New Site for Western Australian Road Cyclists

[JB]

http://www.perthcycling.com.au/

This site has been set up to provide any person new to cycling or new to perth, a central point of reference to help them find group rides, race information, race results, forums, classifieds and blogs.

Enjoy!

[exadios]

http://www.perthcycling.com.au/

This site has been set up to provide any person new to cycling or new to perth, a central point of reference to help them find group rides, race information, race results, forums, classifieds and blogs.

Enjoy!

I especially like the idea of the photo on the front page showing a number of riders riding in contravention of the law.

[Kalgrm]

I wonder what they offer that we can't?

When I see a picture of a bunch of riders like those shown on the front page of that site, I feel a little "intimidated", for want of a better word. If I were a new rider, I don't think I'd have the confidence to post a "dumb" question there. I'm glad we are more welcoming (on first impressions, at least.)

Cheers,
Graeme

[JB]

i'll feed that back...thanks.

[Aushiker]

I especially like the idea of the photo on the front page showing a number of riders riding in contravention of the law.

What law(s) do you believe they are breaking Peter or are you referring to riding three abreast?

Andrew

[Aushiker]

I wonder what they offer that we can't?

Or isn't already available at Cycling WA (?) website?

Still another website promoting cycling is got to be a good thing.

Andrew

[Aushiker]

G'day

Mind you, just taking information from other sites and then just putting it up with checking its currency is not a good look

Andrew

[JB]

the site itself is brand new.

lets all try to be a little forgiving if has some 'teething' problems.

[exadios]

I especially like the idea of the photo on the front page showing a number of riders riding in contravention of the law.

What law(s) do you believe they are breaking Peter or are you referring to riding three abreast?

Andrew

It looks like they are riding more than three abreast to me. In any case that and not keeping to the left.

[sittingbison]

Fabian on the front driving the train, notice the CA guy struggling - that must be Christophe Moreau , and waaayyyy down the derriere de peloton is a Silence Lotto "super domestique"... oops not so super dooper after all.

[Aushiker]

It looks like they are riding more than three abreast to me. In any case that and not keeping to the left.

Either way more than two abreast is illegal isn't it? But I don't follow your keeping left point. They are to the left of the road are they not. I don't believe the red bitumen section is a cycling lane along there. I can't recall it been signed as a bike lane and IIRC it is a parking area for access to the beach.

Andrew

[FlyinFynn]

Well, I guess there are always going to be those sitting on the side line whinging and pointing fingers. The person who has put alot of work into the website etc does it for nothing more than promoting cycling in WA. I know there are a few other sites in WA, this one is an Australia wide one and I only just stumbled on it.

Not sure why I have never found this site before?? Does Cycling WA promote this site? Perhaps it is not promoted enough..

It may appear we are riding three abreast in the picture but we do not. In this pic, the people are not in perfect straight lines and there may be someone riding up the outside to come to the front. I am not sure of the law but are you allowed to overtake on the outside, so therefore riding three abreast momentarily?

I know in Cyclosportif events it has to be done sometimes when passing other groups. Also in the Busselton Half Ironman I would sometimes have to overtake two people abreast (I asked the marshal what I should do and he let me do it, Marshal was on a motorbike).. I guess it is like overtaking, perhaps it should be done in the right hand lane if there is not a solid white line..

Anyway, I am rambling, the new site is new, what it will offer over this website, does it matter? It is something new, it may take off, it may not.. I know if you ride with a group and you want to put the details of your ride up, or if you want to have an area put to one side for your group, you can (free of charge) you just need to speak to the Administrator...

This is what you add to the address to get to The South Perth Rouleurs home page.

/southperthrouleurs/

If you have a group of friends, etc, you could have your own space.

Anyway, back to work..

[Aushiker]

The person who has put alot of work into the website etc does it for nothing more than promoting cycling in WA.

And a lot of that doesn't happen here and by folks here? Mate, maybe before doing what you accuse people here of doing, you might want to take a moment to get to see what happens don't you reckon?


From what I have seen we often get a lot of sites doing little as it gets to hard to keep them up-to-date. Smarter I reckon to put those resources into a few sites and do it well or do something that is not already done and do that well. But hey that is just my take. YMMV.

Andrew

[FlyinFynn]

Hi Andrew

Sorry to offend, I said I like this site..

Oops I have to retract prior statement, just reread my post and I took out the bit where I said I liked this site.. I do like this site, a good forum with alot of people who are happy to give advice.

I was just saying there were others who criticised straight away, but as they say negative feedback is better than none..

Andrew, love your work, was not having a go at your or this site..

I would still like to know if it is permissable to overtake a group of cyclists who are already 2 abreast?

[Aushiker]

I would still like to know if it is permissable to overtake a group of cyclists who are already 2 abreast?

No worries and interesting question.

After you asked I took a quick look at the WA Road Code and couldn't find any mention of it in respect to roads, only shared paths where it is illegal or seems that way.

I really should be working/getting prepared for tomorrow's ride so was going to come back to this later on and try and do a better search of the code to see what the law actually says. Maybe Peter has more details. Someone else? I searched on abreast but that was not helpful.

Andrew

[FlyinFynn]

Enjoy your ride tomorrow..

Perhaps you should look up '2 a breast'.. A is fine with me, I am more a legs kinda guy..

