Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

THE O'Farrell government is backpedalling on its hardline stance against Clover Moore's Sydney bike lanes - two months after they forced her out of office.

Planning Minister Brad Hazzard has declared a truce over the controversial scheme, admitting the lanes were actually an important transport option for Sydney's future.

Mr Hazzard's comments follow an eight-day ministerial trip to Vancouver, Portland, Seattle and New York with Planning Director-General Sam Haddad - all cities that have successful bike lanes.

"I'm prepared to stick my neck out here," Mr Hazzard told The Sunday Telegraph. "With increasing densities of cities, we have to look at all options. You have to start somewhere, and they are working. I can understand the angst because there is always the debate about cars versus pedestrians and cyclists. But, in modern cities around the world, they are embracing alternatives to having cars clog the city.
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"The lesson from eight hectic days is we need to be open to these ideas."

Mr Hazzard said he would not be diving head first into any "anti-bike or anti-pedestrian debates" and that Vancouver had increased the number of visitors despite "drastically reducing" the number of cars in the city.

"They've done that by increasing access for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport," Mr Hazzard said.

His comments follow years of hostility from the NSW Coalition toward Clover Moore's bike lanes, which many believe sparked the "get Clover" laws, banning MPs from also serving on local councils.

g-boaf wrote:The Telegraph this morning is running angry comments about the bike-paths again.

Well maybe not so angry, but suggesting that if there were more buses and light rail, there wouldn't need to be bike lanes/paths...

I love the comments above! If I happen to see Hazzard, I'll have a chat with him about this stuff, as we have a right to do being voters. I hope he will actually follow through with this common sense approach. Heaven forbid, I might actually vote for them if they actually start building these.

bigfriendlyvegan wrote:Did I spy a bike share system in that picture?

find_bruce wrote:Turn George St into Pyrmont Bridge, yipee

gorilla monsoon wrote:Funny you say that. I got a taxi through the Sydney CBD the other day and even the taxi driver was saying there are too many cars and TOO MANY TAXIS and that the state and city governments should be limiting the amount of vehicle travel within the city area. It got weirder: he reckoned single-occupant vehicles should be stopped from coming into the city.

I actually wondered what strange, parallel universe I had stumbled into.

find_bruce wrote:Agreeing with Taxi drivers is one of the warning signs of early onset dementia - better rush off & get tested before you end up listening to Alan Jones & there is no known cure for that

mikesbytes wrote:It seems to me that the congestion in the bus lanes on George st is due to the taxi's.

zero wrote:

mikesbytes wrote:It seems to me that the congestion in the bus lanes on George st is due to the taxi's.

I'd say the congestion full stop is due to taxis. On a tuesday night, they could turn off the street lighting on George St and everyone would be able to see what they were doing in the glow of empty taxi signs.