Save the William Street cycle lanes

The state government has announced it will remove the William Street
Cycle lanes.

While a call to the Minister's office revealed that this is not yet
set in concrete, it is likely unless we cause a hullabaloo.

Please consider how this will impact upon the future of any promised
facility; including the Epping Road & Kent Street Cyclelanes.


RALLY

(Organised by NSW Greens - so there should be media)

Thurs, 1pm top of Martin Place.

Come down at lunch and remind them that cyclists deserve facilities
too.


Don't forget to write

'Click here to get details of where to write.'
(http://www.bikenorth.org.au/)


--
scotty72

Refer to existing thread here, Sydney cycleway scrapped:
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t344494.html

********************
From MassBUG June News + SMH diagram of the William St 'about turn'
http://www.massbug.org.au/cgi-bin/tw...w/MASSBUG/News
CBD BIKES ACTION - HANDS OFF BICYCLE LANES!

The Cross City Tunnel was supposed to ease traffic congestion in the
CBD. Now it threatens bicycle lanes across the CBD and East Sydney.
It's a disgrace! Join the Greens and the bicycle community to protest
the current attack on bicycle lanes in the CBD. 1:00pm Thursday 15th
June 2006 Martin Place (between Elizabeth & Philip Sts) SYDNEY CBD In
an attempt to salvage the failed Cross City Tunnel project the
Government has foreshadowed the closure of bicycle lanes on William
Street. This places under threat other bicycle links that were planned
across the city, including a bicycle lane on Kent Street that linked
William St with Pyrmont Bridge.

By seeking to vary the conditions of consent for the Cross City Tunnel
which will result in lost bicycle lanes, the RTA is breaching the
Government's own policy to build bicycle infrastructure into all
motorway projects. The RTA's continued overriding of planning decisions
also places uncertainty on other routes leading to and from the city,
such as the bicycle lanes planned for Epping Road as part of the Lane
Cove Tunnel project.

Join the protest to say HANDS OFF BICYCLE LANES!

Bring your bikes. Bring your friends. Contact: Greens MP Lee Rhiannon's
office - 9230 3551; ;
http://www.leerhiannon.org.au


--
cfsmtb

I reckon the bigger job is to get a Bicycle Plan for Sydney back on the
RTAs todo list. Costa stopped the funding last year and all the RTA does
now is fund local council bike works at about $6 million dollars worth this
year ( $1 per head of population). see the RTA website for a list of the
dinky projects, mostly off road shared paths.

So turn up and protest about that as well as the William St lanes. The
Herald article (print copy, in the map) only said the lanes would be
scrapped east of Palmer, so maybe the lanes up to and along Park St will
stay. The RTA built a whole new overbridge at White Bay when they had to
take out the bike path off the Anzac Bridge last year, so maybe they will
have the decency to provide some sort of alternative for the bike lanes east
of Palmer St. Footpath seems wide enough.

fb

"cfsmtb" wrote in message
...

Refer to existing thread here, Sydney cycleway scrapped:
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t344494.html

********************
From MassBUG June News + SMH diagram of the William St 'about turn'
http://www.massbug.org.au/cgi-bin/tw...w/MASSBUG/News
CBD BIKES ACTION - HANDS OFF BICYCLE LANES!

The Cross City Tunnel was supposed to ease traffic congestion in the
CBD. Now it threatens bicycle lanes across the CBD and East Sydney.
It's a disgrace! Join the Greens and the bicycle community to protest
the current attack on bicycle lanes in the CBD. 1:00pm Thursday 15th
June 2006 Martin Place (between Elizabeth & Philip Sts) SYDNEY CBD In
an attempt to salvage the failed Cross City Tunnel project the
Government has foreshadowed the closure of bicycle lanes on William
Street. This places under threat other bicycle links that were planned
across the city, including a bicycle lane on Kent Street that linked
William St with Pyrmont Bridge.

By seeking to vary the conditions of consent for the Cross City Tunnel
which will result in lost bicycle lanes, the RTA is breaching the
Government's own policy to build bicycle infrastructure into all
motorway projects. The RTA's continued overriding of planning decisions
also places uncertainty on other routes leading to and from the city,
such as the bicycle lanes planned for Epping Road as part of the Lane
Cove Tunnel project.

