UPDATE: BAYSIDE Council has refused to ban weekend morning car parking in Beach Rd – read more here
As ‘Tweeted’ by Cadel Evans,
The Age.com.au has reported a story in regards to the Beach Road and around Port Phillip Bay.
Read Below:
EACH weekend, an estimated 9100 cyclists don their Lycra and ride the city’s most popular – and controversial – recreational bike route, along Beach Road and around Port Phillip Bay.
This week their ride was made marginally safer, after Kingston Council on Monday night approved a 12-month trial of no-standing restrictions for cars along sections of Beach Road on weekend mornings. In a six-vote-to-three decision, councillors banned cars from parking along the five-kilometre section of Beach Road from Mentone to Mordialloc.
It is hoped the no-standing zones, which will run from 6am to 10am on Saturdays and Sundays, will stop cyclists being injured when they either slam into the back of parked cars, or swerve to avoid parked cars.
In September, Bicycle Victoria counted 9111 cyclists using the road on weekend mornings between 6am and 10am.
Accident figures compiled by Kingston Council show that, in four years to 2004, there were 102 accidents involving cyclists along Beach Road, including two deaths and 35 serious injuries.
In recent years, more cyclists have been injured on Beach Road, many seriously.
The full article can be found at www.theage.com.au or simply click here – and be sure to read the comments below to see how the ‘public’ feels about this… quite interesting.
Greg
When has any Council been a fair and rational bunch?
Almost without exception, Councillors in Melbourne are L plater Green and ALP candidates, learning their trade before stepping up to be a State MP.
Jeff Kennett had the right idea when he wanted to sack all Councils, their job is done by State Government anyway. Our taxes go towards the roads, etc.
Council’s job is collect rates to collect rubbish, no more. Instead my rates get spent on One legged Aboriginal Lesbian Self Help Groups.
There is plenty of room for improvement on Beach Road though – the number of illegal, stupid and arrogant instances on bikes I see each week is growing.
Swarming around cars at the lights is common, and a real bugbear of mine. Apart from being rude by pushing in front, it’s stupid because the car is always going to be faster and have to go around you. Stay back and you’ll help us all.
Riding through red lights. Overtaking at 3 abreast without even looking behind. Cutting inside in a bunch just to hang on, no hand signals or talk for other riders behind. Don’t even get me started with the wheelsuckers who appear behind you, sit on and do no work up front, then ride off you at the end without a word of thanks.
The stats above fail to mention the relatively small number of cycling accidents where a car was involved. When it does happen it’s bad, but there are a overwhelming percentage of cycling accidents where it is just the rider, or riders, involved. That is purely a lack of brains by the cyclist.
As a fellow cyclist, I want to see “us” get better before we can really stand up and argue our case.
“Bayside Council revealed in December it had also been approached to allow skydivers to land at Middle Brighton and Hampton beaches and at Elsternwick Park. Bayside Mayor Clifford Hayes said the council would.. approve any request.. “There would have to be a net gain for the Bayside.. councillors.. Skydiving business Melbourne Skydive Centre will.. pay the council $5000..”-Bayside Leader February 23, 2010 pg11 ‘Getting jump on our beaches’.
Sadly for ‘Pedalling debate’ on page 9 of the same edition, they didnt pay the councillors $5000 to support the trial of banning parking of cars on Beach Road.
Interesting how a ‘carbon burning’ Skydive Centre launching “Each week up to 100 skydivers” to “parachute into the Moran Reserve” “from planes which take off from Moorabbin airport” “got a green light to start landing in Elwood”, yet carbon friendly Cyclists are being labelled as a “swarm of bees”, “bullies”, “disruptive and dangerous”, “platoons of abuse”, “hordes”, with “no respect for any other road user”.
-All quotes taken from the Bayside Leader February 23, 2010