Causeway Cycling Black Spot

[Aushiker]

From the West Australian ...

After two years in operation, a smartphone app designed to highlight flaws in Perth's cycling network has identified the city's most dangerous and neglected bike black spots.

Many of them are designated bike paths that end abruptly, sometimes without warning, or direct cyclists on to the road.

Others are paths that are cracked or covered with vegetation or sand.

The causeway bridge was at the top of the "most dangerous" list because its bike path is so narrow and is shared with pedestrians.

Given this is data coming from the Green's Black Spot app it will be interesting to see the Government's reaction if any. After all Mr Reece Waldock, Director General of the Department of Transport said they will not use the data from the app in a letter to me on December 8, 2012

I think the big question is, is Mr Waldock going to continue to adopt a head in the sand attitude or is he going to wake up to the fact the people who pay his significant wages can actually provide input into the state of the network and hence ensure that he and his staff are informed about it ... crowd "funding" so to speak. I also find it amusing reading his letter again as I had forgotten how ignorant he or his staff where about Neatstreets and the like...

Andrew

[88mph]

This from our new transport minister:

"Transport Minister Dean Nalder said the Government was investing $47 million in cycling infrastructure over four years, including initiatives such as the Connecting Schools and Connecting Stations programs that provide a safe and sustainable cycling network linking schools and train stations."

No indication on when the $47 million spend would start though.

$47 from the state, $2.5 from Vincent, $2 from Freo..............we should have some pretty good infrastructure in the next few years

[rodneythellama]

I find entering hazard reports on the Main Roads website such a pain it's little wonder that no-one else seems to do it. A while back they redesigned their website and buried the link to the reporting form so I had to make a report to get it put back.

[nachoman]

Noticed the Causeway now has signs warning "Cyclists beware of uneven surfaces" or something similar. Perhaps this is the solution to it being labelled a black spot?

[dmwill]

When I see signs like that I cannot help but think, just fix it properly.

That stretch is just concrete slabs isn't it?

[ColinOldnCranky]

When I see signs like that I cannot help but think, just fix it properly.

That stretch is just concrete slabs isn't it?

Concrete slabs poorly laid. With tyre-trapping joins due to movement and little width in which you can avoid them when passing someone. Further, the room is further cut out by the intrusion of pillars onto the path from the west. It requires quite a bit of care and skill to negotiate when there are other users on it.

A simple improvment would be to move the railing as far to the east as possible, setting them into the curbing. 200mm it would buy does not seem much. But with a space that only allows, say, 200mm on alumpy surface between opposing cyclists and the wall and railings on either side, it is significant.

[Scott_C]

That stretch is just concrete slabs isn't it?

It is concrete slabs over a void full of cables. It is difficult to fix properly because the slabs are sitting on a frame instead of on sand so they are hard to level. The slabs also need to be loose enough for technicians to access the cables and then replace the slabs. Even if it was fixed it would be broken again the next time someone needed to access the cables.

In my opinion the best fix would be making the new pedestrian bridge for the footy stadium the primary cycling route and leaving the causeway for pedestrians.

Unfortunately the current planning for the stadium bridge is to build it to shared path standards but not provide the signage to allow cyclists to legally use it.

[rolandp]

Or, complete Heirisson Island project which includes a dual use bridge.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Or, complete Heirisson Island project which includes a dual use bridge.

Yeah - the worlds slowest construction project. By the time the works have been completed the reinforcing steel will have rusted and htey'll have to replace it.

[casual_cyclist]

Or, complete Heirisson Island project which includes a dual use bridge.

The City has been pursuing the prospect of new pedestrian/cycle bridges...

This is bureaucratic speak for "it's not going to happen for a while if ever"

[casual_cyclist]

Given this is data coming from the Green's Black Spot app it will be interesting to see the Government's reaction if any.

Maybe we should encourage cyclists to report the Causeway through the Main Roads link? I agree the Causeway is a shocker! I had a look on the black spot web site but I could only see three reports related to Causeway. I find that a bit hard to believe considering how bad it is.

