Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

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Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby fat and old » Wed Aug 05, 2015 11:44 am

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Should be up soon :)

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schuberj
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby schuberj » Thu Aug 06, 2015 5:07 pm

Pity Albert Street is still a death trap.

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Strydz
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Strydz » Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:19 am

Are they removing the parking on that section of Exhibition? I do have to agree that Albert Street is dangerous especially in the evening, I stopped using it on my commutes into the city ages ago
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Drizt
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Drizt » Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:22 pm

I've ashed it down Victoria parade a few times... That gets hairy.

Gertrude is a death trap.

I haven't had to much issue with Albert other than getting stuck behind slow commuters. What issues have you guys had?

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Drizt
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Drizt » Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:22 pm

Smashed

Calvin27
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Calvin27 » Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:40 pm

I find albert st fine. It's just tha last bit where it turns into lonsdale st. Cars don't know which lane goes where let alone trying to check where that cyclist went.

Actually I think generally East/west routes are pretty poor in Melbourne. Colins is too narrow, flinders is crap and that leaves lonsdale which is car central. Bourke is not continuous at swanston st (have seen people fined there) and that leaves only latrobe that is of reasonable quality, but even then.
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Strydz
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Strydz » Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:20 pm

Drizt wrote:I've ashed it down Victoria parade a few times... That gets hairy.

Gertrude is a death trap.

I haven't had to much issue with Albert other than getting stuck behind slow commuters. What issues have you guys had?
Car doors being swung open, pedestrians just walking out in front or using it as a footpath, debris, cars parked in the actual bike lane which must take quite some effort to do, the driveways half way along when leaving the city ain't that great either. The one thing I will say is that my commuting hours tend to be different as in late afternoons, nighttime, early hours of the morning so it might be better during the day.
I use Victoria Parade sometimes which is perfect around 1-3am on a weekday morning, no traffic and a big wide open road to bomb down :D
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Drizt
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Drizt » Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:21 pm

It is fun to bomb. Done it driving rain in peak hour. Not sure how I survived

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schuberj
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby schuberj » Sun Aug 09, 2015 2:18 pm

Strydz wrote:Car doors being swung open, pedestrians just walking out in front or using it as a footpath, debris, cars parked in the actual bike lane which must take quite some effort to do, the driveways half way along when leaving the city ain't that great either. The one thing I will say is that my commuting hours tend to be different as in late afternoons, nighttime, early hours of the morning so it might be better during the day.
Albert Street used to be great; before they put any bike infrastructure there. Now there is a lane that is not wide enough to pass another bike without navigating humps, poles AND traffic. Who would really consider putting poles between automobile and bike traffic both travelling at a potential 50kph safe? They are regularly hit by cars and (surprise, surprise) fall straight into the bike lane. Plus a handy line of parked cars to make it impossible to see a cyclist when turning right and blocked up traffic that encourages last minute, no indication right hand turns to get to Victoria Parade. Of course the council's solution is to slow down the bikes with speed humps. And we won't even go into the crossover at the Hoddle Street end, with a bike traffic light that can't be seen within stopping distance and leaves bikes stationary between two lanes of speeding traffic trying to beat the amber light.

For me personally I can only remember one issue in several years of riding Albert Street during peak before the bike lane. Since the lane has been added I have 2-3 close calls a week, have been hit by cars twice, written off one bike, badly damaged a second, spent 3 days in hospital and had around 9 month recovery after surgery to my hand. The words of the Ambulance driver, "oh yeah, we are down here all the time since this lane was put in" doesn't really suggest the plan is working.

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kb
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby kb » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:43 am

I like the crossover lane at Hoddle. And the new lane when city bound (much better than Hoddle / Gipps). Agree everything else is fairly ordinary. Also amusing that they run the sweepers during peak. I've seen a few arguments between cyclists and the sweepers.
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schuberj
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby schuberj » Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:52 am

I am not sure what it was like this year as I wasn't working during autumn, but last year there were so many leaves built up in the lane for a number of weeks that I was just guessing where it was from the poles, could not see the road or gutter at all. Of course when a street sweeper finally did come it just left a slippery line of compressed leaves straight down the middle.

I really wonder with this many issues who it is they are actually consulting to come up with these designs?

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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby fat and old » Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:02 pm

Strydz wrote:Are they removing the parking on that section of Exhibition? I do have to agree that Albert Street is dangerous especially in the evening, I stopped using it on my commutes into the city ages ago
Exhibition and Ltl Lonsdale will have "peak hour" cycle lanes (East side of Exhibition, Nth side of Ltl Lonsdale). 7.30 -9.30 and 16.30 - 18.30 only. Green treatment and vibraline app. 1.7m wide. Spring will have mainly dedicated lanes that are the "premium" style....700mm wide chevron each side of 2m wide B/L.

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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby antigee » Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:13 pm

used to ride into city (but not as far as La Trobe) along Albert St but not at peak hours and think the inside of the car parking lanes work quite well as they run past the park - I suspect that at peak times very frustrating need to sort how to deal with volume, also need to remove (horror of horrors) a few more parking spaces near the junctions to give more time to merge into the left turning traffic - don't think the way in which these merges/stop lines are safe for cyclists lacking in experience on road positioning.

Mrs antigee was doored in the lane - just outside the hospital, not the type of location where drivers/passengers are being observant, as to people wandering to the ticket machine/sorting buggies out asking husband/wife for change - just part pf life.

only rode the out of city once and decided never to again, [swearfilter](AT)(AT)(AT)(AT)[/swearfilter] that is a really dangerous piece of work - it just doesn't work downhill with car park entrance/exits. Classic case of doing both sides of the road the same simply doesn't work on hills and add in the adjacent buildings - I'd rip that out and put sharrows in the main carriageway please

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Drizt
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Drizt » Wed Aug 26, 2015 2:59 pm

Anyone know the progress of this?

Peak clearway only is carp

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Drizt
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby Drizt » Fri Oct 23, 2015 11:04 am

Gave this a try going East the other day... not too bad.

The bit on Little Lonsdale is odd. There is bike lane (part time) until you get to the last ~50m which allows parking.... eh, what is the point of the bike lane if you have to jump out into the traffic lane anyway?

The part going up from spring street towards Albert St is really good. You no longer have to filter through traffic :) There is a very clearly defined bike lane which is wide enough for two lanes of cyclists sitting at the lights. I approve :)

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kb
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Re: Albert St to La Trobe st....Melbourne commuters

Postby kb » Fri Oct 23, 2015 4:49 pm

Took me by surprise the day they installed the raised yellow plastic strip though :-)
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