Canberra Times - Build low speed 'shared spaces': report

[FromTheCapital]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/lo ... spx?page=1

Bunda st and Hibberson st arent a huge issue... Canberra motorists showing their usual colours though....

[Robdog]

Personally I'd rather see them finally duplicate Ashley and Isabella Drives around Monash and put in a decent cycle lane. I'm sure there's plenty other similar roads around Canberra that could do with the same treatment. They'd probably be lucky if these 'shared spaces' work without a significant change in driver attitude particularly given the existing frustrations of Civic for motorists

[Mulger bill]

Get it right and it might be brilliant, get it wrong and it will be a nightmare.
What's the local mobs history of "Getting It Right"?

[cp123]

What about a bike lane up Erindale Drive between Fadden/Gowrie and the Hospital? I know there's a litle path that runs up between Sternberg and the next rdbt up (Sulwood?) but is there anything to get up and over the hill up near the turn down to Long Gully Road and the tip?

I heard people whinging about it on the radio this morning. "when they pay money for roads and rego blah blah...

[Robdog]

What about a bike lane up Erindale Drive between Fadden/Gowrie and the Hospital? I know there's a litle path that runs up between Sternberg and the next rdbt up (Sulwood?) but is there anything to get up and over the hill up near the turn down to Long Gully Road and the tip?

I heard people whinging about it on the radio this morning. "when they pay money for roads and rego blah blah...

There's an ample lane Northbound from Sternberg to just over the crest, but nothing Southbound until you get well over the top. Speed differential makes a lane downhill going North less important IMO

[mrgolf]

I love how these car dependants just dont get that congestion is caused by them. Yes, we need better public transport. But reluctance to use the system is the main reason it is so poor in Canberra. There has never been enough people using it to make it an efficient system. The fact that car parking is so cheap in the city is a big reason behind it. Once prices approach Sydney levels, public transport and cycle commuting will make more sense to them. Til then, its more half baked John Laws rhetoric regurgitation. Yawn. As for the reduced speed areas, makes perfect sense for Canberra to catch up with the rest of the cities in Australia, who are only just starting to catch up with the rest of the developed world. Next.

[auskonrad]

I don't quite get why there's no long term vision for something like Copenhagen lanes for Northbourne Avenue. I don't know what else they have in the pipeline for the middle nature strip - but surely they can take away a lane from 1 side, lets say northbound just for arguments sake, turn it into copenhagen lanes (with bus stops present between the copenhagen lanes and the car lanes - with mini ped crossings across the bike lanes) and then reduce the size of the nature strip to take the road back to 3 lanes.

but as for the rest, I'm happy they are at least getting balls rollings - as opposed to these issues not even being on the radar.

[Aenveigh]

I don't quite get why there's no long term vision for something like Copenhagen lanes for Northbourne Avenue. I don't know what else they have in the pipeline for the middle nature strip

http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.php?v=10532

A study to identify upgrades and improvements to the Northbourne Avenue corridor, including bus priority, cycle lanes and pedestrian access has commenced, Chief Minister and Minister for Transport Jon Stanhope said today [11 March 2011].

However, the further detail is appararently at transport.act.gov.au, which doesn't seem to be working for me today.

[mrgolf]

His idea was to create an offroad shared path to the left of the traffic. He has already stated this is his intention. There is nothing good in this for commuting cyclists.

[auskonrad]

His idea was to create an offroad shared path to the left of the traffic. He has already stated this is his intention. There is nothing good in this for commuting cyclists.

Oh right... I should read closer. My bad.

Yeah, a shared path presumably then lets him take away the on-road lane, and then we are stuck with dodging pedestrians and then cyclists start using the road again without a bike lane. I have enough trouble dodging pedestrians who are trying to walk across backed up traffic through the cycle lane on the road let alone on a shared path.

[mrgolf]

Hope I didnt come across as aggressive. No need to apologise. I am a bit miffed at Stanhope (allegedly a cyclist, too) and the Greens who announced this sometime last year... I think there is a thread in the ACT section about it IIRC...

To me, a shared path will inevitably end up with a speed limit of around 20-30kmh for safety reasons (and fair enough). But, I often see the other side of 50kmh on Northbourne. To be slowed down that much, especially on training rides, is ridiculous.

[auskonrad]

I am a bit miffed at Stanhope (allegedly a cyclist, too)

I'm always a bit sceptical about politicians or whoever saying they are a cyclist too, it usually precedes them saying something like 'but I think the road isn't the right place for them..' It reminds me of TV idiots or talking heads or radio shock jokes who preface the most outrageous racial/sexual preference attacks by saying 'don't get me wrong, X or Y are some of my best friends.'

To me, a shared path will inevitably end up with a speed limit of around 20-30kmh for safety reasons (and fair enough). But, I often see the other side of 50kmh on Northbourne. To be slowed down that much, especially on training rides, is ridiculous.

Wow. 50km/h down NB? Going to and from work, hitting 40+ scares me enough going alongside the cars... I guess I've become gun shy after *almost* being doored a few times.

I also find that some blocks you get a headwind, and then the next you get a tail wind. It's bizarre. but slightly off topic

[bpmhigh]

I have no strong view on any of this but FYI, the current Pedal Power journal has an article penned by the Chief himself about his recent cycle expedition around Spain with his wife.

[auskonrad]

okay, well I stopped whinging and wrote to Stanhope and expressed my point of view

[twizzle]

To me, a shared path will inevitably end up with a speed limit of around 20-30kmh for safety reasons (and fair enough). But, I often see the other side of 50kmh on Northbourne. To be slowed down that much, especially on training rides, is ridiculous.

Wow. 50km/h down NB? Going to and from work, hitting 40+ scares me enough going alongside the cars... I guess I've become gun shy after *almost* being doored a few times.

I also find that some blocks you get a headwind, and then the next you get a tail wind. It's bizarre. but slightly off topic

I'm also a 50kph rider along there at times, and you won't often find me doing less than 40kph. But not in heavy traffic - too dangerous. Too many drivers who don't indicate or look.

To be honest - the bicycles along there really do screw up the flow of traffic in the peak hour-and-a-bit, and I quite like the idea of a dedicated cycleway right up the middle as long as it's wide enough that the sub 20kph POBSO's aren't getting collected by the 40kph+ riders like me.