Bike Bus + Thousands of newbie cyclists



cfsmtb

New Member
Apr 11, 2003
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fyi ;)

BTW - YarraBUG are interested in developing a similar 'Bike Bus" in Melb's inner northern suburbs, if you're interested in assisting, please feel free to contact us. :) I reckon this type of commuter ride would be equally beneficial for other commuters - why not consider one for your area?

MassBUG: Bike Bus, Marrickville/Newtown to City
http://www.massbug.org.au/cgi-bin/twiki/bin/view/MASSBUG/BikeBus

***********************

All aboard the bike bus
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/all-aboard-the-bike-bus/2006/07/15/1152637916820.html
CLIMB on board the bike bus - you're guaranteed a seat, don't need a ticket and you can ride for free.

Leaving Marrickville's Henson Park at 6.58am on weekdays the "bus" is a pack of cycle commuters who ride together for safety and the pleasure of each others' company.

They make scheduled stops in Newtown and Redfern to pick up new riders before reaching Macquarie Street at 7.32am.

The size of the bus varies, but even in the rain it's likely to have at least four riders.

Group member Fiona Campbell said there was evidence cycle commuting was on the rise. She said in the 12 months from February 2005 the group jumped from 15 to about 30 riders, a figure, she said was echoed in other bike buses across the city.

Other "bike bus" routes are being established including to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.


****************************

Thousands buy cycles to beat the bowser blow-out
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thousands-buy-cycles/2006/07/15/1152637916782.html
Daniel Dasey. July 16, 2006

SPIRALLING petrol prices are prompting thousands of commuters to ditch their cars on weekdays and ride to work on bicycles.

With the cost of a litre of fuel passing $1.45, cycling groups said the number of riders on some routes had nearly doubled over the past 12 months and bike shops have reported a rise in sales.

Councils are also moving to keep up with the change in traffic patterns.

"If you look across the state there would be thousands more people cycling to work, especially on commuter routes," Andrew Dodds, from Bicycle NSW, said.

"There's also been a decrease in the amount of traffic as people swap to bikes."

Figures from fuel price tracking website MotorMouth show the top price of fuel in Sydney hit 145.9 cents on Thursday and Friday. The average price at city bowsers was 141.5 cents by the end of the week.

Soaring oil prices are expected to push the cost of fuel still higher in coming weeks and some experts have tipped we will be paying $1.70 a litre at the bowser within weeks.

With the price of filling up some cars now well over $100, an increasing number of motorists are buying bikes to cut the cost of commuting.

"There's definitely been an increase in interest over the past six to nine months," said Adam Hogan, from Sydney's Cheeky Monkey bike shop where cycles sell from about $700.

"Sales might be up 20 to 25 per cent. I think the decision to buy a bike is affected by petrol prices. It spurs people on."

Mr Hogan said it appeared the cost of petrol was the straw that broke the camel's back for many people thinking about giving up driving and cycling to work instead.

"When you are riding the commuter routes you see a huge increase," he said.

Figures from the City of Sydney show there is also a long-term move towards cycling.

A report completed for the council earlier this year looked at the number of cyclists entering the city on major commuter routes.

Between 1996 and late 2005 the number of cyclists using the Harbour Bridge in a typical hour on a weekday morning rose close to five times to about 175. Growth was greater on the Pyrmont Bridge where numbers grew six times to about 185 cyclists an hour.

Rises were also reported on Oxford Street and Ultimo Road.

Bike riders are angry at State Government plans to remove cycle lanes from William Street as part of its reversal of traffic changes related to the Cross City Tunnel. To encourage more use of bicycles, the City of Sydney proposes extending bike lanes from Kent Street to Town Hall and on to Pyrmont Bridge.

Marrickville Council is also looking at making its area more bike friendly.

