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Mass protest against work dismantling cycle lane in Sydney to make room for cars

Roads minister is also pushing for bike licensing

Cyclists in Sydney have staged a mass protest against  work to dismantle a cycle lane in Sydney under what campaigners say are draconian measures by roads minister Duncan Gay to penalise cyclists.

Dozens of riders - including families and commuters - filled each lane of College Street, where workers were recently pictured destroying a cyce lane , two abreast, riding slowly to temporarily claim back College Street.

Other measures they objected to were new rules that cyclists must carry photo ID and higher fines for transgressions – from $71 to $319 for not wearing a helmet, $71 to $425 for jumping a red light, and from $71 to $319 for holding up a moving vehicle.

Sydney Push spokesman Rob Berry told the Sydney Morning Herald: "Our goal is for the NSW government to reconsider these policies so that the rate of cycling can continue to grow," he said.

"Every country in the world encourages cycling. It is supported across the political spectrum. But here we have a government that considers cycling as an intrusion and brings in laws that won't protect the safety of cyclists but discourages them."

The New South Wales minister who describes himself as “the biggest bike lane sceptic in the government” ordered a $5m AUS (£2.5m) segregated bike lane in Sydney to be removed in the summer last year, despite it carrying more cyclists at peak times than the corresponding road.

The College Street cycleway closure by NSW minister for roads, maritime and freight Duncan Gay was protested by campaigners who say it is a loss to Sydney’s central business district.

Cycle campaigner Sue Abbott said: “The cycleway is used so much. It’s a very pleasant ride and is somewhere you can go on a really busy street, and even ride with children in safety. Taking out the lane is appalling.

In 2011 Gay’s department wrote a report that said: “Given that the bi-directional paths do not occupy previous general traffic lanes, no significant delays to other road users arising from the cycleways have occurred.”

The report also said: “The removal of the bicycle path on College Street would have limited benefits for traffic flow if the western lane was then to revert to car use."

Lord Mayor Clover Moore also opposed the plans, saying: “Safe, separated cycleways are essential for fixing congestion in the CBD and protecting people who choose to ride,” she said.

Mr Gay said that he was being “increasingly persuaded” that cyclists need to be licensed and also said he was considering banning bikes from some of Sydney’s roads – both measures that he claimed would improve the safety of riders.

Speaking to 2UE Breakfast, Mr Gay said: “The thing I really need to look at is, if we’re going to put rules in place, and I need to be tougher on car drivers, but I am increasingly persuaded that we need to look at a licence for cyclists.

“It’s not going to worry the ones that are doing the right thing, but the bad ones that are running lights, crossing over, being aggressive, they’re a large part of the statistic,” he went on.

“Before the phones run off the hook, as I know they will, it is a very small section of cyclists that don’t do the right thing. It would be probably under one per cent,” he concluded.

Phil Ayres, the chief executive of Cycling New South Wales, told Guardian Australia that most of its 10,000 members would be “fundamentally against” attempts to require cyclists to be licensed.

“But we are an organisation that’s grown up to understand there are arguments in favour of it and we’d certainly want to be at the table with government to discuss cyclist safety,” he said.

“It’s important to realise though that licensing bike riders won’t stop them from being hit, as has happened so horrifically in recent weeks and months. Licensing isn’t a safety issue – if you magically licensed all bikes overnight, it won’t stop the accidents.”

He acknowledged that cyclists need to follow the laws of the road, but denied that law-breaking riders were a significant issue.

“There is a rogue element in any group of people in the community,” he explained. “We don’t condone any riders not obeying the road rules – everyone has to adhere to them. It’s not OK to roll through a red light.

“But the thing with cyclists is that they aren’t surrounded by tonnes of metal. What would be a fender scrape for a car is the maiming of an individual or a loss of life for a cyclist.”

In November 2009, one of Mr Gay’s predecessors as NSW roads minister, Carl Scully, who served in that capacity from 1996 to 2005, said that cyclists should be banned from the roads.

 

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14 comments

Avatar
durrin | 8 years ago
6 likes

I've read a study which proported to show that rule-breaking cyclists are underrepresented in accident statistics.

In Denmark, it is not the red-light jumpers than get right-hooked, it is normal cyclists who trust others to do as they are supposed to.

Avatar
brooksby replied to durrin | 8 years ago
1 like

durrin wrote:

I've read a study which proported to show that rule-breaking cyclists are underrepresented in accident statistics.

