Riding on HWY in Melbourne?
- Thread starter pivoxa15
- Start date
A HIGHWAY usually has a sealed and reasonably wide (but not always reasonably clean!) shoulder for emergency / cyclists and is rated at 100km/h. The Hume Freeway (Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga, 110km/h), has a wide shoulder for cyclists and smooth and fast (especially Glenrowan-Avenel section), but very boring. It is open for cyclists all the way to Albury with interesting towns just off the freeway worth visiting (I have never seen cyclists in the Western Ring Road however. I have only ridden the Hume from Kalkallo). There are alarming 'judder bars' on the shoulder around Glenrowan, presumably to stop idiots driving in it. Long range touring cyclists can often be seen on the Hume riding the inland route to or from Sydney.pivoxa15 said:
The Princes Highway (100km/h limit) from Geelong to Melbourne (not allowed on West Gate Freeway / bridge) also allows cyclists and a bike "lane" is reserved for that, but the closer proximity of high speed traffic makes weekday and weekend riding sometimes nerve wracking, especially with B-Doubles passing and the occasional hoons throwing stuff out of their window.
My preference, in terms of safety, is to avoid the highway/freeway as far as possible and take the sedate and often more interesting route through towns largely bypassed by the freeway.
I thought people are not allowed to ride on freeways?! So does some freeways allow for cyclists. Is it specified on a sign?Garyh_GONP07 said:A HIGHWAY usually has a sealed and reasonably wide (but not always reasonably clean!) shoulder for emergency / cyclists and is rated at 100km/h. The Hume Freeway (Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga, 110km/h), has a wide shoulder for cyclists and smooth and fast (especially Glenrowan-Avenel section), but very boring. It is open for cyclists all the way to Albury with interesting towns just off the freeway worth visiting (I have never seen cyclists in the Western Ring Road however. I have only ridden the Hume from Kalkallo). There are alarming 'judder bars' on the shoulder around Glenrowan, presumably to stop idiots driving in it. Long range touring cyclists can often be seen on the Hume riding the inland route to or from Sydney.
The Princes Highway (100km/h limit) from Geelong to Melbourne (not allowed on West Gate Freeway / bridge) also allows cyclists and a bike "lane" is reserved for that, but the closer proximity of high speed traffic makes weekday and weekend riding sometimes nerve wracking, especially with B-Doubles passing and the occasional hoons throwing stuff out of their window.
My preference, in terms of safety, is to avoid the highway/freeway as far as possible and take the sedate and often more interesting route through towns largely bypassed by the freeway.
Where cyclists are specifically permitted to use the sealed shoulder on freeways, that will be advised by a sign at the commencement of the freeway and periodically along its length eg. advisory signs about crossing the point in a merging carriageway, of which there are dozens on the Hume Freeway alone.pivoxa15 said:
Nepean Highway is a busy beast and can get quite heavy in peak periods. It's wide and fast and undulating in some parts; getting on to it from St Kilda Junction is tricky because of wide intersections and cars moving literally in all directions (and not always according to what the lights indicate!). Shared parking/cycling lane is thumbed because of narrow lee-way with cars when parked there.pivoxa15 said:
Haven't ridden the Burwood Highway.
You can ride on most motorways in Sydney and it is clearly signposted and marked.
I'm pleasently supprised to hear that some of Melbournes also permit bikes, perhaps they should open more up.
I'm pleasently supprised to hear that some of Melbournes also permit bikes, perhaps they should open more up.
rdk said:
The VicRoads map is anomalous.
Beats me why so many cylists can be found (illegally or no) on the Princes Freeway, at least as far as Werribee where most of us turn around (for those Melbourne bound, they cross over and continue the ride to Melbourne via the longer and rather dull route to Altona and Williamstown, the freeway ahead not just being off-limits to cyclists, but downright dangerous to boot). The alternative route through Lara to Werribee via a hotch-potch of good backroads and Sayers Road is longer, isolated, exposed but gives a feeling of being in the 'middle of nowhere' (which it is!) and is favoured by some touring cyclists; a wrong turn out there can add 30km to the day.
