Comments for Bicycle Transport Alliance

Comment on Outage on the Mitchell Freeway PSP near Mount St, Perth by Commuteperth

Commuteperth — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:19:43 +0000

Looks like the works weren’t completed as there are still metal plates on the PSP when I rode home on Friday evening. Take care when riding through this area as wet metal and cycling shoes aren’t good.

Comment on Outage on the Mitchell Freeway PSP near Mount St, Perth by Francois

Francois — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:50:47 +0000

Thanks BTA for the update. I used it to get to work this morning and now will have to use the detour…good to know. I must admit, I was really annoyed that the provisions to protect the PSP from the development work was pathetic – I am surprised the City of Perth Works/Planning allowed the developers to get away with such poor preventative measures.

Comment on Perth city cycling access by Rhys

Rhys — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:45:41 +0000

I saw that too. Is there a path going in or is it just being widened for the traffic lane?

Comment on Perth city cycling access by Rhys

Rhys — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:40:19 +0000

I’ve gotten a reply from the nice people at the CoP. They say the path between Market and Wellington St will be reinstated – with work commencing next month. So fingers crossed. I still wish they left the segregated path on Wellinton St intact. It was a much better option that mixing with the crowds around the arena. Although I guess with Perth CityLink the path might go around the back (northside) of the Arena at some stage?

Comment on Perth city cycling access by Michael

Michael — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:50:05 +0000

I should probably keep quiet about this, but if you are going around the city rather than in, Aberdeen street is a nice option with cycle lanes all the way and connecting onto the freeway paths at either end. Much less cycle traffic than the railway path.

Comment on Make WA roads safer for cyclists… by David Lewis

David Lewis — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:00:10 +0000

You hit the nail on the head Sam, I support everything you said. After cycling for several months in Europe and the UK each year I return to Perth and motoring mayhem. West Australian drivers refuse to share the road with other road users, and many are downright aggressive to cyclists, even throwing missiles, drink cans, bottles etc. selfish, arrogant, and don’t know the road rules.

I have encountered many dangerous incidents at the hands of incompetent motorists whilst out training on my road bike, cutting in on an entrance to one lane round-a-bouts, squeezed into kerb on narrow lanes by overtaking cars and trucks, overtaking too close within the same lane, near collisions from vehicles entering primary road from minor side road, and on two separate occasions being slapped on the backside by youths in overtaking vehicles, the list is endless.

Reports to the Western Australian Police Traffic Department do not attract any sanction of the offenders, even on one occasion, whilst cycling on a narrow lane in the Perth Hills, of only 2.7m width when a stretched wedding limousine in a big hurry overtook me within the lane in the face of an oncoming School Bus, which had to be driven off road towards the bush and the gravel verge in order to avoid a collision between all 3 of us

On another occasion a Ute overtook me dangerously close when approaching a Round-a-Bout, Police claimed that I should have been riding my bike on the pavement, notwithstanding that I am well in excess of 12 years and it is an offense to do so.

On another occasion, after a complaint to Police that a motor vehicle had overtaken me at high speed in a 80 km/h speed zone, leaving only a passing margin of 50 cms., the Officer said it was quite in order to do so, and that no offence had been committed, notwithstanding that the drivers actions were grossly reckless, dangerous and against the Western Australian Road Traffic Code.

Most Western Australian Police Officers have not got a clue when it comes to the law involving the cyclist. Cyclists are at the bottom of their list. Until they are trained in this regard, and treat cyclists as legitimate road users, cyclists will always have a difficult time in getting Police to take action against offending motorists.

It is also my experience that Government Departments only pay lip service to road safety strategies. Out on Canning Road in the Perth Hills we have a Defined Truck Route operating on a nominal lane width of only 3.7m through Korung National Park at 90 km/h, a tortuous undulating road with hills, curves and restricted sight lines and challenged overall braking distances, used by Restricted Access Multi Combination Road Trains up to 27.5m in length and 2.5m wide, hauling grain (and cattle trucks) from the wheat belt, approaching 100 tons mass laden weight. This road is also used by enthusiast road cyclists.

The route fails to comply with Main Roads of Western Australia’s Heavy Vehicles Operations own safety guidelines in respect of speed and carriageway width, but Heavy Vehicles Operations steadfastly and stubbornly refuse consider my safety concerns for the vulnerable cyclist and lower the dangerously high speed limit. The dangers are further enhanced by double white lines, when truck drivers overtake cyclists within the same lane.

My claim that Government Departments only pay lip service to road safety is further supported by the fact that my complaints to Troy Buswell, Minister for Transport, Minister for Road Safety and my local MP John Day have not attracted any improvement of the situation or a lowering of the speed limit of 90 km/h. which is the highest on the whole route, whilst in the most dangerous area.

Until these people take our concerns as cyclists seriously and really care about road safety, there will be no improvement.

David Lewis
Road Cyclist

Comment on Perth city cycling access by folderman

folderman — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:58:36 +0000

With the realignment of the Fremantle railway and the need for trucks to use this route to access the Arena (note how the bridge embankments are being modified to accomodate turning trucks), I doubt there will be any room left for the PSP to be reinstated. Of course you can always ride on the road and ride through the Arena underground car park bypassing Wellington Street altogether.
I also note that the path on the railway side of Railway Street opposite SciTEch has been recently substantially enlarged possibly to make the Railway/Roe Street route more attractive to cyclists as an alternative to the exiting Arena blocked path

Comment on Perth city cycling access by Rhys

Rhys — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:37:05 +0000

Any info on what’s happening around the Arena? Will they restore the old Market St route? Currently having to ride on the uneven footpath at Wellington St under the freeway overpass is ridiculous for the volume of commuters using this route.

I emailed the traffic and transport officer at CoP but no reply so far…