Join the protest to say HANDS OFF BICYCLE LANES!

Bring your bikes. Bring your friends. Contact: Greens MP Lee Rhiannon's
office - 9230 3551; ;
http://www.leerhiannon.org.au


--
cfsmtb

Everyone in this newsgroup should be writing to the newspaper and
suggest that people should stop complaining about the cost of petrol.
When is the NSW government going introduce a congestion tax like
in London?

cfsmtb wrote:
The Doctor Wrote:
Everyone in this newsgroup should be writing to the newspaper and
suggest that people should stop complaining about the cost of petrol.
When is the NSW government going introduce a congestion tax like in
London?
That is an interesting point, but the problem lies elsewhere. Since the
post-war period, numerous cities have been planned around vehicles being
the dominant form of transport. That in turn, has led to a short-sighted
dependence upon petrol, and invaribly, to a lack of transport/logistic
options and more sustainably focused planning infrastructure. Now we're
facing a crunch time where any adjustment to our transport modes is
going to reasonably painful and unreasonably complex. I've mentioned
this before, and I'll repeat it again, the rise in petrol prices is not
a reason to celebrate. It hurts people who had no choice, other than the
car, presented to them. Anyway, thousands of words have been written
about what I've attempted to describe in the last few sentences ..

I have to agree with cfsmtb, this isn't a problem with the population
at large right at the moment. This is a problem with their parents in
the 50s who viewed affluence and status as equating to cars. This is a
problem with the Liberal Party and the ALP in the 40s and 50s who
viewed the world as a bounty for Western societies to pluck. This is a
problem with architects, engineers and urban planners of the past who
viewed cities as infinitely expandable. This is a problem with the
employers and governments of the past who viewed industrial, clerical
and job-site placement as a matter for economic benefit, not community
building.

Yes there are problems with the public at large: their road culture
stinks. Yes there is a problem with the car-culture. Yes there is a
problem with petrol dependence. And those of us who have voluntarily
reduced our dependence have some desire to gloat: to explain our
choices to the public. But to rub their noses in a dependency, an
addiction, that their parents, grandparents, and all their role models
in society have supported them in taking up isn't going to create
social or political change.

The mass of people in our society are petrol addicted. Our supply
chains are petrol addicted. Our tradespeople, our services are petrol
addicted. Our primary and mineral production are petrol addicted. It
*is* a systemic problem. And for bicyclists with a concern about road
culture and economic culture outside of safe road cycling, they do need
to have a concern about how long-haul road has replaced train, how
employment is cited far distant from residence, how entertainment is
centralised rather than dispersed.

For goodness sakes: gloat in private about petrol prices and argue in
public about systemic transport change.

yours for a different social arrangement,
Sam R.

wrote in message
oups.com...
cfsmtb wrote:
The Doctor Wrote:
Everyone in this newsgroup should be writing to the newspaper and
suggest that people should stop complaining about the cost of petrol.
When is the NSW government going introduce a congestion tax like in
London?
That is an interesting point, but the problem lies elsewhere. Since the
post-war period, numerous cities have been planned around vehicles being
the dominant form of transport. That in turn, has led to a short-sighted
dependence upon petrol, and invaribly, to a lack of transport/logistic
options and more sustainably focused planning infrastructure. Now we're
facing a crunch time where any adjustment to our transport modes is
going to reasonably painful and unreasonably complex. I've mentioned
this before, and I'll repeat it again, the rise in petrol prices is not
a reason to celebrate. It hurts people who had no choice, other than the
car, presented to them. Anyway, thousands of words have been written
about what I've attempted to describe in the last few sentences ..

I have to agree with cfsmtb, this isn't a problem with the population
at large right at the moment. This is a problem with their parents in
the 50s who viewed affluence and status as equating to cars. This is a
problem with the Liberal Party and the ALP in the 40s and 50s who
viewed the world as a bounty for Western societies to pluck. This is a
problem with architects, engineers and urban planners of the past who
viewed cities as infinitely expandable. This is a problem with the
employers and governments of the past who viewed industrial, clerical
and job-site placement as a matter for economic benefit, not community
building.

Yes there are problems with the public at large: their road culture
stinks. Yes there is a problem with the car-culture. Yes there is a
problem with petrol dependence. And those of us who have voluntarily
reduced our dependence have some desire to gloat: to explain our
choices to the public. But to rub their noses in a dependency, an
addiction, that their parents, grandparents, and all their role models
in society have supported them in taking up isn't going to create
social or political change.

