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Cycle Queensland
Bicycle Queensland
What's new
Updating bikeway closures
- Bicentennial Bikeway/Hale Street bridge. From 12 May 1008 to 9 June 2008, at night-time the Bicentennial Bikeway through the Hale Street area will be narrowed to one lane, with traffic controllers in place. Hours of operation 10pm to 6 am. The bikeway will be full width outside these night-time hours. Full details.
- Kangaroo Point. The shared path along Shafston Avenue from O’Connell St to Castlebar St will be closed from Monday 14 April for two months while a bus bay is constructed near the corner of O’Connell St. A signed detour will be in place, via O’Connell, Lambert and Castlebar streets. BAZ symbols have been marked along the streets to warn motorists of the presence of cyclists.
- Dutton Park. The bike path connecting Gladstone Road with the Eleanor Schonell Bridge is detoured until "the end of May". See this PDF for details.
- Tank Street Bridge works at Kurilpa Point. The South Bank bikeway has been diverted around the work site for the Tank Street bridge until 31 July 2009.
- Bicentennial Bikeway for Tank Street bridge works. On Monday 12 May, the bikeway will be closed between 9.30 and 3.30pm. The bikeway between the Makerston Street off ramp and the on ramp near Turbot Street will have closures of up to 45 minutes during non-peak hours, 5 March to 21 May 2008. This is for lifting construction material across the bikeway by crane. An alternative route up to North Quay will be signed and traffic controllers in place to direct users.
Cycle Queensland 2008 Info Nights
Come along and find out more about this great event. Hear from the event organisers as well as previous Cycle Queensland participants. BYO questions!
Southside: Tuesday 20 May, 6.30pm to 8pm at Ahimsa House, 26 Horan St, West End. RSVP by 19 May.
Northside: Tuesday 27 May, 6.30pm to 8pm at the Community Room, Kedron-Wavell Services Club, Hamilton Road, Chermside. RSVP by 23 May.
RSVP by phoning 3844 1144 or email to bqinfo@bq.org.au.
Survey shows 35% of cyclists without proper lights
A roadside survey conducted in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney has revealed that thousands of bike riders are riding at night without proper lights.
The study which logged 1,220 riders on roads after sunset in the four centres showed that 65% of riders had both lights, 17% had only one light and 19% had no lights.
The study revealed some differences between the centres.
- Brisbane had the most riders with lights. 76% had both lights. 11% had only one light and 13% had no lights.
- In Sydney 69% of riders had lights. Only 11% had no lights - the lowest number nationally.
- In Canberra 68% of riders observed had both lights and 80% had at least one light.
- Melbourne riders were least compliant. Only 59% had both lights and 22% had none.
"These results are very disappointing, giving us an indication of what is happening all around the country. The steady growth in bike riding across Australia is a positive thing, but now there are thousands of people who are putting themselves at risk by riding without lights at night," Harry Barber, spokesperson for the National Light Up! campaign run by member based bike riding organisations across Australia, said.
"Bike lights prevent collisions. Everyone who rides on the roads at night must fit them to warn other road users and protect themselves," Mr Barber said.
"We are asking for police bike patrols across Australia to help us encourage everyone who rides at night to have working lights," he said.
"Bike lights today are relatively cheap and so much better than they used to be. There really is no excuse not to have them if you are riding at night," Mr Barber said.
A test of widely available bicycle lights conducted with Choice magazine and representatives from the police, the RACV, road authority and bicycle retailers and riders showed that you can get a great set of lights for $60. BQ members can pick up an adequate set of commuting lights for $36 in the BQ Shop.
The full text of the National Light Up! Media Release, with survey data, is here.
Coot-tha Challenge results available now
On the BDO Kendall's Brisbane Coot-tha Challenge page of the Bike Week site.
Easy Campese ballot drawn
See Cycle Queensland's News page for details.
Candidates statements for AGM
Bicycle Queensland's annual general meeting was held on Tuesday 18 March 2008, starting at 7pm at Souths Leagues Club, West End. Statements from the candidates for committee positions are now on the AGM page.
Riding Mt Coot-tha and safety
Mt Coot-tha has long been a popular hill-training ride venue for Brisbane cyclists, and with the state government's construction starting of a new cycle link over Centenary Highway (to avoid the dangerous Mt Coot-tha roundabouts) more people may be venturing up the hill.
BQ supports unrestricted access to Mt Coot-tha, as it is a fantastic scenic asset to Brisbane and cyclists like to train there.
But BQ does advise against descending the hill down the 'back way' - that's clockwise from the ABC and Channel 10 towers down to Simpsons Road.
Why? Here are some reasons:
- It is steep, and hard to stay within the speed limit of 50kph.
- It has blind corners.
- The risk of the unexpected - from rocks to scrub-turkeys on the road - is real.
- With cyclists travelling up the hill at about 10 kph and the narrowness of the road, it is likely that cars overtaking cyclists will be very close to the centre line, so a momentary mistake by a cyclist that puts them on or over the centreline can have dire consequences.
- The risk of brake failure or hand fatigue for less experienced cyclists is a possibility.
- There are walkers on the road - bushwalkers and joggers often can be on the road or either side of the road (whether they should be or not!) It happens.
- There is motor traffic! The road is the access for hundreds of employees of the TV stations, the Summit Restaurant and a host of general park users. Most drive courteously, but mistakes or impatience can happen.
Thus BQ strongly recommends all cyclists:
a. Only climb (don't descend) in an anti-clockwise direction on the 'back' of the Coot-tha (the steep section from Simpsons Rd to Channel 10
and
b. If doing repetitions (multiple "up and backs") or if just doing the Coot-tha for fun, then use the 'front' side - take the first left when coming up from the Botanic Gardens and continue up to the Summit Restaurant or further along the ridge to the official high point just before Channel 10 - but not down from there.