Nuts at the wheel » General

Tour Down Under 2012

Hawk — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:26:03 +0000

Just returning from Adelaide after acting as driver for http://southernstarstri.com/ during their 1st ever club tour to the http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/home.htm

Brisbane Citycycle launched today

Hawk — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:01:35 +0000

Citycycle launch in King George Square

Finally, the revolution has started! Good on the council I say. Will be interesting to see how it all works out. I’m fairly certain that in the medium to long term it will all lead to better facilities for all cyclists. I will watch the learning curve with great interest.

FREE Bicycle Helmets!

Hawk — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:22:02 +0000

In the city news for week of Sept 21st there will be coupons to cut out to redeem for free helmets for citycyle subscribers. The advice I have is that the coupons can be redeemed at city council libraries.

This is great news as I became a subscriber this week! During the registration process I was asked if I wanted to purchase a helmet for the discounted price of $25. I said no, but later thought it would be good to keep a helmet in the city so on the days I do want to use a hire bike and have not brought my helmet into the office I can still ride legally.

I then called JCDecaux call centre AKA citycycle to buy a discounted helmet and was told that as I was already a subscriber the discounted offer did not apply! JCDecaux also said there was no refund available! What happened to the cooling off period I thought we had here in Queensland? JCDecaux are pretty hard nosed and seem to be making up the rules as they go along!

I contacted the BCC and spoke to a very helpful lady there who informed me of the free helmet offer later this month. So JCDecaux you won’t be getting a penny more from me!

Brisbane Shared Paths

Hawk — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:49:35 +0000

(Copy of e-mail to the Brisbane Lord Mayor) Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail. I have written to you before regarding improving cycling facilties in Forest Lake and was very pleased when we eventually received more road markings which I believe has contributed, as we had hoped, to increasing motorists awareness of cyclists on our local roads. I wish to draw your attention in this instance to my concerns regarding the use of shared paths in Brisbane.

As a pedestrian, cyclist and car driver (not necessarily in that order) I’m becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of each of the aforementioned groups on each other when utilising roads and shared paths in the Brisbane area. I work in mining and have done for 23 years now, both in Australia and overseas. When my colleagues and I analyse risks during our everyday activities on mine sites, in smelters and on the street after work, we ask ourselves the following 3 questions:

What am I about to do?
What can go wrong?
What can I do to prevent it from happening?

During a recent walk on a shared path in Brisbane I applied the above rules to what I was about to do, and I’m afraid to say, that the signed advice on the shared pathway did not pass this basic test.

“Keeping to the Left” places pedestrians with their backs to cyclists, in-line skaters and people on or operating, other motorised equipment which is an inherently unsafe position for any walker to be placed in.

Many people operating these conveyances either don’t have (which is illegal) or refuse to use, warning bells for fear of frightening walkers into their path, meaning there is often little or no warning, as they overtake you.

In effect using a shared path as a pedestrian, is like walking on a road without a footpath. There are many references [*^] to this situation where the accepted (safe) practice has been documented as ”It is preferable in most situations to walk on the side of the road facing the oncoming traffic”.

I don’t know the numbers of pedestrians or other shared path users injured or killed each year as a result of coming into contact with each other, but over the years I have observed many occurrences and near hits.

Pedestrians having a good view of other path users as they approach and pass them from the front, is clearly more preferable for everybody than for pedestrians to be wandering along in complete oblivion listening to music or sending a text message etc, without a care in the world, and then being totally scared out of their wits by something they never knew was coming?

The already difficult situation on the shared paths in Brisbane is only going to become worse when there are another 3000 bikes introduced into the mix by the BCC bike hire scheme (Which I support wholeheartedly by the way).

Quite possibly the path environment and whole experience of using the shared pathways could be improved and the situation calmed somewhat by BCC and Qld Transport rationalising the requirement for people to walk on the left, where without a doubt they are more “at risk”

I for one will not be willingly walking on the left side of shared paths in future.

