City of Fremantle Bicycle Awareness Zones

[Aushiker]

Via your friendly Bicycle User Group in Fremantle, Bike Freo is news that the City of Fremantle is seeking feedback on the on the trial of the new Bicycle Awareness Zones (BAZ) markings along Market Street and South Terrace in Fremantle.

You can share your views both with Bike Freo via their Facebook page who value local riders feedback on how to best respond to the City's initiative and directly to the City of Fremantle via the survey instrument which you can find here. It is a short and sweet survey allowing you to give written feedback, so share here, at Bike Freo and in the survey

Regards
Andrew

[flashpixx]

My comment on the fb page was it is confusing for drivers. Is it a bike lane? Looks like one... Don't think it went down too well.

So... I showed just the pic, no text, to some work colleagues. They all said, without exception... that car is in the bike lane.... mmmm

[citywomble]

Great to see them being used, at a decent size at long last. Fully agree with Andrews comments on the Bike Freo Facebook page that they must not be placed in door zones.

I also wonder why they have to be called Bicycle Awareness ZONE markings (BAZ). They do not necessarily apply to a zone more along a route or road. I would prefer the use of the term 'SHARROW' meaning 'SHAred route ARROW' as they are then named features. The true Sharrows include both the bike symbol ( as in Freo) together with two directional arrows or chevrons ahead of (above) the bike symbol. Sharrows are then also the recognised symbol for use on Bicycle Boulevards which appear to be evolving in Freo.

[citywomble]

Flashpix,

The fact that car drivers would think that the car is in a bike lane is a sad indictment on the sad substitute for bike lanes we are given in WA.

The current (non) bike lanes that motorists see are just a bike symbol in a narrow lane. To be a Bike Lane they need both the BIKE symbol and the word LANE. Without that they are just road edges with small BAZ markings. If we had genuine bike lanes then there would not be that confusion.

Having said that I am sure that if these are used enough even the most stupid motorist will realise they mean 'expect bikes here' rather than that roads for cars are disappearing and being replaced with bike lanes.

[Aushiker]

Having said that I am sure that if these are used enough even the most stupid motorist will realise they mean 'expect bikes here' rather than that roads for cars are disappearing and being replaced with bike lanes.

+ 1 It is a sad indictment but that we even need these ... saw evidence of this tonight coming into Fremantle ... motorised vehicle operator just couldn't grasp the concept that a bicycle is a vehicle and can be on the road ... seriously though for a moment there the person riding a bicycle was going to be taken out.

Andrew

[yugyug]

Well if a driver sees this sign and thinks they are driving in a bike lane, I can't think how they could be any MORE aware that there could be bikes around. Job done.

[Timeonabike]

I'm in two minds about this and other bicycle infrastructure being put in Freo recently.
On one hand it's great that the Mayor and the council appears to be pro bicycle, but severe encouragement needs to be applied to the council if they really think paint will make things any safer for cyclists.
Take as another example the recent new bike lanes they've put in right in the door zones along the street parking areas - Phillimore st is one that springs to mind right now, and there's more of them.
4/10. Must try harder.

[HiChris]

I'd be happy to see these out my way, any awareness is better than none. It may not be the most desired solution long term but to does at least raise awareness and legitimise us on the road in the drivers mind.

[wellington_street]

...roads for cars are disappearing and being replaced with bike lanes.

There is a street off Winthrop Ave in Nedlands where this has happened...

Edit: Here - seems to arrow has been added since I last went past. Still makes no sense whatsoever and any driver of a vehicle proceeding beyond this sign can be prosecuted for driving in a bike lane.

[Scott_C]

There is a street off Winthrop Ave in Nedlands where this has happened...

Edit: Here - seems to arrow has been added since I last went past. Still makes no sense whatsoever and any driver of a vehicle proceeding beyond this sign can be prosecuted for driving in a bike lane.

It looks like the sign is intended to signify the start of a shared path on the pathway on the right hand side of the road (where the green paint is) and they have used the wrong sign and put it in the wrong location.

City of Vic Park have mucked up the signage for the shared path under Canning Hwy/Great Eastern Hwy at the Causeway in a similar way by using Bike Only signs instead of shared path signs where it crosses the Canning Highway on-ramp.

[wellington_street]

Hopeless!