M4 Safety Alert Thread

[Bunged Knee]

Starting from yesterday and ends on 18th December 2020. ( I don`t believe RMS )

RMS had made a long diversion for cyclists on M4 again for time being between Pitt St Parramatta to Prospect HWY.





I don`t think that I might believe that it will be done by 6 weeks as it had stuffed the end time many times.

[tez001]

Got a link to that doc, hard to see the detour but if they are fixing the section between Rita St, Merrylands and Centenary Dr, Wenty that's a good thing.

[Bunged Knee]

Here's the link.

https://www.bikenorth.org.au/wp-content ... _FINAL.pdf

[march83]

I used to go that way by choice just to change things up a bit when I was working in Parramatta. The section along Prospect Highway, particularly the bridge over the M4 if you're heading east, is not great. Once you turn left and start heading up to the top of Pemulway it's OK. The road quality from there to the cyclepath at Merrylands wasn't great when I used to do it (maybe they've re-surfaced since then?).

[SteveTheTiger]

Silly question for those who ride the M4 from someone who doesn't.

Can a cyclist join the motorway at Hill Road, heading eastbound, and get through to Concord Road? If so, how, without using the 'mousehole' under Homebush Bay Drive?

Heading westbound, a separate cycleway has been provided to avoid having to cross the off and on-ramps for Homebush Bay Drive. But I don't see the same thing heading eastbound.

Did the government do the dodgy on us, again?

[find_bruce]

I have been avoiding the area like its a hotspot since waste connex. As best I can figure, google street view is currently accurate - there is a sign "Cyclists must exit" at the Homebush Bay Dr exit, however this is not authorised as a standard sign nor as a non-standard sign. To be enforceable there would need to be a bicycles prohibited sign on the road & I have not seen one.

Curiously the RMS cycleway finder shows a path crossing Haslams Creek near the M4, which supposedly comes out here

If you follow the exit both google & RMS say the bike path goes through the bus tunnel under Homebush Bay Dr, BUT google showed in July 2020 that the gate was locked, which would mean you need to go all the way up to Underwood Rd & use that awful roundabout to come back along Homebush Bay Dr in order to rejoin the M4 path. If the gate is open, there is a new path that goes under the Homebush Bay Dr on-ramp & is an off road path up until Underwood Rd when what happens is a mystery.

Looks like I will need to go for a ride that way & see whats what

[JPB]

I found the bus tunnel gate locked last month when I went exploring

[find_bruce]

Finally got around to a ride through the area. To the surprise of no one, the bridge over Haslam's creek is a work of fiction. If you take the exit prior to Homebush Bay drive, you can follow the bike path right up to the locked gate. If you look through the gate you can see the new bike path just the other side of the tunnel. Instead its up to Australia Ave & use the roundabout of death. There is a green painted bike lane on the on-ramp from Homebush Bay Drive, just ignore the "no bicycles past this point" sign on the right and onto the M4 shoulder which continues up to Concord Rd. If you are perverse like me you can use the bus lane down to the other side of the locked gate & then use the new path, which takes you back under the ramp & re-joins the M4 shoulder.

On the plus side I discovered there is a new path up the western side of Powells creek, which takes you from Parramatta Rd through to Pomeroy St & from there connects to the existing path to Bicentennial Park. Doesn't look like any useful connections from Parramatta Rd & the park is probably a kid magnet at the usual times, but it might be useful. Looks to continue to the west but I ran out of time to explore further.

[zebee]

On the plus side I discovered there is a new path up the western side of Powells creek, which takes you from Parramatta Rd through to Pomeroy St & from there connects to the existing path to Bicentennial Park. Doesn't look like any useful connections from Parramatta Rd & the park is probably a kid magnet at the usual times, but it might be useful. Looks to continue to the west but I ran out of time to explore further.

Where does that start from at either end? I might take a look see. Usually I go from Pomeroy north along the western side of the creek to the bridge by the tennis court. There's now a path from the other side of Pomeroy rd along the creek? What sort of crossing of Pomeroy Rd is there?

[find_bruce]

I went for another ride this afternoon & there are some useful connections - at the Parramatta Rd end, it comes out just south of the M4 onramp. There is no convenient place to cross Parramatta Rd, but you can get onto the M4 or head west along Powell St & Park Rd, which takes you to where the old bridge across the M4 comes out.

I was surprised to see the bridge was still there - I thought they were threatening to demolish it as part of waste connex - in any event they have removed all bar 1 of the bollards.

The Pommeroy St end cuts across the bowling greens of the old sports club, but no, there is no convenient way to cross Pommeroy St - best way is probably at the driveway for the old sports club

[jovan.s1987]

Currently on my commutes home from Rydalmere to Penrith, I'm joining the cycle-path off Wigram St Harris Park, following that up to the big Cumberland Hwy intersection & continuing down along Old Prospect Rd, up through Butu Wargun Dr which drops me out onto Prospect Hwy, onto the M4 & take the Kent Rd Exit to ride through Caddens.

