Launceston lanes.

[Spork!]

No, not a bowling alley. LCC has painted a bunch of on road cycle lanes around the city and suburbs and some more are planned. Already there has been some backlash from motorists who find the concept of sharing the road, and even giving up some of their road disturbing. We need to use, and be seen to be using these lanes, and even writing the Exagerater (Examniner) a letter or email, or getting on local talkback radio to show our support and help motorists to understand why these lanes have been marked.

Send a friendly email to Nigel.Coates@launceston.tas.gov.au and tell him how much we appreciate his and the council's efforts.

More info here: http://www.ipwea.org.au/Content/Navigat ... sNigel.pdf

[InDanger]

I will send an email to the mentioned council employee.

The cycling lanes seemed like a good idea to protect motorists from the dangers of cyclists, but last saturday driving along Elphin Road, 3 cyclists riding side by side with the one on the right almost a metre outside the lane and swerving only shows motorists that even with dedicated cycling lanes, cyclist still make deliberate attempts to obstruct traffic creating danger for families using roads.

living at Longford and traveling via Pateena road is a nightmare, encountering cyclists wearing black after 5pm on wet winter nights, effectively traveling at 40kph against the flow of traffic, sometimes two and three abreast, sometimes behind a motorcycle( scooter, not real motorcycle) on a windy road with blind corners and crests.

I struggle to understand how a persons fitness and leisure can be regarded as more important than peoples families safety.

Im trying to abide by the pro cycling advertisements lobbied for by cycle riding public servants, but the actions we see on the road make us just shrug our shoulders and ask '' what do they expect?'' when we read reports of cyclists being struck by poor motorists who have to deal with injuring or killing someone.

compulsory cycle identification is required so we can help your community weed out the cyclists who''s attitudes create danger to the motoring public.

If you are a law abiding cyclist, identification should not be an issue.

[ldrcycles]

I'm not going to get involved in correcting the misinformation in your post InDanger, but to those others who i'm sure will be along very shortly to do so, please show some restraint.

I'm surprised there was any need for "lanes" to be painted in Launceston anyway, when I was down there for my honeymoon in March I was very impressed by the number of cyclists about and the decent way the traffic appeared to be treating them.

[Paul B]

The cycling lanes seemed like a good idea to protect motorists from the dangers of cyclists,

How many motor vehicle drivers have been injured or killed by cyclists ? Can you provide some documented evidence to demonstrate instances where such a danger has been seen to have occurred. Clearly, your post, your first ever on this forum, is insincere and not intended to make a positive contribution to the harmony between motorists and cyclists.

[Paul B]

last saturday driving along Elphin Road, 3 cyclists riding side by side with the one on the right almost a metre outside the lane and swerving only shows motorists that even with dedicated cycling lanes, cyclist still make deliberate attempts to obstruct traffic creating danger for families using roads.

So big deal that a cyclist got in your way... so what. I followed a couple of cyclists as I drove up Davey Street in Hobart on Sunday morning and they hogged the whole lane. I commented to my wife that it was good to see the guys taking a safe approach to negotiating a busy thoroughfare... Given the number of morons in control of motor vehicles who seem fixated on making a sport of coming as close as possible to cyclists as they scream past, often, for the vulnerable cyclist, this is the safest course of action. Perhaps if the cyclist who was killed in the Huon Valley recently had been taking up the entire lane he would not have been slammed into by some impatient idiot.