Bikes on Trams (Blackburn's Velodrome, Melb)

[hippy]

I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".

So now I have to find some other way of getting from
Hawthorn to Blackburn's velodrome.. :-(

Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.

Any other alternatives? I prefer the above option to
driving to work and then to the 'drome with the bike
in the back.. but it may come to that <sob> peak
hour driving <sob>

hippy

 

[PC]

`On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 00:05:47 GMT, "hippy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
>along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
>my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
>on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".

There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate them,
the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
anyone in front of it..

>Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
>Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
>Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
>I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.

Then fit brakes to it.. Hey Presto! And the brakes may come in handy
at other times too..


PC

 

[Tim Jones]

"hippy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
<...>
> Any other alternatives? I prefer the above option to
> driving to work and then to the 'drome with the bike
> in the back.. but it may come to that <sob> peak
> hour driving <sob>
>

Put the track bike in a bike caboose? ;-)

You would sort of look like a bicycle tow truck!

Tim

 

[hippy]

"PC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
> Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
> anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate them,
> the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
> anyone in front of it..

If they brake 'that' hard.. people are going to be in serious
trouble anyway!?

What's the difference between a bike and a pram or one of those
shopping carts you often see people carting around?

I've been let on trams before with a bike but I was rejected once,
hence the call to Yarra Trams. I'm fine if they're the rules, I never
knew why some drivers let me on and one didn't, that's all.

> Then fit brakes to it.. Hey Presto! And the brakes may come
> in handy at other times too..

Yes, but words are sooo much easier than actions..
I'll get around to it. I wonder if Blackburn will let me leave a
bike in their clubrooms?

hippy

 

[PiledHigher]

Remembering you will have to take them off when you get to training,
won't be allowed to use them on the track



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[BAH]

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 01:03:25 GMT, PC <[email protected]> Wrote :
>`On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 00:05:47 GMT, "hippy"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
>>along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
>>my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
>>on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".
>
>There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
>Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
>anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate them,
>the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
>anyone in front of it..

What a load of ABSOLUTE ****.


>
>>Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
>>Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
>>Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
>>I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.
>
>Then fit brakes to it.. Hey Presto! And the brakes may come in handy
>at other times too..
>
>
>PC
>


--

BAH Humbug

 

[PiledHigher]

Hippy, if you a member yes you probably can (have to be to be at
training)



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[hippy]

"PiledHigher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Remembering you will have to take them off when you get to training,
> won't be allowed to use them on the track

This, combined with the need to swap forks to
fit the brakes, is the reason I haven't done it yet.

hippy

 

[hippy]

"BAH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
> >Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
> >anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate
them,
> >the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
> >anyone in front of it..
>
> What a load of ABSOLUTE ****.

You have different information about these rules
and/or braking systems on trams?

hippy

 

[PC]

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 02:07:09 GMT, "hippy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
>> Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
>> anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate them,
>> the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
>> anyone in front of it..
>
>If they brake 'that' hard.. people are going to be in serious
>trouble anyway!?

It happens several times a day, though usually at low speeds..
Standing passengers usually get a bit shaken up, but usually everyone
on board gives the taxi that pulled a U-turn in front of the tram or
whatever a few dozen filthy looks..

If you want an idea of what I'm talking about, take a close look at
that two foot long thing hanging on springs between the two axles on
each bogie. It's an electo-magnet. When the driver takes his/her
foot off the deadmans pedal, steps down too hard or otherwise puts the
tram into emergency braking, those things activate (also the gong
rings and the tram drops some sand automatically). The track brake
will grapple onto the track to attempt to slow the tram down as much
as possible..

>What's the difference between a bike and a pram or one of those
>shopping carts you often see people carting around?

Bikes have a lot less rolling resistance.. A shopping cart usually
only has one axle and even if it has two, they're not great quality so
they won't accelerate so fast.. Prams generally have brakes..

>I've been let on trams before with a bike but I was rejected once,
>hence the call to Yarra Trams. I'm fine if they're the rules, I never
>knew why some drivers let me on and one didn't, that's all.

Some drivers don't care, some might not know, some might be spaced
out, some couldn't be stuffed making a fuss, could be running late and
don't want to delay the tram by starting an argument.. Basically, if
you say nothing, you'll have a pretty good strike rate until such time
as you become known.. In the meantime, even if you do get a driver
who orders you off, the next tram is, what, 8 minutes behind?


PC

 

[Shabby]

Definately will let you leave the bike in the club rooms (at your own
risk of course). The club house is pretty secure, I don't think it's
been broken into yet. A few of the juniors do that already.

One bloke rode to training all last year on his track bike, carrying a
separate handlebar without the brake on it. (He also rode there on a 96,
but that's another issue).

I doubt that you'd want to ride it along Blackburn Rd from the station,
there's hills all the way.

Oh, and BBN track racing is cancelled this week too because we're all
going to the Carnegie Cup on Wheels.



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[PiledHigher]

They do lots of other racing, check out the website.

http://www.blackburncycling.org.au/



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[JAF]

If you do use public transport how will you get home after training
anyway? I would take the car. I used to go from FTG to Swinburne
Hawthorn daily along Burwood Hwy and Cantebury Rd for quiet a few years.
Can get pretty busy, but not too bad.

If you do take the train, at least Blackburn Rd has a bike/side lane
from the station to Burwood Hwy.

Is Blackburn CC only velodrome based, or do they have other rides/races
etc? Are they friendly to new/inexperienced riders?

James



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[Alan J Bishop]

Move house.

hippy wrote:

>I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
>along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
>my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
>on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".
>
>So now I have to find some other way of getting from
>Hawthorn to Blackburn's velodrome.. :-(
>
>Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
>Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
>Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
>I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.
>
>Any other alternatives? I prefer the above option to
>driving to work and then to the 'drome with the bike
>in the back.. but it may come to that <sob> peak
>hour driving <sob>
>
>hippy
>
>
>
>

 

[hippy]

"Alan J Bishop" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Move house.

