The draft BTA feedback can be found on this link: WA Bike Network Plan May 2012 – Feedback – 2
Below is the material that relates to the public feedback session, including the WABN presentations by MainRoadsWA, and the comments made by the public during the course of the day.
WA Bike Network Presentation in three parts: part 1, part 2, part 3
Feedback and comments made during the session
Below are some of the topics you might want to consider in your submission
| Topic | Comments, concerns and suggestions |
The big picture
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- WABN is CBD centric- Tangible projects, detailed and costed (similar to 1996 plan?)- Connections Stirling – Morley – Midland as PSP?- PSP projects and cycling only routes (eg City West, Narrows to Mt.Henry) is there a need for cycle only facilities- Knowledge arch – Charlie Gardner UWA major sub-centres for cycling, also Murdoch, Curtin- New major project – Burswood Stadium –access and bike parking- the staging and that pesky little detail that the Fremantle section will finish at the Montessori school “because of the renewal of the Fremantle bridge”- Causeway cycling improvements?- The priority of the PSP projects (which is not in the WABN, but only in the presentation) – are these the correct priorities?- Proven economic benefits will facilitate funding (should this be expanded? Is there enough in the WABN to convince politicians and make the money flow– Have real KPI’s, numbers that indicate success. National strategy is to double cycling in five years. Deal with one set of numbers only… |
|
The suburbs –
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- The plan is very short on details about what should achieved, and how it will be done, and how it will be funded.- Calming roads in the suburbs in a way that bike riders are not disadvantaged – this might fit in with Local Gov implementation groups.- Pick a few Local Govs as pilots, include schools but go beyond.- The pilots for access to trains and schools and shops should be combined.- The WABN is an infrastructure plan – then why does it recommend behaviour change programs in schools as a “main aim”?- Local governments often do shared paths in concrete – not good for cyclists (influence via grants)- What would be the best suburbs for the pilot projects? |
| - | |
| ImplementationWorking groups and committees | - is that the best way to go? Might be better to have a single body in charge of the implementation, which can form subgroups as required- Implementation group or subgroup also responsible for Local Gov Grant approvals to ensure fit to overall strategy- Role of CPAG (Mainroads) |
| Best practice for cycling infrastructure | - What works elsewhere?- Flip parking and cycle lanes?- White lines on 100km roads? |
| Connection between Public Transport and cycling | - Bikes on buses and trains- Shelters – can only register in one…..- Important to “feed” train stations |
| Journey Planner | - Is it needed, and is it the best possible use of resources? (Ride the City:Perth does some of the planned activities already, for free) |
| What needs to be explicitly shown in the WABN | - The presentations at the various launches indicated projects beyond what is written into the WABN plan. To give the public assurance that the plan will achieve its aims these projects should be written into the plan. |
| How can the WABN help the CBD access | - |
Some of the political reactions are below:
The reaction of Ken Travers, Shadow Minister for Transport, has been swift and to the point: Bike plan needs funding to get moving
The Greens, Lyn McLaren, says: (Full comment here)
“The Perth Bicycle Network needs to properly connect with the activity centres identified in Directions 2031. It needs to align to schools, shops and train stations.”
“Half of all car trips taken in Perth cover short distances of less than 5km (2). These are trips that could easily be made by bicycle, but the Government needs to make roads safe for cyclists.”
I could not say this better myself…..
I cycle from the City of Wanneroo to Burswood where my workplace is……with the timing restrictions on when the bikes are allowed on the train, it makes it just about impossible for me to cycle from home to work and back again….if I were able to put my bike and myself on a train in the afternoon I could still cycle part of the way home before using transport before it gets dark….being able to put bikes on the train outside of the peak hours excludes most cyclists…..there needs to be a lesser restrictions on bikes and trains/buses….. or added carriages specifically for bicycle users provided on the train to enable and encourage their use…. thank you
You could buy a small wheeled (20″)folding bike in which case you would not be subject to travel time restriction provided you fold it before boarding the train, there is actually room in the carriage, and you place a bag over it.
I’m on to my second folder (a Swift) and have never had any train travel problems.
I agree. The trains are simply too congested (something which will get worse in time too) to have bikes on during peak hours. If you want to combine cycling with the train a folding bicycle is your best bet. Additional carraiges for bikes will not happen, as any extra space will be required for people. This is the reality of the situation in Perth.
Traffic lights that are not co-ordinated — they stay red for cyclists and pedestrians when the lights for vehicles go green unless the pedestrian button has been pressed. MainRoads for decades has refused to alter this because the original design was to keep the motor vehicle and pedestrian systems separate to make the electronics simpler — before computers became the norm.
A perfect example of this is the lights at Victoria Park Drive and the Graham Farmer Freeway exit. Four to five minutes to cross the freeway exit through two sets of lights when there is no traffic using the exit. In addition, when the pedestrians/cyclists get the green, it needlessly stops the parallel vehicle traffic.
The lights obviously are wired up the wrong way.
Education should not be limited new drivers. There are a few generations out there driving with little respect / tolerance for bicycle commuters. With the large cultural shift to commuting by bicycles in recent years, there needs to be a large public campaign (TV & radio over an extended period of time) educating ALL drivers (and cyclists), no matter what age, race or size of vehicle, on how to safely share the roads.
We have been trying to get drivers retestet on-line at licence renewal time — but apparently “it’s too difficult”. Better to have unsafe drivers and a really high road toll.
This happens all the time: Cars turning at an intersection must learn to give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing on a green light. Often pedestrians and cyclists doing the right thing, trying to cross the road on a green light, are stopped from crossing (with many near misses) due to cars continuing through regardless.