Hobart Bike Track - Bogan Central

Releng · Postby **Releng** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:19 pm

I have commuted along the bike track from Town to Claremont most days for the past 12 months. I am just about over it.
I leave home at 5am and am probably the first person to ride the track each morning. I spend a fair bit of each ride clearing up various debris and clearing preset traps set to inflict damage and harm to cyclists. This morning it was some large rocks positioned to allow no way through, under a bridge so it was hidden until the last minute. A real trap positioned on a fast dowhill section with a slight bend.
Over the weekend I had to work for a few hours on Sunday and Monday mornings. I went into work and dodged the numerous broken stubbies because I was running late. I thought I would clean them up on the way home if they were still there. And they were, about 10 am I was riding back to town. I stopped at the first stubbie about Rosetta and cleared it from the track. I was a bit dissappointed when a group riding north told me how bad the bike track was for glass, implying that I could clean up a few more as I got closer to town. I sort of said that they could have helped out. Well at each of the next 5 stops to pick up broken glass I was given the same advise. But it was the last incident that really did my head in when the group that was riding in the other direction all moved into my lane to miss a broken bottle forcing me into the wire fence. When I shouted for them to give me some room one of them abused me. I stopped and cleared the glass as they rode of into the distance.
I am feeling a bit downtrodden. I have tried to do the right thing but without some support it is a bit too difficult. To get abused by cyclists on the track while trying to do the right thing has me despairing. Tomorrow I will try out the main road. At least I will not have to clear the man traps.

harmonix1234 · Postby **harmonix1234** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:35 pm

You do have support, but probably may not realise it. A few weeks back there was about a carton worth of stubbies smashed near the cornelian bay section. I went to the nearest house that had a light in (at 6am) and borrowed a broom. Took me half an hour to clean it all up.
Prior to that i have borrowed a broom from a newsagent in glenorchy to do the same thing, and again from the go kart place in moonah.
Im always borrowing brooms and sweeping up smashed bottles.

As silly as it sounds, im beginning to contemplate packing a brush from a dustpan set in my bag for the morning commutes.
Not trying for brownie points or anything, i just assume its what most people would do if they see this kind of mess.
However, it is odd that when i approach a hazard like this i note that several other cyclists passed it coming my way but didnt give me a shout out "hey man, tonnes of broken glass back there, keep an eye out".

Its !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !!. A guy was caught last year stringing wire across the track in berriedale, i have had kids throw rocks at me from the overpass, the petrol powered bikes everywhere, and also encountered a branch laud over the track near new town high (on purpose because there are no trees there and it wasnt windy).
Not sure what to do about it, but it does seem worse the further north you go.
Also saw a used bong on the side of the track on moonah recently. Tops.

Maybe we should set up a bike vigilante group and be like bike track ninjas?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nailsaslegs · Postby **nailsaslegs** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:46 pm

I thank you for your efforts, I have seen someone sweep glass up with a broom previously and thanked him there will always be those who don't appreciate your efforts and take it for granted. Or they simply are too selfish. In he past several weeks the amount of glass on the bike track I believe has increased I don't see anyway of actually stopping this.

skull · Postby **skull** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:09 pm

Considering the demographic north of creek road I always was suprised it wasn't worse.

And before you go there, I too lived on the wrong side of that flanno curtain.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

harmonix1234 · Postby **harmonix1234** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:40 pm

No glass today. Hazzaar!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nailsaslegs · Postby **nailsaslegs** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:23 am

harmonix1234 wrote:No glass today. Hazzaar!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guessing council had come through!

harmonix1234 · Postby **harmonix1234** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:30 am

Yep. Saw them sweeping and leaf blowing.
I Always say thanks to these guys. It would be a sh it of a job leaf blowing and sweeping that section from cornelian bay to the cenotaph in the dark and freezing cold each morning.
Hats off to the council bike track fairies.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nailsaslegs · Postby **nailsaslegs** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:15 am

harmonix1234 wrote:Yep. Saw them sweeping and leaf blowing.
I Always say thanks to these guys. It would be a sh it of a job leaf blowing and sweeping that section from cornelian bay to the cenotaph in the dark and freezing cold each morning.
Hats off to the council bike track fairies.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep I always give them a nod and a hi thankless job and they do it every morning, except weekends but hey......

Occasionally you see the mini street sweeper on the track as well

H0LD THE LINE · Postby **H0LD THE LINE** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:11 pm

Thanks to everyone to who cleans the bike track.

I ride most days but I don't get on until 8ish and its always been pretty clean thanks the early morning riders and council. Only time I've seen glass was a Saturday Morning & I stopped and cleaned it up.

oldbikegeoff · Postby **oldbikegeoff** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:36 pm

I'm only 15 and I commute from Claremont to new town most days. In the school holidays I had 8 punctures all due to glass and rocks on the biketrack!

harmonix1234 · Postby **harmonix1234** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:01 am

Just the other day I cleaned up about 6 stubbies between Moonah and new town high. The new town high care taker came to help and said "we got broken into last night and a few things stolen too". Also, Friday last week I had a kid throw some sandwiches at me from the new town bridge as I went underneath. Chased the little bastard from tower road but he ran down the creek. That stretch is always a problem. Rocks on path, glass, tree branches etc.

limbot · Postby **limbot** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:16 am

Lot of the gravel/grey metal on the track last Saturday (about 5:30 pm) between Sunderland and Derwent Park road . Not sure if someone had purposely kicked it onto there or not.....

Was only on the rail side of the track luckily so avoidance was easy. Didn't have anything to sweep it off with

oldbikegeoff · Postby **oldbikegeoff** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:41 pm

I've found after school approx. 3:30, the Montrose Bay students are usually a hassle. I have had a few dilemma's with them (stuff thrown, ran off biketrack, walking on wrong side of biketrack)

herzog · Postby **herzog** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:49 pm

Releng wrote:I have commuted along the bike track from Town to Claremont most days for the past 12 months. I am just about over it.
I leave home at 5am and am probably the first person to ride the track each morning. I spend a fair bit of each ride clearing up various debris and clearing preset traps set to inflict damage and harm to cyclists.

Have you told the local police about this? Deliberately setting traps is a very serious matter.

The police recently caught a bloke doing this on MTB tracks in Qld and threw the book at him.

As the M7 cycleway experience shows, these people are difficult to catch, but it needs to at least be "on the radar" of the local police. Make them aware of it.

Multiple reports from different riders would probably help, as would be a letter to the local paper.

Once it's common knowledge, there will be more pressure on the cops to deal with it. There will be hell to pay if a cyclist is injured or killed and the cops are unable to show that they had taken some steps to catch the culprits.

oldbikegeoff · Postby **oldbikegeoff** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 5:53 pm

I went to the school twice and the glenorchy police station once. neither helped. i try to run them over when they are on the wrong side of the biketrack!

limbot · Postby **limbot** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:15 pm

Oh BTW be careful too if doing the Meehan ranges. More reports of purposely downed track blocking trees, rock traps etc

https://www.facebook.com/meehanrange/po ... 2089205908" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

oldbikegeoff · Postby **oldbikegeoff** » Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:32 am

they are a bunch or rotten idiots!

oldbikegeoff · Postby **oldbikegeoff** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:48 pm

Yesterday Between Grove Road And Riverway Road, A huge deposit of lose gravel on the bike track that had been kicked on the bike track from MBHS students. I went to the school. they said they are going to talk to their students about bike track behaviour! THANK CHRIST!!!!!