M7 Safety Alert Thread

[g-boaf]

Hi All

Just a heads up that there is a small walk-a-thon on the shared path this Saturday (28 September) from Middle Grange to Elizabeth Drive. From around 9am. Please look out for them!

Daniel (AT) the M7

Kudos to this group. They all kept to their side of the path. I encountered them somewhere around Hoxton Park.

The Camden Valley Way pedestrian lights are now working properly again.

[biker jk]

I rode the M7 today for the first time since mid-September and there was no magpie near the Waste Processing Centre. A rider today told me that the aggressive magpie had been removed after a rider crashed following an attack (he needed an ambulance). I did get a helmet strike from another magpie around 30-40 metres south of where that new housing development runs right up to the path.

[g-boaf]

That housing development is the one down near Cowpasture Road isn't it (with that awful stink). If that's it, I'll beware.

The waste processing magpie had to be removed - it was a serious menace.

[biker jk]

That housing development is the one down near Cowpasture Road isn't it (with that awful stink). If that's it, I'll beware.

The waste processing magpie had to be removed - it was a serious menace.

So when heading south past Elizabeth Drive you have Elizabeth Hills on your left then a right turn through the underpass then left exiting there's a new development on the right (Middleton Drive is the street which runs to the edge of the path). Around 30-40 metres south of here is where the magpie resides (roughly at the top of that small hill).

[g-boaf]

Oh yes, I know that area. Damn - that's a slow point too.

[Spaniel]

I rode the M7 today for the first time since mid-September and there was no magpie near the Waste Processing Centre. A rider today told me that the aggressive magpie had been removed after a rider crashed following an attack (he needed an ambulance). I did get a helmet strike from another magpie around 30-40 metres south of where that new housing development runs right up to the path.

I hope the rider is OK. It was a seriously nasty bird. I shudder now thinking about how it smashed me a few weeks back, and I can well understand the need to remove it. Thanks to the authorities for acting.

[g-boaf]

My thoughts are with the injured rider too. A friend of mine who rides down to Prestons every Saturday (on a Trek 5500 with tri-bars) got hit by that magpie many times. He hated it.

[Dazz]

Hope that the rider is ok and has speedy recovery. I found that bird getting more and more aggressive. It's like the McGraths hill one, wish they would do something about that one.

Just a question, my mate is doing the ride to Conquer Cancer this weekend, last year i remember seeing signs that the M7 was closed at certain times for the 2012 event. Is that the case for this year? I couldn't find a map of the route last time I checked their website.

Cheers
Daz

[g-boaf]

If I remember, it was closed on the way back.

It's a bit unfair though - major infrastructure like that shouldn't be closed. Last one of those I mistakenly ran into went up through the canal at Greystanes, then Prospect Dam (now closed) and then Western Sydney Regional Park (up that huge hill) and then along to the M7 and out to the end of it and further. That last time, I just went and did my regular ride along my regular route - they couldn't really do anything about it, especially not stopping local residents.

I understand it might be for safety reasons as there are some riders who are very, very new to it all, but most of us "veterans" can deal with that.

[biker jk]

The M7 Westlink press release from last year said the path was closed from 2am to 2:30pm both Saturday and Sunday. I wonder why they aren't closing it again this year or have they forgotten to issue a press release?

http://www.westlinkm7.com.au/archives.php

[g-boaf]

Too many complaints perhaps - I don't know? It's most unreasonable to close it for most of the entire weekend.

Most of us regular riders won't cause any trouble on there.

(M7 management centre, if you are reading this - please consider that).

[moose85]

1600 riders me included... I am thinking it would be closed... but worth avoiding if it's not.

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[leximack]

1600 riders me included... I am thinking it would be closed... but worth avoiding if it's not.

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if theres 1500 riders at once on the cycleway I would suggest staying well clear, closed or not. Be like parra rd peak hr with that many riders

[g-boaf]

1600 riders me included... I am thinking it would be closed... but worth avoiding if it's not.

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if theres 1500 riders at once on the cycleway I would suggest staying well clear, closed or not. Be like parra rd peak hr with that many riders

It's not that bad - from previous experience. They tend to string out pretty quickly so you have an easy time getting past most of them. You just choose the right times to overtake. For me it was in Western Sydney Regional Park, which is not even as open or wide as the M7.

The only reason I ended up in the middle of it was because I didn't know it was on - went out as normal on a Saturday morning and thought, gee, a few more riders than normal, nice. Then I realised what it was. It wasn't too bad at all.

[Dazz]

If I remember, it was closed on the way back.

It's a bit unfair though - major infrastructure like that shouldn't be closed. Last one of those I mistakenly ran into went up through the canal at Greystanes, then Prospect Dam (now closed) and then Western Sydney Regional Park (up that huge hill) and then along to the M7 and out to the end of it and further. That last time, I just went and did my regular ride along my regular route - they couldn't really do anything about it, especially not stopping local residents.

I understand it might be for safety reasons as there are some riders who are very, very new to it all, but most of us "veterans" can deal with that.

I agree about being a bit unfair, considering it has cost my mate $2500 in fundraising to ride. I understand its a great cause but i know myself would struggle for that much in donations and would mean a fair chunk coming out of my own pocket. I'm sure others would be the same. Last year I Only remember seeing signs on the entrance near Sunnyholt Rd, However not sure how they actually would police it.

I ended up finding these links showing routes that do not go on the M7 on day 1 and only for a small section on day 2. They do however seem to go around near Prospect Resevoir, I'm not sure which part is closed as i don't know the path around there but have seen on this forum that there is an 18mth closure of some parts? I only found these by a google search and no link to the official site so i am not sure how accurate they are.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2573292" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2328750" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[g-boaf]

Well, unless they've got some special agreement with SCA, Prospect Dam as shown on those maps is closed for construction and renovation work. There are concrete barriers in place and it has been like that since last weekend so far as I know (when I went past there).

It will be interesting to see if they go out that way and discover it is closed... My guess is that the route won't be what is shown on those maps.

The other year I stumbled into it by accident, they didn't close anything off in my area, though I didn't go all the way through to the M7 that time.

[BigBadWOLF]

HI
Guys this years Conquer cancer route is out and it uses half the cycleway on saturday and the entire cycleway on sunday.

Day 1
https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msid ... 11&vpsrc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Day2
https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msid ... 11&vpsrc=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://sy12.conquercancer.org.au/site/P ... dule_rider" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[g-boaf]

That's going to be fun - let's see how they go at Prospect.

[apsilon]

Glad I saw this as I had no idea it was on and would've discovered it on Sun so now I can avoid it.

[Dazz]

Thanks BigBadWolf looks like the plan for me is to get out early on Sunday.

[g-boaf]

I'm probably out on Saturday morning - I do need to use part of the M7, but not all of it. Only the sections between Elizabeth Drive and Prestons, or Hoxton Park Road and Prestons. Have other things to do on Sunday.

[BigBadWOLF]

I have been advised we will be leaving homebush on saturday from 6:30am and leaving Camden Sunday from 6:30 am.. so you can time your rides acordingly

[g-boaf]

I'll time mine so I'm going the same direction as you guys at around the same time, rather than going the opposite direction. It'll be safer that way.

[moose85]

HI
Guys this years Conquer cancer route is out and it uses half the cycleway on saturday and the entire cycleway on sunday.

Day 1
https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msid ... 11&vpsrc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Day2
https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msid ... 11&vpsrc=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://sy12.conquercancer.org.au/site/P ... dule_rider" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mate these are last years maps. No M7 this year.

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[moose85]

Dazz's links are the correct maps...

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