How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

tfin02
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How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby tfin02 » Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:40 pm

Hi,
I have not ridden in the Red Hill/ Mornington Peninsula area before and will have the opportunity this weekend but I am not sure how safe it is or which roads to avoid.
Are there any key roads or sections to avoid? I will be riding early so off the road before the lunch crowd arrive. I am also avoiding a climb up Arthurs Seat.

Thanks

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Duck!
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Duck! » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:26 pm

It's quite a popular riding area, so it's pretty good. As with anywhere you'll get the odd knucklehead but it's no worse than anywhere else.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

Hildalgo
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Hildalgo » Fri Oct 21, 2016 9:56 am

Heads up that its quite lumpy around there, & you can get winds coming straight off the bay which can be very strong, and given the winds atm take care on the descents as have had some strong cross winds almost blow me off the bike at high speeds.
Great are to ride around. Highly recommend Two Bays Road, and the ride down to Cape Schank is quite a good one.
https://www.strava.com/segments/627537

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kb
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby kb » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:49 pm

Watch for the magpie on the back of Arthur's Seat if you head that way. He's the only one I've had that drew blood. Hopefully all done for year though.
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Duck!
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Duck! » Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:36 pm

^^ Haven't had a peep out of him this season. :-)
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

Jubas
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Jubas » Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:35 pm

Hi all - apologies for the grave dig, but I'll be heading down to red hill/mornington peninsula over christmas (driving to melb from Syd first) and was thinking of doing a couple of rides. Am I missing out on anything great? Suggestions of towns/roads to avoid?

Ride 1:
Port Melbourne down to Sorrento - basically down Beach Road to Mordialloc, then onto station street (as opposed to Nepean Hwy) to Carrum; Nepean hwy through to Mornington; down Bentons road to Esplanade, then straight ahead. I've heard some people keep on Nepean Hwy down past Mount Martha

Ride 2:
[*]Sorrento to Dromana via Nepean Hwy
[*]Up Arthur's seat to Flinders via Arthur's seat Road, Mornington-Flinders road
[*]Flinders to Cape Schank via Boneo Road (out and back to the light house)
[*]Boneo road all the way back to the nepean hwy, then back to Sorrento

Ride 3:
[*]Sorrento to Dromana and up Arthur's seat
[*]Arthur's seat road to Red Hill South
[*]North on to Red Hill Road, then Stanley's road to Balnarring
[*]Balnarring to Flinders via Frankston-Flinders road
[*]Mornington-Flinders road, Baldry's road, and then Browns road all the way down to Melbourne road to Sorrento

I'll be heading down to Sorrento on Christmas eve, and will leave nice and early to avoid traffic. Hopefully i'll be lucky enough to bump into a bunch and catch a lift. Otherwise, I'll be riding between xmas and nye.. always early to avoid traffic and the wine drink/drivers!

I'm looking forward to the riding.. have driven around the region lots, but this is the first time i'm taking a bike down!

chriso_29er
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby chriso_29er » Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:26 pm

I did your option 1 ride brighton return recently and would highly recommend you continue past sorrento through portsea and down to point nepean.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1279705746

Maybe do arthurs seat on the way up, better than doing it with 130kms in the legs like I did ;)
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fat and old
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby fat and old » Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:31 am

Early starts are definitely the go. The whole area is one big tourist playground over that time....actually from Cup w/e to easter....and you'll get all sorts. Tourist attractions everywhere are open on all those roads, usually open 9-10.00am. Like Duck1 says, no different to anywhere else really. When on Nepean/Beach/whatever it's called, be careful of cars turning into beach parking and esp. camping areas. They cause others to go around them, into the bike lane without checking if you're there. Trophy wives around Blairgowrie and Sorrento love the bike lane for walking as well, and can get quite narky about having to share :lol: I'd think The Esplanade from Mornington is a better ride than the Nepean, never used it over the holis post 10.00am so not sure of traffic...I reckon it would be heavy. Should be used to cycles tho. Really strong sou/westers are fun :lol:

There will be groups all over those rides, spec. early on. Always someone to team up with. Tri groups are out early as well.

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Jubas » Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:53 am

Excellent - thanks for the feedback. Point Nepean is a great idea, and i'll definitely keep an eye out for incursions on the cycle lane!

Ride 1 i'm planning on leaving ~5:30, so should be down Sorrentoish by 9:30 i think. Hopefully that's early enough to avoid most of the mayhem!

lone rider
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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby lone rider » Sun Dec 10, 2017 10:16 am

Long weekends and holiday times are not great on the Peninsula. I used to think the roads out the back of Arthurs Seat and down to Western Port were great cycling roads until an elderly driver t-boned me when failed to stop at an intersection just past Red Hill. I guess a lot comes down to luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time but now I look at places like the bike lane at Dromana main st and think its just a dooring waiting to happen.