The rise in bike riding appears not to have translated into a rise in cycling accidents.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said there was no evidence of an increased number of patients presenting with bicycle-related traumas.
Source: The Sun-Herald
 
Cant help feeling one of the main benefits of commuting by bike is you dont
have to stick to a timetable! No more running for the bus. Still, if the
newbies (isnt there a better term than that) want a bit of encouragement,
good idea.

fb


"cfsmtb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> fyi ;)
>
> BTW - 'YarraBUG' (http://www.yarrabug.org) are interested in developing
> a similar 'Bike Bus" in Melb's inner northern suburbs, if you're
> interested in assisting, please feel free to contact us. :) I reckon
> this type of commuter ride would be equally beneficial for other
> commuters - why not consider one for your area?
>
> MassBUG: Bike Bus, Marrickville/Newtown to City
> http://www.massbug.org.au/cgi-bin/twiki/bin/view/MASSBUG/BikeBus
>
> ***********************
>
> All aboard the bike bus
> http://tinyurl.com/f9vdy
> CLIMB on board the bike bus - you're guaranteed a seat, don't need a
> ticket and you can ride for free.
>
> Leaving Marrickville's Henson Park at 6.58am on weekdays the "bus" is a
> pack of cycle commuters who ride together for safety and the pleasure of
> each others' company.
>
> They make scheduled stops in Newtown and Redfern to pick up new riders
> before reaching Macquarie Street at 7.32am.
>
> The size of the bus varies, but even in the rain it's likely to have at
> least four riders.
>
> Group member Fiona Campbell said there was evidence cycle commuting was
> on the rise. She said in the 12 months from February 2005 the group
> jumped from 15 to about 30 riders, a figure, she said was echoed in
> other bike buses across the city.
>
> Other "bike bus" routes are being established including to the
> Children's Hospital at Westmead.
>
>
> ****************************
>
> Thousands buy cycles to beat the bowser blow-out
> http://tinyurl.com/kacgb
> Daniel Dasey. July 16, 2006
>
> SPIRALLING petrol prices are prompting thousands of commuters to ditch
> their cars on weekdays and ride to work on bicycles.
>
> With the cost of a litre of fuel passing $1.45, cycling groups said the
> number of riders on some routes had nearly doubled over the past 12
> months and bike shops have reported a rise in sales.
>
> Councils are also moving to keep up with the change in traffic
> patterns.
>
> "If you look across the state there would be thousands more people
> cycling to work, especially on commuter routes," Andrew Dodds, from
> Bicycle NSW, said.
>
> "There's also been a decrease in the amount of traffic as people swap
> to bikes."
>
> Figures from fuel price tracking website MotorMouth show the top price
> of fuel in Sydney hit 145.9 cents on Thursday and Friday. The average
> price at city bowsers was 141.5 cents by the end of the week.
>
> Soaring oil prices are expected to push the cost of fuel still higher
> in coming weeks and some experts have tipped we will be paying $1.70 a
> litre at the bowser within weeks.
>
> With the price of filling up some cars now well over $100, an
> increasing number of motorists are buying bikes to cut the cost of
> commuting.
>
> "There's definitely been an increase in interest over the past six to
> nine months," said Adam Hogan, from Sydney's Cheeky Monkey bike shop
> where cycles sell from about $700.
>
> "Sales might be up 20 to 25 per cent. I think the decision to buy a
> bike is affected by petrol prices. It spurs people on."
>
> Mr Hogan said it appeared the cost of petrol was the straw that broke
> the camel's back for many people thinking about giving up driving and
> cycling to work instead.
>
> "When you are riding the commuter routes you see a huge increase," he
> said.
>
> Figures from the City of Sydney show there is also a long-term move
> towards cycling.
>
> A report completed for the council earlier this year looked at the
> number of cyclists entering the city on major commuter routes.
>
> Between 1996 and late 2005 the number of cyclists using the Harbour
> Bridge in a typical hour on a weekday morning rose close to five times
> to about 175. Growth was greater on the Pyrmont Bridge where numbers
> grew six times to about 185 cyclists an hour.
>
> Rises were also reported on Oxford Street and Ultimo Road.
>
> Bike riders are angry at State Government plans to remove cycle lanes
> from William Street as part of its reversal of traffic changes related
> to the Cross City Tunnel. To encourage more use of bicycles, the City
> of Sydney proposes extending bike lanes from Kent Street to Town Hall
> and on to Pyrmont Bridge.
>
> Marrickville Council is also looking at making its area more bike
> friendly.
>
> The rise in bike riding appears not to have translated into a rise in
> cycling accidents.
>
> A spokeswoman for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said there was no
> evidence of an increased number of patients presenting with
> bicycle-related traumas.
> Source: The Sun-Herald
>
>
> --
> cfsmtb
>