I am.
That still doesn't help the fact that I am travelling from
WORK to the velodrome...

hippy

 

[BAH]

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 04:42:19 GMT, hippy <[email protected]> Wrote :
>"BAH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> >There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
>> >Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
>> >anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate
>them,
>> >the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
>> >anyone in front of it..
>>
>> What a load of ABSOLUTE ****.
>
>You have different information about these rules
>and/or braking systems on trams?

Much and I know how the various braking systems on trams, ancient
and modern, work.

The magnetic field inside the tram from the brakes would be quite weak
certainly not strong enough to be propelling bikes around the inside
of the tram. When the brakes are energised the magnetic field from
them would be largly contained in the electromagnet / track system.

Those brakes don't seem to rip peoples glasses off, fire
pens from pockets or have the tram full of flying small metal things.
All those things would happen if the magnetic field was strong enough
inside the tram to cause a bike to go flying.


>
>hippy
>
>


--

BAH Humbug

 

[David Sutton]

Ummm... I think you've got the bull by the tail, Mr Humbug. The OP's point
was that these magnetic brakes are strong enough to cause the tram to stop
extremely rapidly. It is the very act of stopping rapidly which would cause
the bike to possibly go flying. Remember the law of inertia from high school
physics classes? There is no way that the magnetic field on its own could
cause bikes to ricochet around the carriage, but a sudden stop certainly
could.


> From: [email protected]et (BAH)
> Reply-To: [email protected]et
> Newsgroups: aus.bicycle
> Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 09:40:24 +1100
> Subject: Re: Bikes on Trams (Blackburn's Velodrome, Melb)
>
> On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 04:42:19 GMT, hippy <[email protected]>
> Wrote :
>> "BAH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>> There are good reasons too (beyond the fact that it's illegal)..
>>>> Trams are fitted with magnetic track brakes, far more powerful than
>>>> anything on Melbourne trains.. If the driver needed to activate
>> them,
>>>> the bike would likely go flying and could cause serious injuries to
>>>> anyone in front of it..
>>>
>>> What a load of ABSOLUTE ****.
>>
>> You have different information about these rules
>> and/or braking systems on trams?
>
> Much and I know how the various braking systems on trams, ancient
> and modern, work.
>
> The magnetic field inside the tram from the brakes would be quite weak
> certainly not strong enough to be propelling bikes around the inside
> of the tram. When the brakes are energised the magnetic field from
> them would be largly contained in the electromagnet / track system.
>
> Those brakes don't seem to rip peoples glasses off, fire
> pens from pockets or have the tram full of flying small metal things.
> All those things would happen if the magnetic field was strong enough
> inside the tram to cause a bike to go flying.

 

[David Sutton]

Why not find another velodrome closer to Hawthorn, e.g. there's an old
velodrome (admittedly a bit crusty) alongside the Gardiner's Creek trail
near Auburn Rd. Or if you really want to get to Burwood East, you could
consider riding the Gardiner's Creek trail to Happy Valley Rd, then take the
spur trail that goes to Ashburton, link some back streets to the Burwood Hwy
then ride down the concrete tram tracks in the centre of the Hwy. Thus
minimum exposure to cars.



> From: "hippy" <[email protected]>
> Organization: BigPond Internet Services
> Newsgroups: aus.bicycle
> Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 00:05:47 GMT
> Subject: Bikes on Trams (Blackburn's Velodrome, Melb)
>
> I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
> along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
> my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
> on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".
>
> So now I have to find some other way of getting from
> Hawthorn to Blackburn's velodrome.. :-(
>
> Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
> Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
> Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
> I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.
>
> Any other alternatives? I prefer the above option to
> driving to work and then to the 'drome with the bike
> in the back.. but it may come to that <sob> peak
> hour driving <sob>
>
> hippy
>
>


> From: "hippy" <[email protected]>
> Organization: BigPond Internet Services
> Newsgroups: aus.bicycle
> Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 00:05:47 GMT
> Subject: Bikes on Trams (Blackburn's Velodrome, Melb)
>
> I just called Yarra Trams who run the tram service
> along Burwood Hwy. and their official response to
> my question about whether or not bikes are allowed
> on trams was "No, bikes are only allowed on trains".
>
> So now I have to find some other way of getting from
> Hawthorn to Blackburn's velodrome.. :-(
>
> Looks like I'll have to train from Hawthorn to
> Blackburn station and then ride the track bike along
> Blackburn Rd. to the velodrome... illegal, given that
> I haven't fitted brakes to it yet.
>
> Any other alternatives? I prefer the above option to
> driving to work and then to the 'drome with the bike
> in the back.. but it may come to that <sob> peak
> hour driving <sob>
>
> hippy
>
>

 

[PiledHigher]

Its not the magnetic field, its that they can stop much more quickly
than a train.

Have taken a bike with the wheels off in a tram (after I removed 1/2 the
spokes from the rear wheel (with a derailler).

Otherwise get a bag to put it in, bags are allowed on trams (even big
ones!



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[Shabby]

PiledHigher wrote:
> Its not the magnetic field, its that they can stop much more quickly
> than a train.
> Have taken a bike with the wheels off in a tram (after I removed 1/2 the
> spokes from the rear wheel (with a derailler).
> Otherwise get a bag to put it in, bags are allowed on trams (even big
> ones!



When is a bike no longer classified as a bike anymore? (But Mr Tram
driver - it's not a bike, look it doesn't even have any brakes or gears,
much less the bell and reflectors that are required for a bicycle to be
legal on the road).



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