Carrying a tune?

Rest

“Hi, cyclist! Rest your foot here…” [Thanks tom]

That’s ACE

I’ve seen a handful of Alpine Classic reports (no doubt there are more out there):

• Local TV turned up for the 4am start of the ACE 250 in Bright.
• My Audax Alpine Classic by naomi on Sydney Cyclist.
• Surly Dave cut it fine but made it in the end
• NancyBoy puts his story in not one, not two, but yes three parts. No wait, four parts. Hang on, five. Now that’s just getting ridiculous.

[Thinks: I should pull me finger out a write a report myself…]

Prang

Bike fall on Google street view, recorded for posterity.

I don’t know much about fashion

Endurogirl has declared the ugliest team kit for 2010—and the winner is: Footon-Servetto-Fuji.

One word: ick.

Street cycling

ABC Radio National’s Background Briefing on 31 January 2010 is about on road cycling:

With a dramatic increase in cycling, comes a plethora of new safety issues on the roads. Doctors, politicians, planners and cyclists agree it will mean changing the way we design, govern and use our roads.

[twitterer]

Ceasefire!

In New Zealand, “cycling advocates are calling for a ceasefire in the latest skirmish between some drivers and cyclists.”

Justice

L.A. road rage doctor gets five years – VeloNews:

The California physician, convicted of assaulting a pair of cyclists with his car, was sentenced to five years in prison at the close of a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday morning.

But then, don’t expect much to change generally.

[via Dave Moulton]

More justice

Meanwhile, remember this idiot who shot a cyclist in the head because “he was upset that the victim was bike riding with his child” on a busy road? Well, Charles Diez will serve 120 days in prison, the rest of his 15–27 sentence being suspended.

Observed one cyclist: “If a cyclist shot a fireman, judge or prosecuting attorney in his head, in front of his family, what sentence do you think he/she would receive.”

[via audax-oz]

The original carbon fibre

Bamboo Bikes:

Carbon fiber and aluminum are so 2009. This year’s best bicycling model is made out of bamboo and hemp. A new generation of manufacturers are coming up with some of the most environmentally friendly transport yet. Lighter, stronger, more comfortable and these bikes have also got a much smaller carbon footprint.

[thanks flipsockgrrl]

Recline

RecumbentTV: “Sit back and relax for a while!”

Growth

Cycling hits top gear as Aussie riders help propel economic cycle

Bloggage

• Lone Cyclist: “I love mountain bikes, road bikes and trail running”
• cyclosity: “Photos links videos and more assembled by Liam Quigley”

It’s a dirty job but…

Daily Kos reports on Pedal People, a bicycle-powered haulage service that has “picked up and hauled more than 341,000 cubic feet of trash, recyclables, and compost” since 2002.

Girls, tall bikes, cool

Irondelles – Girls on tall bikes [twitterer]

Oh, do shut up!

Jens Voigt “Shut Up Legs” T-shirt: Do You Want One Too? [twitterer]

Paths

Tweets Whalford, “Government to spend $759 million on a new bike path. Oh and a freeway alongside”: Peninsula freeway to join Carrum Downs and Mount Martha.

Meanwhile the Yarra Trail is undergoing reconstruction works between Bridge Road and the Monash Freeway

Street design

Tom Vanderbilt comments on an apparently successful shared space scheme in England. An earlier post included some interesting before-and-after shots.

Range of commute

Dutch blog 24 oranges reports that the City of Zwolle wants to extend the average range of bike commutes from about 5km to 15km by loaning commuters electric bicycles. [Thanks tom]

The State Government is slapping a 3m-wide concrete bike path through the Mullum Mullum Valley, which it has spent millions protecting.

Hmm, I think “slapping” doesn’t really reflect the level of community engagement that’s clearly gone on here. To me it sounds like a fairly comprehensive consultation and review process was carried out. The Chairman of the Yarran Dheran Advisory Committee—while obviously opposed to it—is quoted in the article as saying that his organisation is generally positive about the plan.

And it should be pointed out that Bicycle Victoria considers this a reasonable compromise also:

The chosen alignment is not the most desirable one for bike riders as it does have some sections of up to 100 metres in length that are steep. It also has one short section that will narrow to 2.4 metres to avoid significant vegetation.

And I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with some SEITA propaganda, when it points out that

A formal pathway route will also discourage use of the many foot tracks which currently weave across the valley, impacting sensitive vegetation.

I’m also a bit surprised that more isn’t being made of how a 3m wide sealed path could also improve access to the area for people with disabilities and mobility problems.

This same fact sheet shows the route through the Valley, which can only be described as meandering—hardly what you’d expect if it had just been haphazardly “slapped” down there.

It’s been years since I’ve been to Yarran Dheran and I’m not really across the issues in respect of Eastlink, but this just seems so much like a beat-up to me. The Maroondah Leader article concludes:

Former transport minister Peter Batchelor said in October last year that tunnels were dug under the valley [to accommodate the Eastlink motorway]—at an estimated cost of $100 million—because “this area is very unusual and worth protecting”.

I think Mr Batchelor was right—it is a significant area of urban bushland. But to suggest that the impact of a meandering 3m-wide path is in any way comparable to the a multi-lane motorway is ludicrous. Conspiracy theorists may want to believe that there is an anti-cyclist agenda being pushed by News Corp all the way down to your local rag (especially when you consider this publication’s unfavourable coverage of the proposed Wantirna Road bike lanes last year). But far more likely, journalist Jan Harkin was just looking for a nice juicy angle for the story.

While the current design is still being finalised, at this stage the plan

is to provide a continuous shared use path linking to the following parks

and reserves:

• Mullum Mullum Valley, Ringwood Bypass, Schwerkolt Cottage and Eastland to

• Simpsons Park / Heatherdale Reserve Proclamation Park to

• Koomba Park via Dandenong Creek Trail to Wantirna Reserve on to

• Blind Creek / Llewellyn Park Complex on to

• Nortons Park, Shepherds Bush, Drummies Bridge Reserve to

• Jells Park Trail Network and Chesterfield Farm

• Corhanwarrabul wetlands

• Potentially Carribean Gardens and Corhanwarrabul Creek on to

• Mulgrave Reserve / Dandenong Creek and Tirhatuatan Park through to

• Fotheringham Reserve Trail to Mile Creek and Greaves Reserve via Dandenong Creek trail to

• National Watersports Complex, Patterson Lakes open space, Carrum Foreshore or via Ray Dove Reserve, Edithvale Wetland, Seaford Frankston Foreshore and the Port Phillip Bay Trail Network beyond.

SEITA and the project parties are liaising with councils, Bicycle Victoria and local community groups about the final exact route and design.

The primary shared use path is a 3m wide concrete path, while secondary shared use paths vary in width due to integration with existing paths.

As soon as all design details are finalised, a guide to the new path network will be published and available to the public.”

At least there will be some positives out of yet another massive tollway development in Melbourne!

Should make for some good rides with linkages across the outer eastern suburbs.