In Denmark, it is not the red-light jumpers than get right-hooked, it is normal cyclists who trust others to do as they are supposed to.

As I understood it, when RLJing cyclists are asked why they RLJd, they often say that its a safety thing - to get out of the way of / ahead of the motorised road users.

Avatar
HalfWheeler | 8 years ago
3 likes

Wow, even for an 'Anglo-Saxon' country Australia is anti-cycling to the point of mania.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to HalfWheeler | 8 years ago
8 likes
HalfWheeler wrote:

Wow, even for an 'Anglo-Saxon' country Australia is anti-cycling to the point of mania.

I probably said this already, but it's clearly the Aussies' extremely competitive nature at work (as seen in the world of cricket). They find being behind the US in the global obesity stakes to be an intolerable state-of-affairs, and will do anything to grab that coveted number One spot.

Avatar
Richard D | 8 years ago
3 likes

It's not just their politicians.  Australians in general are very anti-bike.  A friend who emigrated about 20 years ago has just posted another one of his anti-cyclist rants, complaining how the (expletives) are always riding two abreast, obstructing the "normal" traffic, riding recklessly without insurance or identification, etc etc.  so the Neanderthal politicians are doing no more than pandering to the Neanderthal voters over there.  Remember, Australia is one of the few countries around the world that made the wearing of a polystyrene hat compulsory.

Avatar
Danger Dicko replied to Richard D | 8 years ago
1 like

Richard D wrote:

It's not just their politicians.  Australians in general are very anti-bike.  A friend who emigrated about 20 years ago has just posted another one of his anti-cyclist rants, complaining how the (expletives) are always riding two abreast, obstructing the "normal" traffic, riding recklessly without insurance or identification, etc etc.  so the Neanderthal politicians are doing no more than pandering to the Neanderthal voters over there.  Remember, Australia is one of the few countries around the world that made the wearing of a polystyrene hat compulsory.

 

I would have to consider if I'd want to stay friends with people like that.

Avatar
Housecathst | 8 years ago
9 likes

So on one hand 

“It’s not going to worry the ones that are doing the right thing, but the bad ones that are running lights, crossing over, being aggressive, they’re a large part of the statistic,” he went on.

and then in the next breath 

“Before the phones run off the hook, as I know they will, it is a very small section of cyclists that don’t do the right thing. It would be probably under one per cent,” he concluded

So which is Mr Gay, you cretin. Is it lots of people, or less than 1% or are you just making it all up?

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to Housecathst | 8 years ago
3 likes
Housecathst wrote:

So on one hand 

“It’s not going to worry the ones that are doing the right thing, but the bad ones that are running lights, crossing over, being aggressive, they’re a large part of the statistic,” he went on.

and then in the next breath 

“Before the phones run off the hook, as I know they will, it is a very small section of cyclists that don’t do the right thing. It would be probably under one per cent,” he concluded

So which is Mr Gay, you cretin. Is it lots of people, or less than 1% or are you just making it all up?

Being fair to the idiot, those two statements are not contradictory. It could be the bad cyclists make up a large part of the accident statistics, but still be a small proportion of total cyclists. Of course the real problem is that the first stat is probably not actually true, and in any case the vast bulk of the transport-related bad outcomes (both accidents and other health problems) are due to the car drivers, whether good or bad.

Avatar
Danger Dicko | 8 years ago
0 likes

I despair, I really do.

Avatar
Must be Mad | 8 years ago
1 like

I wonder if mr Gay will be prared to admit the blood on his hands when cyclists start getting killed on that strech of road?

Avatar
Must be Mad | 8 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

I give up, neither [blockquote] or <blockquote> works. 

 

Try using [ quote ]   (without the spaces)
 

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
1 like

Wouldn't take too many extra cars on the road and maybe the odd fender bender or breakdown to bring gridlock and remind the authorities why encouraging cycle commuters is actually a good idea.

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 8 years ago
11 likes

Cycling New South Wales should be less conciliatory. This minister is waging a war against cycling, and needs to be challenged, not appeased.

Avatar
kie7077 | 8 years ago
4 likes

[blockquote]that cyclists need to be licensed and also said he was considering banning bikes from some of Sydney’s roads – both measures that he claimed would improve the safety of riders.[/blockquote]

Best way to reduce cycling casualties would be to ban cycling then. Pretty clear that this is what the minister neanderthal would really like to do.

 

I give up, neither [blockquote] or <blockquote> works.

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