' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlPaz-z3vcU'
> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlPaz-z3vcU)

Looks like there should be slip lanes to turn left. We have those in
Victoria.

Driving home from work tonight, waiting to turn right at a major
intersection, I saw a cyclist just go ahead and make the right turn
against the red once there was no oncoming traffic. Blatantly illegal.

So like the other thread concluded, just being a cyclist doesn't make
you 'pure of heart' either.


Hamish