[Aushiker]

Given this is data coming from the Green's Black Spot app it will be interesting to see the Government's reaction if any.

Maybe we should encourage cyclists to report the Causeway through the Main Roads link? I agree the Causeway is a shocker! I had a look on the black spot web site but I could only see three reports related to Causeway. I find that a bit hard to believe considering how bad it is.

And raise it with WestCycle who are meant to be advocating for cyclists ....

Andrew

[casual_cyclist]

Given this is data coming from the Green's Black Spot app it will be interesting to see the Government's reaction if any.

Maybe we should encourage cyclists to report the Causeway through the Main Roads link? I agree the Causeway is a shocker! I had a look on the black spot web site but I could only see three reports related to Causeway. I find that a bit hard to believe considering how bad it is.

And raise it with WestCycle who are mean to be advocating for cyclists ....

Andrew

Thanks Andrew. I've actually never heard of them, so it's good to have the link.

[citywomble]

Hmmm, Westcycle.

A new 'Peak Body' for cycling, funded by the Department for Sport and Recreation

to work at a strategic level to facilitate the development of all forms of cycling and to bring together the WA cycling community as a unified voice.

At least two big issues here:
Firstly, established and funded through sport and recreation. This defies the fundamental tenet of 'Copenhagenize' and development of functional cycling for transport, where cycling has to become a mainstream transport activity and not a sub culture.
Secondly, most cyclists (particularly the new cyclists that will cycle for transport) are or will not be part of a community and as for a unified voice they do not even speak the same language.

It's organisations like the BTA that, in conjunction with the enlightened sections of DoT, will actually be able to deliver.

[Aushiker]

Hmmm, Westcycle.

A new 'Peak Body' for cycling, funded by the Department for Sport and Recreation

to work at a strategic level to facilitate the development of all forms of cycling and to bring together the WA cycling community as a unified voice.

At least two big issues here:
Firstly, established and funded through sport and recreation. This defies the fundamental tenet of 'Copenhagenize' and development of functional cycling for transport, where cycling has to become a mainstream transport activity and not a sub culture.

I get the feeling we are talking the same language here

Andrew

[ColinOldnCranky]

Hmmm, Westcycle.

A new 'Peak Body' for cycling, funded by the Department for Sport and Recreation

to work at a strategic level to facilitate the development of all forms of cycling and to bring together the WA cycling community as a unified voice.

At least two big issues here:
Firstly, established and funded through sport and recreation. This defies the fundamental tenet of 'Copenhagenize' and development of functional cycling for transport, where cycling has to become a mainstream transport activity and not a sub culture.
Secondly, most cyclists (particularly the new cyclists that will cycle for transport) are or will not be part of a community and as for a unified voice they do not even speak the same language.

It's organisations like the BTA that, in conjunction with the enlightened sections of DoT, will actually be able to deliver.

Agreed. They made a big grab for the territory amid concerns raised by individuals and various representative bodies that we needed things more than a government department putting in it's two bobs worth without any decent funding.

Hardly heard from them since. Seems rather pointless. I think we would have seen more benefit if they just directed some funds toward cash-limited BTA and BWA.

[Scott_C]

Just a heads up that in preparation for the Australia Day fireworks temporary fencing has been erected on the causeway bridge span closest to the city, making the already narrow path even narrower and adding an additional hazard of fence footings potentially being knocked into the path.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Just a heads up that in preparation for the Australia Day fireworks temporary fencing has been erected on the causeway bridge span closest to the city, making the already narrow path even narrower and adding an additional hazard of fence footings potentially being knocked into the path.

Thanks for the warning.

Even without fencing, anyone riding their bike across the Causeway on Oz day needs to accept that, like cars disrupted occasionally by bike events, cyclist may also be disadvantaged from time to time. They should be walking the bike or, as we exhort grumpy motorists to do, find alternate routes on the day.

(Yeah, I know - it's hard to walk a bike with cleats.)