My question is - Any alternate route, which minimises my time on the M4? I'm finding the shoulder extremely dirty for most of the way, with the exception of that area around the M7.

[march83]

I used to do Rose Hill to lower mountains and did this for a while for the same reasons - too many flats on the M4:

https://bit.ly/2Q7cVnZ

It's further and slower, but it's pretty safe, mostly quiet and clean. Busiest areas were around Sergeants / Carlyle in Minchinbury.

Depending on where in Penrith you need to get to you can continue down the GWH then head through the back of Kingswood, past the uni and the Penrith back streets (Derby, Lethbridge or Stafford)

EDIT, coming from Rydalmere, would it be safer, cleaner, easier to go to the M7 and then take the back roads from Rooty Hill to Penrith? I do that most days coming from the Hills and it's much more pleasant than the M4 commute I used to do back in the day...

[jovan.s1987]

I used to do Rose Hill to lower mountains and did this for a while for the same reasons - too many flats on the M4:

https://bit.ly/2Q7cVnZ

It's further and slower, but it's pretty safe, mostly quiet and clean. Busiest areas were around Sergeants / Carlyle in Minchinbury.

Depending on where in Penrith you need to get to you can continue down the GWH then head through the back of Kingswood, past the uni and the Penrith back streets (Derby, Lethbridge or Stafford)

EDIT, coming from Rydalmere, would it be safer, cleaner, easier to go to the M7 and then take the back roads from Rooty Hill to Penrith? I do that most days coming from the Hills and it's much more pleasant than the M4 commute I used to do back in the day...

Thanks for the info. I had actually been looking at the M7 option, but wasn't sure of the best way at getting there? I set out from Rydalmere a street away from Victoria Rd.

[march83]

It probably won't be quicker unfortunately. You could take the north bank of the river to Parramatta Park, then go through the Westmead Hospital precinct and then join up with the Old Windsor Road cycleway. That will take you to the M7 near Bella Vista. Pretty indirect, lots of lights and crossings unfortunately.

There are quiet back road that vaguely follow the train line from Parramatta to Rooty Hill, but you'd have to do some exploring. Strava's global heatmap is great for this sort of stuff.

[jovan.s1987]

Is it legal, or OK to ride on the Transitways?

[march83]

AFAIK, it is not.

[jovan.s1987]

Interesting. Used the route planner on Kamoot & it takes me up the transit way, alongside Old Winsdor Rd, up to the M7 cycle-way.

[g-boaf]

Interesting. Used the route planner on Kamoot & it takes me up the transit way, alongside Old Winsdor Rd, up to the M7 cycle-way.

Parts of it have a cycleway, but it's a pretty stop start route that is slowed by plenty of traffic lights.

Certainly don't ride on the transitway - those bus drivers on that tway are very, very aggressive - and they go very fast too. There is a certain 50km/h zone in one part which we are certain many of them take at far more than 50km/h... Should get a speed camera set up there.

[jovan.s1987]

Interesting. Used the route planner on Kamoot & it takes me up the transit way, alongside Old Winsdor Rd, up to the M7 cycle-way.

Parts of it have a cycleway, but it's a pretty stop start route that is slowed by plenty of traffic lights.

Certainly don't ride on the transitway - those bus drivers on that tway are very, very aggressive - and they go very fast too. There is a certain 50km/h zone in one part which we are certain many of them take at far more than 50km/h... Should get a speed camera set up there.

OK thanks, cross of that option in that case.

[JPB]

There are a few trees down blocking the path alongside the M4 at Granville - End of Martha St, near the old speedway, following last nights storm.
You can get through if you get off your bike and force your way through but be prepared to get a few scratches. I have reported it via Snap Send Solve so hopefully they will be cleared in the next few days.

[caneye]

There are a few trees down blocking the path alongside the M4 at Granville - End of Martha St, near the old speedway, following last nights storm.
You can get through if you get off your bike and force your way through but be prepared to get a few scratches. I have reported it via Snap Send Solve so hopefully they will be cleared in the next few days.

As of last Sunday (26/2), the trees weren't cleared yet.

[g-boaf]

The underpass near Parramatta Rd and Woodville Rd at Granville is covered in very deep mud. Be careful through there or otherwise go across the traffic lights above.

Anything other than a mountain bike will probably not get through there safely. I have reported it to Parramatta Council.

[find_bruce]

Thanks g-boaf - not surprising for mud following floods there, but good to have it confirmed. Let us know when it's cleaned up

[g-boaf]

Thanks g-boaf - not surprising for mud following floods there, but good to have it confirmed. Let us know when it's cleaned up

Pretty well most of the paths right alongside the river in Parramatta itself are impassable with very deep mud covering them completely.

It will take more than just blasting with high pressure water to clean it up. Also lots of damage from dropped tree branches.

[Retrobyte]

Pretty well most of the paths right alongside the river in Parramatta itself are impassable with very deep mud covering them completely.

That's the good thing about the new Alfred St bridge - that low lying area prone to flooding between the wharf and Church St can be completely bypassed now.