Sydney riding experience

PGANDO

For anyone wanting the quick skinny between the Syd and Melb riding experience here it is. I have just moved to Syd from Melb and my heart is heavy, longing for Beach Rd or the Dandenongs.... Anway:

iPod factor - A great barometer to determine how safe the roads are. If you feel like you can comfortably cruise around tapping the hoods listening to Wolfmother or Art Garfunkle (whatever greases your chains) you are in cycling nirvana. Sydney unfortunately is one massive pothole interspersed with the occasional bit of bitumen.

Chicken factor - There is an unhealthy level of disrespect between peddlers and drivers. Lack of viable routes mean that riders are often forced to ride on main arterials and freeways. Frustrating for drivers and dangerous for riders. Situation not helped when peletons ignore basic traffic laws by flying through red lights and cutting off traffic....Nb that Melb's HellRide isn't much better on this count either and as result do now get a regular police escort.

Lobby group factor - Bicycle Victoria is a massive lobby group whose power should not be underestimated and should be replicated wherever possible. Melb is the benchmark....Vast tracts of bike lanes, insurance, huge social rides and community support. Lift Bicycle NSW! It's game on and our lives depend on it!

Syd is short of adequate infrastructure. Poor public transport pushes more cars onto roads but the roads themselves are inadequate to meet the rising demand and are crumbling under the pressure. If I sound overly despondent consider the fact that 5 days ago I had the worst accident of my riding days when I slammed into a car door after a woman sitting in the back seat decided to jump out at a set of lights. The result - a severed middle finger that had to be re-attached. The good news is that over time I should get near 100% use back. The bad news is that Syd drivers do not consider bike riders. They don't have a high enough profile and at best are a pest rather than valid users of road space.

Any thoughts welcome. Just trying to get the debate started.

Albert 50

PGANDO

Undoubtedly overconfidence in other road users. The thing about about Beach Rd in Melb is, by in large, cyclists have become part of the scenery and as a result drivers respectfully change lanes or provide adequate room when passing. In Syd, cyclists barely register...leaving little room for error. I don't encourage MP3 use during road rides but you see my point....

mikesbytes

Sorry to hear of your accident.

Where abouts in Sydney are you riding?

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PGANDO

On College St in the CBD next to Hyde Park.

mikesbytes

What routes do you ride in Sydney?

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PGANDO

The Sat morning Sutherland run from Colluzzi. The Tour De Burbs through the eastern suburbs and a bit of hill work through Watson's Bay and Bellevue Hill. Mid-week lunchtime rides out to La Perouse from the CBD. The occasional repetitive Centennial loop which has not proven to be much safer given that I have almost been taken out by cars crossing the bike lane as they exit the park from the centre without looking.

I am desperate for any recommended and quality routes for when I get back in the saddle.

mikesbytes

The various clubs ride to Waterfall via Sutherland on Sunday mornings starting at 6.30 am from various locations, in particuar Centennial park. There are a lot of riders on the road at this time and that seems to help.

I ride to Waterfall on Sundays with the Dulwich Hill club leaving Mick Mazza's at 299 Marrickville rd, Marrickville at 6.30am.

Tuesday and Thursday at 6am the Lidcome Alburn club ride in groups around Olympic Park doing pace lines and a short sprint up a minor hill each lap. The roads are good and there is little traffic. They leave sharp at 6am from Olympic train station, split into about 5 groups depending on your ability.

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Jeytown

oh no another melbournite giving us there opinon

boy where would we be without melbourne telling us how good they are

oh well what can i say we dont thave the mauch lauded RMIT (cough cough splutter) but at least were starting im sure that we will get there

its amazing riding around with your ipod on

how amazingly curteous to other road users do you sing along as well

was your accident at the same time that you had your ipod on

overall its good to hear your okay and that everything is working out for you accidents are never good for anyone

cheers

PGANDO

Don't just write off my Melb-Syd chippiness as flippant. My point really is about the opportunity to be able to ride around Sydney without the constant fear that I will be smacked down by a car should I need to suddenly avert a grate or a pothole. I'd love to be able to go for a safe ride where I don't have to get up at 5am on a weekend. Maybe I am just chippy or just naive enough to think we deserve better.

mikesbytes

Pretty much all of the rides have started by 6.30. Its these early rides that separate the Men/Woman from the boys/girls. Mine starts at 5.30 tomorrow morning.

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Jeytown

PGANDO

please dont take me the wrong way

i used to live in lilydale and i know all to well through melbourne media how quick they were to tell sydney about there latest exploits

joan kirner was an expert at it

then so was bloody jeff

and also how lovely there fabled RMIT is (cough cough splutter)

i didnt think you were flippant you made good points however the biggest issue is this

melb is centering all public works with the public in mind wheras syd is doing only mainteneace work and if they can add to the landscape with something new then squash it in somewhere cycleways included

its just thats the political mentatlity here

however the only we can make a difference is lobby

sometimes i get mistaken for a flamer but i only am interested in cycling on road bieng safe for all however it seems on the road most roadies (cyclists/cars/trucks) arent that intersted either way you occosionally get some peeps but occosianally who are bieng safe but few and far between

so i believe if we build a bridge big enough ...........................................

we can all get over it

cheers
see you on the road

mikesbytes

Sydney may not be as good as Canberra or Perth for cycling, but its still acheivable, the numbers that ride out to Waterfall on Sunday show that. On any weekend, there are cyclists in various groups riding in various locations accross the city. During the week, 1% of commuting is done on bicycles, not a good percentage, but still a heck of a lot bikes. That's 1% of the commuter portion of 6 million.

Anyway, my point is, if you are dedicated to cycling then solutions to the local challenges can be found. Sydney-ites ride at the best time of the day for Sydney, that's one of the solutions. We end up having breakie at a coffee shop after the ride, a great way to start the day.

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PGANDO

Solid points but we must surely still deserve better. I have been one the sluggers that has been getting out at 6am on the w/ends heading out to Waterfall with some of the quicker groups and it constantly amazes me that we have to ride on poorly lit freeways as trucks brush past our elbows (getting sucked into the roadway from the low pressure as they fly past), and the poor state of Anzac Pde....Reckon the name came from the striking similarity to the testing terrain our soldiers faced in Turkey). Sydney road maintenance is at best just patchwork....more reactive than proactive with a polly-filla mentality....I suppose when you are a cash strapped state gov't that can't even get drivers to use a tunnel that's meant to make your life that much easier even using a half price incentive, then I suppose fixing roads ain't too high on the priority list.

My question to you Mike is are you happy to make do with how things are? Do you feel as though this is as good as it gets? Or, do you feel as though if all cyclists actually do get behind an organisation such as Sydney's equivalent of Bicycle Victoria, that we do actually have a chance of perhaps improving our lot? Ie, see more actual marked bike lanes (remember in most cases it's just paint), more bike friendly grates, better roads for those well known popular cycle routes?..............