Comments on: Melbourne as the Copenhagen of Australia http://treadly.net/2006/09/05/melbourne-as-the-copenhagen-of-australia/ Work is just something I do between bike rides Fri, 04 May 2012 07:22:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: natalie http://treadly.net/2006/09/05/melbourne-as-the-copenhagen-of-australia/comment-page-1/#comment-310 natalie Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:56:23 +0000 http://treadly.thingoid.com/?p=214#comment-310 <p>as a bike rider who has lived in melbourne most of my life, i have to say these bike lanes are a great idea. I am now living in copenhagen and for the past 8 months had loved using the copenhagen bike lanes. As a bike rider it is so safe, they are well used by locals and in the city we even have our own set of traffic lights. Instead of spending more and more money on freeways and putting in extra lanes in hoddle street l think bike lanes would reduce so much congestion on our roads... i am actually dreading coming home next year trying to tackle the city and brunswick street again after being spoiled here.</p> as a bike rider who has lived in melbourne most of my life, i have to say these bike lanes are a great idea. I am now living in copenhagen and for the past 8 months had loved using the copenhagen bike lanes. As a bike rider it is so safe, they are well used by locals and in the city we even have our own set of traffic lights. Instead of spending more and more money on freeways and putting in extra lanes in hoddle street l think bike lanes would reduce so much congestion on our roads… i am actually dreading coming home next year trying to tackle the city and brunswick street again after being spoiled here.

]]> By: Treadly and Me http://treadly.net/2006/09/05/melbourne-as-the-copenhagen-of-australia/comment-page-1/#comment-309 Treadly and Me Thu, 07 Sep 2006 06:57:03 +0000 http://treadly.thingoid.com/?p=214#comment-309 <p>The BV forums are not restricted to BV members only, so I don't think there's any obligation on the organisation to give particular priority to what's being said there over other sources of information and feedback. That said, the issue appears to have been raised in at least four separate threads since October last year (that is, after the announcement was made):</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bv.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=105" title="Copenhagen-style bike lanes: Bicycle Victoria Forums" rel="nofollow">Copenhagen-style bike lanes</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bv.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=494" title="Bicycle Victoria Forums" rel="nofollow">Call for Melbourne to copy Copenhagen Model</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bv.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=197" title="Copenhagen-style bike lanes in Melbourne: Bicycle Victoria Forums" rel="nofollow">Copenhagen-style bike lanes in Melbourne</a>, and most recently</li> <li><a href="http://www.bv.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1943" title="Bicycle Victoria Forums" rel="nofollow">Copenhagen Treatment</a></li> </ul> <p>I've got no insight into how Bicycle Victoria developed its position on this initiative but I don't think the membership was canvassed about it specifically. At any rate, BV is clearly <a href="http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=7&b=174&c=1629" rel="nofollow">strongly supportive</a> of the idea.</p> The BV forums are not restricted to BV members only, so I don’t think there’s any obligation on the organisation to give particular priority to what’s being said there over other sources of information and feedback. That said, the issue appears to have been raised in at least four separate threads since October last year (that is, after the announcement was made):

I’ve got no insight into how Bicycle Victoria developed its position on this initiative but I don’t think the membership was canvassed about it specifically. At any rate, BV is clearly strongly supportive of the idea.

]]> By: pedaller http://treadly.net/2006/09/05/melbourne-as-the-copenhagen-of-australia/comment-page-1/#comment-308 pedaller Wed, 06 Sep 2006 23:22:08 +0000 http://treadly.thingoid.com/?p=214#comment-308 <p>A very good post Treadly, the photos really help a Sydney-sider like me to understand what is being proposed.</p> <p>I'm interested in your comment about others on the BV forums expressing doubts. Surely these doubts would have been expressed during the planning phase and BV would have tried to use their members' comments to guide their discussions with Council? Is BV simply supporting Council's decision on the basis that something is better than nothing? Or did BV actually have a hand in planning/designing this, and supposedly, ignored the feedback it was getting from members (and others)? Or even worse, BV just assumed they knew what was best and didn't bother to ask members (even though they have this wonderful forum on their site)?</p> <p>Ofcourse, you will never please all the people all the time, but $500,000 could have been spent on 25km of on-road bike lane markings for example, probably enough to mark every major street in the CBD (that isn't already marked) and then some!.</p> A very good post Treadly, the photos really help a Sydney-sider like me to understand what is being proposed.

I’m interested in your comment about others on the BV forums expressing doubts. Surely these doubts would have been expressed during the planning phase and BV would have tried to use their members’ comments to guide their discussions with Council? Is BV simply supporting Council’s decision on the basis that something is better than nothing? Or did BV actually have a hand in planning/designing this, and supposedly, ignored the feedback it was getting from members (and others)? Or even worse, BV just assumed they knew what was best and didn’t bother to ask members (even though they have this wonderful forum on their site)?

Ofcourse, you will never please all the people all the time, but $500,000 could have been spent on 25km of on-road bike lane markings for example, probably enough to mark every major street in the CBD (that isn’t already marked) and then some!.

]]>