* http://www.kidsandtraffic.mq.edu.au/faqs/faqs.htm#ped4

^ http://www.transport.tas.gov.au/licence_information/tasmanian_road_rules/road_safety_rules/pedestrians

German police clamp down on cyclists who break the law

Hawk — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:54:49 +0000

I watched this segment on DW-TV this morning. 100 Euro fine plus administration fee if cyclists for each red light they are caught running by police bike units in Germany.
If you argue or the police think you did this on purpose the fine is increased to 200 Euros plus and administration fee. In both cases points are also lost from your drivers licence. The police run video cameras which are mounted on their handlebars. Any claims that “you must have been mistaken officer” can and are, quickly dealt with.

If Qld police were more active in policing the laws for bikes I’m guessing there would be less animosity towards cyclists from motorists who are sick and tired of seeing the bonehead cyclists in Brisbane running red lights constantly.

I recall my last conversation with one of our bike squad policemen in Brisbane when I observed the officer and his colleague taking turns at rolling out of a lane way on Queen St next to the GPO to “scare away” the taxis who were queuing onto the bus stop, impeding the buses from taking several hundred people home . When I asked why they didn’t book the taxi drivers he replied “its only a $40 fine, so its not worth it”

So where is the deterrent? I can’t imagine the German Polizei going along with that one! The bike squad officers in Germany spend up to about two hours at the end of their shift completing their paperwork.

http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_printcontent/0,,5441687,00.html

March 23rd 2010

Hawk — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:44:56 +0000

Stuck in Hong Kong waiting for visa to go to Kazakhstan.

2009 Midnight Century 160 km

Hawk — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:56:56 +0000

This great ride is on again on November the 28th. leaving from Ipswich at midnight.

For more information on this event contact the organiser: Dino Morgante Tel: 0412 617 221

Email: morgantefamily@optusnet.com.au

612 ABC Brisbane

Hawk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:51:44 +0000

612 ABC Brisbane have asked, “Do you think cyclists in Brisbane don’t understand the rules of the road? Get in touch.” Interesting range of responses.

2010 Border Run Charity Ride. Mt Isa – Northern Territory via Camooweal

Hawk — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:50:06 +0000

On Friday the 13th of August I’m off to Mt Isa again to take part in this great event for charity.

Saturday 14th of August is the third annual Border Run Charity Ride from Mt Isa to the Northern Territory. Post ride BBQ and function will take place at the Camooweal Drovers Camp, with many riders spending a night camping out under the stars.

For route details click this link…..

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Mt-Isa-to-Northern-Territory

Border run now have a facebook page with entry forms and other information

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000073215323#!/pages/Border-Run/311653345885

August 9th 2009

Hawk — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:21:10 +0000

Time for another update. The trip to the tour de France went really well. Rode 650 Km in the 5 days that we had to ride. Lost count of the amount of Cols, Mountains and other large lumps we rode up. Some photos are up now in the gallery. The bike went well apart from hitting a large pot hole on a descent and flatting the front tyre. Noticed the following day that the back wheel had also suffered from the impact as well and will need to be replaced sometime soon.

Most memorable rides were Mt Semnoz near Annecy and Cormet de Roselund. Col de Sasies was pretty tough as well, not helped by the fact that we decided to go up it on the ride back to Faverges after doing Roselund in the morning! The sign at the foot of the climb said 15 Km, thats nothing right? Wrong!

Cycling group ride out of Forest Lake was well attended yesterday with a total of 7 riders braving the cold and turning up to ride. A great coffee was enjoyed after the ride at http://meat2eat.com.au/ Who have agreed to give us discount coffees from now on after our weekend rides if we have 5 or more riders turn up. Cafe food is fantastic too, the Wagyu burger is to die for!

Went out for a ride this morning with http://www.southernstarstri.com Left Forest Lake at 04.30 and rode to Eight Mile Plains and then crashed in the carpark after hitting an (unseen) speed bump the wrong way! Totalled my front wheel and forks, numerous cuts, bruises and an extremely painful shoulder.

Need to get healed up and fix the bike as I’m riding from Mt Isa to the Northern Territory next Saturday in the second ever Border Run Charity ride. More on this later……