Comments on: Sydney vs Melbourne: Commuting

By: Treadly and Me

Treadly and Me — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:12:31 +0000

@Eliane: Wow, it's been a while since I wrote that one. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I suppose most of the discussion is still relevant.

I think my point about Sydney Harbour is not so much that the Bridge is a problem but that it physically separates the city in a way the Melbourne's bay doesn't. However, as pedaller rightly pointed out, in Sydney the north-south route is nowhere near as busy a commute route as the west-east route, and options that way are better.

If you're interested, a few months after this post I rehearsed a few of the common objections to cycling in Sydney.

By: Eliane

Eliane — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:36:23 +0000

I’d say traffic and lack of bike lanes is the biggest issue. As a regular bicycle commuter from the Eastern suburbs to the North (St Leonards), I find that the main problem with the South-East ride is not the bridge. In fact, the bridge is a complete joy to ride over – you get a magnificent view over The Rocks, Millers Point, Garden Island and Blues Point Tower, and of Luna Park. It’s special in all kinds of weather, at any time of day. And, it’s a dedicated bike-lane – no need to worry about cars or pedestrians. No, the worst part is riding through the city. There are very few dedicated bike lanes within the city (actually, I haven’t found any) and the flattest routes through town to get to the bridge are full of buses. I’m starting to give up, and have taken to riding into town (via Paddington’s back streets – green, leafy, lovely wide streets, some hills) and then taking the train. All that said, I’ve noticed more and more cyclists on Sydney roads. I think this is corroborated by the evidence of more letters to the editor complaining about cyclists (from car drivers and pedestrians) than ever… Now this is where Bicycle NSW needs to do a better job. They need to be on the case, whenever there is another stupid letter to the editor about cyclists terrorising pedestrians and motor vehicles (!) explaining why there need to be more cycle paths, and how this would benefit everyone. I’d like to think that the road warriors make bike-riding trendy in Sydney, but I’m afraid they don’t. People I know at work do huge rides on the weekend, but wouldn’t dream of riding to work. And most people don’t think of them as ‘trendy’ – frankly, what they say about the ‘road warriors’ is not flattering. Oddly, I think the cold weather in Melbourne helps. Riding a bike warms you up, and it’s nice to arrive at work a bit toasty, rather than dripping with sweat… especially if you don’t have showers…

By: pedaller

pedaller — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 01:44:42 +0000

The points about the tram routes are excellent, and I think you could be right about the expectations of drivers on those roads.

I have noticed for some time that Bicycle Victoria is very active, and unfortunately, I think Bicycle NSW has not been seen to be doing enough, but there has been a change in leadership in the past year and hopefully a new perspective that might help, time will tell.

As for the ride into the city from the north, yes it is a bit tricky unless you are prepared to negotiate the stairs on the bike lane on the north side of the Sydney harbour bridge, or as you suggest pay for your bike to ride the ferry or the train. But the ride from the west (where the majority of Sydney's population lives) is quite good within 10km of the city, and similarly the ride from the south,east and north-west is fine.

And yes, Sydney also has quite a complement of wannabe road-warriors on the weekend training rides, large contingents take off from Brighton Le Sands and head south towards the National Park.