Seven Hills to Olympic Park - Critique the route

[Xplora]

Hi guys, does anyone know more about this path? Particularly the section that follows the M4?

http://www.ridethecity.com/#1832050 REALLY liking this website!

[coops]

There's a cycleway that goes for a short way under/along the m4 which I think is the bit you (and the site) are referring to. I've only been on it once but it seemed ok at the time.

A mate recently took me on a route he takes commuting to Homebush which I sketched up roughly...
http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msid= ... e406&msa=0
You do have to go over the precarious footbridge over the river (east of Parra) though.

It's worthwhile trying a few options if you plan to do the ride regularly.

Cheers,
Chris

[Thunderthighs]

Ride it all the time on the way to the city. Good path, not much traffic, and mostly clear of glass etc. Has some fun high-speed corners, plus some nice hairpins to keep you interested.

[duncanm]

Hi guys, does anyone know more about this path? Particularly the section that follows the M4?

http://www.ridethecity.com/#1832050 REALLY liking this website!

Yes.. the path under the M4 then Adderley St, then path again is great. There's bogan droppings occasionally, and you need to watch the street crossings, but they're only minor issues.

Another option, since your coming from the north, is to stay on the north side of the river until Silverwater Rd.

Take Thomas street, then duck under theJames Ruse Dr bridge, follow that path marked on the map till Silverwater Rd. Cross over the river on the Eastern footpath, then hit the riverside path in SOP, or go down the 'buses only' road past the gaol and onto Newington Rd then Holker St.

[John Holstein]

The route set by Ride the City isn't too bad, but is a bit lengthy. If you come into Hawkesbury Rd, head south, cross the railway line and turn right into Alexander Ave. At the third speed hump you will see a path on the left that leads down through a series of paths to Westmead Park which is quite large with a cricket ground. Head towards the right past the toilets into Macarthur Crescent & follow that until you reach Hawkesbury Rd again. Turn left into Hawkesbury, cross the Great Western Highway at the lights & then into Coleman St as you cross the bridge over the M4. At the roundabout there is a shared path that runs along the southern side of the M4. Follow that to Burnett St, once again crossing at the lights. You will then encounter a section of fairly poor footpath which is about 600 metres long. It leads to a very new 600m section of excellent shared path. This is the beginning of the path which follows the M4 all the way to Homebush Bay. This is all off road, except there are a series of road crossings to be aware of.

Should you choose to take the North Side if the River, it is simply a matter of making your way through the traffic at Westmead Hospital at the end of Darcy Rd where it meets Hawkesbury Rd,turn left into Hawkesbury & then right into Queens. Follow that into Parramatta Park & follow the road around the Park until you see a footbridge on the left just past the amphitheatre, cross the bridge & it leads to a path that takes you through Parramatta along the river past the ferry wharf to MacArthur St (Gasworks Bridge) cross the river, head north on MacArthur to Thomas St, turn right, follow MacArthur to the end, cross under James Ruse Drive & follow the sahred path into South St Rydalmere. The next street on your right is Pike St, turn into Pike follw the bike s=ymbols onto the shared path along the Parramatta River. It terminates at Park St Briefly (Sydney Water Bridge which leads into Camellia). Left, right & next right again will take you back to the bridge (this section is currently under negotiation for a compulsory acquirement for the path) you are then on the Parra Valley cycleway again. When you reach the Silverwater Bridge you then have the option of crossing over the Bridge or continuing along through Meadowbank and Rhodes.
Enjoy

[Xplora]

A friend has taken me through the M4/great western highway section through to Homebush Bay. I will try and Bikely the path actually.

WHY doesn't the Government advertise these routes in the LBS??? The paths are brilliant, but they cost a fortune to put in. A few pamphlets and a bit of webhosting just isn't pricey enough to justify not making it happen.


http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/seven-hills-to-rhodes-via-m4

[wombatK]

WHY doesn't the Government advertise these routes in the LBS??? The paths are brilliant, but they cost a fortune to put in. A few pamphlets and a bit of webhosting just isn't pricey enough to justify not making it happen.

The RTA used to produce (prints) maps of Sydney Cycleways for various regions of Sydney - you'd have to ask the LBS's why they
didn't stock them.

The maps were readily available on the RTA website until recently. It appears now that there is a new website http://www.bicycleinfo.nsw.gov.au/ - but it currently has only 1 of the former RTA maps.

Frankly, the open source maps are a better resource at least around Sydney - www.opencyclemap.org - and can be viewed in a number of other websites like ridethecity and bikenet.

And the real problem is the lack of meaningful sign-posting. In the case of the path under the cycleway, it's quite a challenge figuring out how to connect from it to the Liverpool Rail-trail cycle path or even for someone riding east on the M4 shoulder to Church St. And a bigger challenge trying to navigate the best way to connect to the city or inner west suburbs via Sydney Olympic Park.

Cheers

[Xplora]

I have seen some of the RTA maps. They might as well have not bothered - considering the horsepower of a site like RidetheCity, it is embarrassing that they aren't paying people to actually go and fix up the opencyclemap for Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong and then direct people to these maps. Government is about public resources, they should be putting the resources into these things so everyone has access. They aren't a private business where they can claim a need for privacy for a competitive edge.

I'll have a bit more of a look on the cyclemap site. Would be good to fix up the routes that I used so at least I can work out good ways for me

[wombatK]

They aren't a private business where they can claim a need for privacy for a competitive edge.

Au contraire - since the early 90's, most government departments have been primed for sale, and have been reforming
their businesses to smooth the way towards private sector ownership. Not easy to make money out of public services
like cycling maps - so that might explain why it's been ring-fenced out of the RMS and into a government information
service department.

The RTA hates cyclists anyway, so it's mandarins were probably only too happy to toss it from their turf.

[Xplora]

Successfully updated a path that seriously cuts down on the messing around trying to create routes near my place NOICE