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Duck! » Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:49 am

I'd chuck an Arthurs Seat descent in there too somewhere... some good rides, but I'll add some alternative ideas.
Jubas wrote: Ride 1:
Port Melbourne down to Sorrento - basically down Beach Road to Mordialloc, then onto station street (as opposed to Nepean Hwy) to Carrum *At Patterson River, rather than popping out onto the highway take the pedestrian/bike bridge through to the southern continuation of Station St, through to the end at Eel Race Rd, then cross the railway & hit the highway; Nepean hwy through to Mornington; down Bentons road to Esplanade *can also use Wilsons Rd; first semi-decent side street after Main st lights, then straight ahead. I've heard some people keep on Nepean Hwy down past Mount Martha. Can go either way really. Nepean Hwy/Pt. Nepean Rd (as it's called from Dromana onward) can get a bit nuts through Dromana & Rosebud in particular. An alternative, with a bit of a hill, is to turn off Nepean Hwy at White Hill Rd, take that to the top, right onto Arthurs Seat Rd, down Purves Rd & Browns Rd to Boneo Rd, Boneo Rd back to Pt Nepean Rd, where you'll be past the craziest bit.

Ride 2:
[*]Sorrento to Dromana via Nepean Hwy
[*]Up Arthur's seat to Flinders via Arthur's seat Road, Mornington-Flinders road
[*]Flinders to Cape Schank via Boneo Road (out and back to the light house)
[*]Boneo road all the way back to the nepean hwy, then back to Sorrento
Depends how much of a sucker for punishmet you are, but I'd consider largely reversing it. "The Corkscrew" section of Boneo Rd between Flinders & Cape Schanck Rd is a brute, but slightly easier ridden towards Flinders. Start with the Sorrento -> Dromana -> Arthurs Seat climb bit, down Purves & Browns Rds to Boneo Rd, then turn left. The climb to Cape Schanck Rd is long but relatively gentle. Detour to the lighthouse, then hit the Corkscrew; the first gully is the longest, deepest and steepest. Then simply the reverse of your original route; up Mornington-Flinders Rd, Arthurs Seat Rd, descend the twisties and back to Sorrento along the beach.

Ride 3:
[*]Sorrento to Dromana and up Arthur's seat
[*]Arthur's seat road to Red Hill South
[*]North on to Red Hill Road, then Stanley's road to Balnarring *Two alternatives; 1) where Stanleys crosses Merricks Rd, turn right & take Merricks RD down to Frankston-Flinders Rd. 2) take Red Hill Rd right through to Dunns Creek Rd, turn right, then right again into Merricks Rd
[*]Balnarring to Flinders via Frankston-Flinders road
[*]Mornington-Flinders road, Baldry's road, and then Browns road all the way down to Melbourne road to Sorrento

I'll be heading down to Sorrento on Christmas eve, and will leave nice and early to avoid traffic. Hopefully i'll be lucky enough to bump into a bunch and catch a lift. Otherwise, I'll be riding between xmas and nye.. always early to avoid traffic and the wine drink/drivers!

I'm looking forward to the riding.. have driven around the region lots, but this is the first time i'm taking a bike down!
Enjoy your riding. :-)
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Jubas » Wed Dec 13, 2017 2:36 pm

Great suggestions - many thanks! I was intentionally lining myself up for a bit of punishment .. an effort to burn off some of the xmas excess!

Re Dromana, Rosebud etc.. a few people have mentioned it can get a little bit crazy. On google maps, there's a marked bike lane the whole way.. I assume I just have to watch out for doors, people swerving into the lane etc? Hopefully I'll be riding down it early enough to avoid most of the traffic - or bump into other riders and tag along

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby fat and old » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:50 pm

Jubas wrote:Great suggestions - many thanks! I was intentionally lining myself up for a bit of punishment .. an effort to burn off some of the xmas excess!

Re Dromana, Rosebud etc.. a few people have mentioned it can get a little bit crazy. On google maps, there's a marked bike lane the whole way.. I assume I just have to watch out for doors, people swerving into the lane etc? Hopefully I'll be riding down it early enough to avoid most of the traffic - or bump into other riders and tag along
Dromana, in front of the shops can be bad. Charles St runs parallel and gets past the bad bit or claim the lane. Rye has no lane at the shops, claim the lane. It's cool and normal for bikes to do that. Rosebud loses lane where road divides. Again, claim lane, all good and normal.

Beware beachside campers around from McCrae to Truemans rd, then again through parts of Sorrento.

TBH, I like Ducks idea of Whit Hill Rd better. With that, beware Browns Rd. Nice wide shoulder since it was reco'd.....faster cars too.

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Arbuckle23 » Thu Dec 14, 2017 1:12 pm

The roads around Red Hill itself and the back of Arthurs seat aren't too bad, Just watch the traffic at the top with the chair lift.
They don't tend to get the holiday traffic of the beach areas. I ride up there via Stanleys Rd from where I live and never have any more problems than I do elsewhere.

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Re: How safe is it on the road in Red Hill area?

Postby Duck! » Fri Dec 15, 2017 1:26 am

The other dicky spot to be wary of on the way back to Sorrento is the intersection of Elizabeth Ave. & Pt. Nepean Rd in Tootgarook, between Rosebud & Rye. A fair bit of traffic off the freeway (& semi-freeway between Jetty & Boneo Rds) doglegs onto Eastbourne Rd, then Elizabeth to Pt Nepean Rd with a slip lane. If you're coming along Pt. Nepean Rd you're suddenly left hanging out in the right lane with potentially a fair bit of traffic trying to merge from your left.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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