canberra.bike
Coppins Crossing Road is an example of a popular Canberra road without bike lanes. As today is unofficial bike lane day, it is worth a closer look.
The Coppins Crossing is a river level crossing on the Molonglo River. The last section of the Coppins Crossing Road is sandwiched between the north and south sections of the John Gorton Drive duplication but the section around the river crossing remains and has long been a problem. It will be replaced with a bridge in 2024.
Riding on a busy road is not for most people but some would not be without it. On-road cycle lanes are relatively cheap to build as they are a continuation of the road surface. The intent has been to add cycle lanes when the road is resurfaced. On-road cycle lanes are not separated from the road and motor vehicles often find their way onto them. This is not legal but few think twice about it.
It is not just about safety but respect for other road users.
A roundabout in Higgins. The dual-lane carriageway gets a lot of traffic, so the cyclist rides off the road before the roundabout and back on afterwards. Ramps and a bike path are provided for this purpose.
It only works though if cars do not park on the bike lane. Plenty of room here to park somewhere else. Unfortunately, this problem is not uncommon.
Cycling in Canberra means zigzagging around hazards. We take our ability to navigate traffic hazards for granted but it is a hard one. Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities are often greatly disadvantaged. As cyclists, we know that good infrastructure makes all the difference. It can be scary to see how bent up and buckled it can be.
A month after the Chief Minister and Minister Steel recommitted their support for active travel, this is where we stand with Fast-track. At the current rate, it will take 166 years to double the length of off-road paths suitable for cycling. The investment in Fast-track is welcome but is too little, too late.
After decades of neglect, there is good reason to make up for lost ground. Many of the older paths in the older suburbs need maintenance and many new paths need to be built for cycling. Much of the Fast-track investment is directed at projects that have no benefit to cycling. Only a very small part of the $35million will be spent on cycle paths. Cyclists are left out in the rain!
Canberra.bike recently expressed concern to the ACT Greens that with less than 90 days to the election they have had little to say about cycling. We know that vague promises get cycling nowhere. Caroline Le Couteur responded with the following text.
This news is not new. Caroline Le Couteur is one of two ACT Greens MLAs in the ACT Legislative Assembly. Those that casually follow politics in the ACT will have noticed that politicians come and go, and Caroline Le Couteur is the latest to retire.
The ACT standards have a minimum path width of 2.5m. The reality is that many of the community paths are much narrower than this. Only 19% of the paths in the ACT are 2.5m or wider (strategic paths). The most common path width is 1.2m and makes up 54% of the 3106km in the ACT. Many suburban streets, however, have no paths at all on the verge and pedestrians walk on the road, which is also often safer for the elderly due to lack of path maintenance.
Businesses are accustomed to calculating the lifetime cost of ownership of a motor vehicle. This is something we rarely do in our private lives. An inexpensive new car with an on-road purchase price below $20,000 will cost easily $4000 per annum when all costs are considered. For that price, a family could have a number of very nice bikes. Bikes have a lifetime cost as well and here is one example.
Scooters are gaining in popularity now that they have been legalised in the ACT. They are part of active travel as mobility devices and a great way to cover that last mile to the bus stop. However, they are unlikely to ever replace or slow the growth of bike usage. The motivation for buying a scooter or a bike is quite different..