[sittingbison]

just go ogled "2 a brest"

damn keyboard is sticking

[Matt_Matt]

I would still like to know if it is permissable to overtake a group of cyclists who are already 2 abreast?

No worries and interesting question.

After you asked I took a quick look at the WA Road Code and couldn't find any mention of it in respect to roads, only shared paths where it is illegal or seems that way.

I really should be working/getting prepared for tomorrow's ride so was going to come back to this later on and try and do a better search of the code to see what the law actually says. Maybe Peter has more details. Someone else? I searched on abreast but that was not helpful.

Andrew

It's perfectly legal to overtake a cyclist, or a pair (or group) of cyclists that are 2 abreast if it is safe to do so.

I guess it would come down to interpretation of the situation to determine if the overtaking was safe ......


Matt

[exadios]

It looks like they are riding more than three abreast to me. In any case that and not keeping to the left.

Either way more than two abreast is illegal isn't it? But I don't follow your keeping left point. They are to the left of the road are they not. I don't believe the red bitumen section is a cycling lane along there. I can't recall it been signed as a bike lane and IIRC it is a parking area for access to the beach.

Andrew

This from the DPI's "CYCLING FACT SHEET No. 6":

On a single lane carriageway, riders must keep as far to the left as practicable. If the road has a sealed
shoulder, it is considered part of the actual carriageway. Because most sealed shoulders are at least 1.5 metres
wide, this means that a bunch not in the process of overtaking or avoiding an obstruction would need to be
almost entirely contained within the sealed shoulder even when riding two abreast. On multi-lane roads, riders
can use the sealed shoulder or the left lane. If a sign-posted designated bicycle lane is available (along parts
of Tonkin Highway for example), the bunch must use it exclusively and not the road. This often means having
to travel in single file.

As you can see there is a shoulder on which none of the cyclists are using.

Sadly, just because it is written on the DPI Web site, it may not be the law. However, in the absence of a legal oppinion or, more definitively, a judgment it is the only guide available.

I often ride along this road. As you say there is no designated cycle lane. But, interestingly, it does have some cycle lane like facilities. For instance at the traffic swerve just to the south there is a ramp from the shoulder to a path and another down again at the other end. On this section of road I always use the shoulder where it is safe (no cars, doors, etc.).

[sittingbison]

the problem is the brown bit of asphalt (designated "shoulder) not only is a dedicated parking zone but ALSO has lots of concrete kerb 'islands' sticking out (one is clearly seen in the pic), which would seem to preclude it as 'shoulder' per se.

However the groupetto (upon reconsideration this is not a peleton) is taking up the entire width of the lane, and because of the concrete kerb islands between opposed lanes makes it extremely difficult and dangerous for vehicles to overtake.

Car drivers tend to get irate when they are stuck behind a bunch of cyclists or even a slowcoach car traveling at 30kmh.

[exadios]

the problem is the brown bit of asphalt (designated "shoulder) not only is a dedicated parking zone but ALSO has lots of concrete kerb 'islands' sticking out (one is clearly seen in the pic), which would seem to preclude it as 'shoulder' per se.

I often ride this road. And I ride a trike. I manage to ride in the brown bit. And if I can do it a bike can do it.

[sittingbison]

[FlyinFynn]

It is a tough one. If you look at our pic, you will see there are no cars sitting behind us getting irate. We would prefer to sit in the middle of the road if we are cruising along at close to 40km/hr (which is easy on this particular stretch of road). If you get a car coming behind a group of cyclists (40 odd) in single file, and then it starts to overtake us 5 at a time, it would become very dangerous.

If a car is behind us and we are slow and it is safe to do so, we will go single file and slow more to allow the car to pass. But if we are at a decent speed and the car has just arrived there and the stretch of road is nearly up, we will block the car. I find on this stretch of road, it is the cars who impede on the cyclists progress (I also find the scenery along the cafe strip good so I prefer to take it easy .

Exadios, so you swerve in and out of the brown lane? (staying in the brown bit for longer naturally). I am not sure how much safer this is. A car coming along the road. Clear road, oops, not as clear as I thought as trike pulls out in front of it momentarily..

Exadios, I would like to see you and 40 of your friends on their trikes setting a good example riding along this strecth at 40kms/hr in the brown section. Obviously you can swerve into the lane momentarily to dodge the concrete kerbs if need be.

[FlyinFynn]

I forgot to mention. When I am riding alone, I will hug the kerb as much as possible and give as much room as possible to cars (they are bigger than me so they deserve my respect ).

Unless going along Mounts Bay road and I find a truck taking off at the lights, lots of fun to sit behind it and cruise along at 60...

[Aushiker]

Sadly, just because it is written on the DPI Web site, it may not be the law. However, in the absence of a legal oppinion or, more definitively, a judgment it is the only guide available.

With no disrespect to the DPI, I prefer to go with the law for the simple fact it is the law. I have searched the road code can found nothing to support your view on either matter, but I am open to correction if someone can be definitive that would be great.

I would go further and say that there is a solid white line dividing the road from the parking area. Riding in and out of parked cars would be stupid in my view and it also legal to ride on the road, the riders where riding on the road, keeping left and it does not appear unreasonably obstructing traffic.

Andrew