The mass of people in our society are petrol addicted. Our supply
chains are petrol addicted. Our tradespeople, our services are petrol
addicted. Our primary and mineral production are petrol addicted. It
*is* a systemic problem. And for bicyclists with a concern about road
culture and economic culture outside of safe road cycling, they do need
to have a concern about how long-haul road has replaced train, how
employment is cited far distant from residence, how entertainment is
centralised rather than dispersed.

For goodness sakes: gloat in private about petrol prices and argue in
public about systemic transport change.

yours for a different social arrangement,
Sam R.


Ummmm...I'd bring out the horses but they haven't finished eating yet!!

DJ

samuel.russell wrote

For goodness sakes: gloat in private about petrol prices and argue in
public about systemic transport change.

A couple of things are IMHO going to converge in Sydney in the near future
which will make for interesting town planning.

The car from China costing $6000 new and $2500 second hand is going to be
with us soon in large numbers (don't worry about the quality, its wheels
right?) and they will boost car numbers much more than sticker shock at the
petrol pump will reduce their numbers.

The freeway work (esp the Lane Cove tunnel and the connecting of the ring
roads) will greatly assist in getting the greatest numbers of cars possible
to the greatest possble congestion points, without the ability for traffic
to easily divert to older existing roads.

The rail passenger system will (during peak hours) have reached or exceeded
its acceptable capacity meaning rail will not be much of an effective
alternative to move passenger numbers.

Trams (light rail) will not be a viable alternative in Syd until you resumed
dedicated corridors for them and that would require more courage and
resources than most State goverments will ever have.

The result - think Bangkok in a bad peak hour and doubling commute times.

I can see that happening - but regrettably I cannot see the push bike being
of significant assitance in resolving the problem.

I suspect they just might re-look at population density levels in some inner
ring subusrbs very much harder than they have done in the past.

And watch scooters get really really fashionable. best, Andrew

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 12 Jun 2006 09:19:28 +1000
Andrew Price wrote:
And watch scooters get really really fashionable. best, Andrew

They are already. 4 times the number there were this time 2 years
ago.

I don't know where these scooters are being ridden though. I
definitely see more of them in the city and North Sydney, but are they
inner city (say within a 20km radius from the GPO) dwellers forgoing
public transport, or are they outer area people forgoing cars?

I'm inner ring myself, so I wouldn't know if there are more of them on
the M4 or M5.

TO relieve the congestion there needs to be a lot more powered two
wheelers in the outer suburbs. Replace 1/3 of the single-person cars
with a two wheeler, and it might make a hell of a difference.

It's not going to be possible to replace car journeys with bicycle
journeys for much of Sydney's outer suburb population, although it
might be possible to replace some of the trips to train stations. I
learned the other day that some people in my company arrive at their
train station at 6am so they can be sure to get parking! I dunno how
far from it they live, but if it were cycling distance and there were
decent cycling facilities such as bike lockers....

Sydney's a hilly, spread out, sort of place. Isn't at all clear to me
that its possible to have more journeys made by bicycle anywhere but
the inner ring, and even there it's only some corridors that will be
tempting to most people.

Zebee

Andrew Price Wrote:
samuel.russell wrote

For goodness sakes: gloat in private about petrol prices and argue
in
public about systemic transport change.

A couple of things are IMHO going to converge in Sydney in the near
future
which will make for interesting town planning.

The car from China costing $6000 new and $2500 second hand is going to
be
with us soon in large numbers (don't worry about the quality, its
wheels
right?) and they will boost car numbers much more than sticker shock at
the
petrol pump will reduce their numbers.

snip



Is that an actual car or a projection? I have difficulty believing that
anyone can really make a new car which will retail at $6k anymore.
Australian ADRs mean that you can only cut corners so far.


--
Resound

Resound Wrote:
Is that an actual car or a projection? I have difficulty believing that
anyone can really make a new car which will retail at $6k anymore.
Australian ADRs mean that you can only cut corners so far.

The market will always find it's lowest denominator, ie: K*a. Types in
the word bicycle to the last sentence to make the comment vaguely on
topic.


--
cfsmtb