Letters
More cycleway conflict
Pictured is a walking path that The City of Sydney has earmarked for a cycleway. It runs along Johnstones Creek (aka The Ditch) behind townhouses on Minogue Crescent, Forest Lodge.
At present the width of the pathway barely accommodates two persons walking abreast.
Apart from the safety and amenity aspects, it is appalling that this is being contemplated. Cycleways have to be a minimum of 2.5 metres, so this proposal will involve destruction of many trees and shrubs abutting the Canal.
We intend to fight this vigorously and we need help. One of the last bits of bushland in Glebe/Forest Lodge will be destroyed for the use of lycra louts wishing rat-run from Camperdown and parts of Annandale to Victoria Road and the Foreshore Walk.
Additionally, a number of the residents of our block of townhouses have young children who play in the gardens and hence our safety concerns.
A whole community of walkers who regularly stroll along this path will also be affected.
Kate Barton, Forest Lodge
Bourke St cycleway safe
Most car doors cannot open to 90 degrees (as per the diagram in City News, 18 Dec) and the City of Sydney’s separated cycleway on Bourke St, Surry Hills is designed to allow car doors to open and still provide enough room for cyclists to go around them.
The separated cycleway proposal strikes a balance between improving safety for cyclists and minimising amenity and parking disruption. It creates greater protection for cyclists compared with the concept proposed by City News by buffering cyclists from moving traffic and car drivers opening doors.
The separated proposal increases safety for cyclists and reduces the risk of car-dooring as bicycle riders will be on the passenger side of vehicles and around 75 per cent of cars in the City of Sydney do not have passengers. When there are passengers they can see oncoming cyclists rather than relying on a rear-view mirror. In the unlikely event of a collision, a cyclist on a separated cycleway would hit the exterior side of the car door which would close. If they did fall, they would fall onto a bicycle path. Cyclists riding next to driver side doors risk far greater injury by hitting the inside edge of the car door, and then risk falling directly into a lane of traffic.
Combining an on-street plus separated proposal on Bourke St would result in the loss of more parking as space for sight-lines would be required to allow north-bound cyclists to switch to the other side of parked cars and for south-bound cyclists to switch to the other side of the road.
Michael Leyland
Director, City Projects
City of Sydney
