toowoombabug.blogspot.com

TRC Council candidates respond

Full details can be found at www.scribd.com/doc/91204128/TRC-2012-Cycle-Survey

All 21 Toowoomba Regional Council election candidates responding to a survey question on cycling and road safety supported a 50kmh speed limit or less on Toowoomba streets. Currently Toowoomba suffers from having speed limits up to 60 kmh in many built up areas and even within in the city zone.

Co-ordinator for the Toowoomba Bicycle Users Group (TBUG), Mr. David Allworth said, “A reduction in speed from 60kmh to 50kmh reduces the chances of a fatality for cyclists and pedestrians by nearly half.

“This reduction would be an important step in the right direct for making our roads more conducive for cycling, not to mention driving,” Mr Allworth said.

Research shows a reduction in speed from 60kmh to 50kmh reduces the chance of a fatality for pedestrians and cyclists, from 9 out of 10 to 5 out of 10 and the chances of fatality at 40kmh are down to 3 out of 10, while at 30 kph it is only 1 out of 10.

"It is very pleasing to see that five council candidates supported an 30kmh and 40kmh speed limits on our streets, which is in line with researched thinking in other Australian states and particularly in some European nations," Mr. Allworth said.

"Council candidates also very strongly supported the creation of a Bicycle Advisory Committee and no parking in bike-lanes.

“The current council permits parking in bicycle lanes. This makes cycling more dangerous and wastes ratepayers funds by building a bicycle lane only to the allow parked cars to block bicycle movement within it," Mr. Allworth said.

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"The last two councils have failed to bring together community and government to generate the discussion, consultation and innovation necessary to encourage more people to cycle and make cycling safer for those who already ride. The way forward is through the creation of a Bicycle Advisory Committee," Mr. Allworth said.

All candidates who provided an email address were surveyed with a total of 21 council candidates and one mayoral candidate responding.

"It is a great shame that apart from Mr. Rob Berry, all the other candidates for Mayor decided not to outline their position on the cycling to the community they hope to serve. But this does reflect the inertia that cycling has coped with in the first term of Toowoomba's expanded council," Mr. Allworth said.

“Addressing the issue of cycling is a key pillar for any efforts to make Toowoomba and district more liveable,” Mr Allworth said.

Nelson Street roundabout makes the news

CYCLISTS have hit out at Toowoomba Regional Council for failing to supply adequate bike lanes on the city's roads.

The Toowoomba Chronicle inspected the new Nelson Street roundabout with TBUG and wrote this story:
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2011/10/27/cyclists-call-bike-lane-change/?c=221216#addcomment

TBUG has now written to Bicycle Queensland, Transport & Main Roads, and Austroads, the so-called standard setters of Australian road design, and we await word back from them all.

Austroads, in particular, seems to be responsible for allowing poor design to continue as an option for local authorities and it is hard to understand why this is so.

Maybe it will take a death or injury event and legal action against councils, TMR officials and Austroads standard setters before the message gets through, that the continual prioritisation of motor vehicles, at the cost of cycler safety, on what the law recognises as a shared space, is not an acceptable return for tax and rate monies invested?

Nelson Street roundabout: Lookout for your life!

Recently, TBUG posted shots of the new roundabout at Drayton Road, and wrote to the council asking them to revisit the design, with the primary concern being for the safety of the cycler rather than for the swift passage of the motor vehicles that we share the roads with.

TBUG asked them not to mark out Nelson Street, at least until we had been able to discuss it with them.

TRC has declined to respond, so far, at least.

Now we post new pictures of the Nelson Street roundabout, that uses the same design as we raised concerns about over at Drayton.

While standing at this roundabout, a number of vehicles, all cars, shot through the intersection at high speed, crossing into the bike lanes in order to get around the 8 metre concrete circle.

Nelson Street is a 60 kph speed zone, which is frequently exceeded by vehicles.

If one of the functions of a roundabout is to slow traffic, then this design is a failure.

As to the bike lanes going around the roundabout, this is what the Austroads people said in 1999:

Allott & Lomax reported that in an early attempt to provide for cyclists, a mandatory bicycle lane was marked around the periphery of the circulating roadway of a roundabout, giving cyclists priority access across approaches whilst other traffic had priority at the exits. A performance study indicated that cyclists felt that their trip was improved although crashes involving cyclists continued. It was also reported this treatment has been withdrawn in the absence of any detectable benefits for cyclists, due to the fact that cyclists are kept in the outer edge, 'the most hazardous area of the circulatory carriageway'

In 2011, Austroads warn designers of roundabouts:

A number of jurisdictions do not favour the provision of bicycle lanes on the approach to, and around the periphery of, roundabouts. Designers should clarify the policy of local jurisdictions before considering the application of cycle lanes at roundabouts. The matter is under review by the Austroads Road Design Review Panel and other key stakeholders including cycling organisations and road safety practicioners. Further advice will be issued in due course.

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Nelson Street: bike lane or trailer park?

The TBUG wrote to each TRC councillor in early October 2011, requesting they police the bike lane on the eastern side of Ruthven Street, at Nelson Street, where a car trailer has been parked for weeks, months, and some have suggested years, barely, if ever, moving.

Apart from three or four perfunctory 'thank you for your question' responses, we have heard nothing back.

TBUG wrote again on 26 October 2011, and we await a detailed response.

A complaint has been lodged with the TRC Customer Service Centre also, and we await either feedback or action there.

Why aren’t more kids cycling to school?

By Jan Garrad: Senior Lecturer, School of Health and Social Development.
17 October 2011, 'The Conversation'

CYCLING IN AUSTRALIA: In 1970, nearly all young people in Australia walked, cycled or took public transport to school or university (84%). Few travelled by car (16%). Fast forward to 2011 and most children are now driven to school.

So what has changed in the past 40 years? What can we do to get more children cycling to school? And why does this even matter?

National data are no longer available but in Melbourne, nearly four times as many young people are being driven to school than in 1970. Cycling levels are at an all-time low of 2.6%.

In fact, Australian children are among the most chauffeured young people in the developed world. Out of the total distance 10-14 year olds travel, walking and cycling is used for 33.5% of the distance in the Netherlands, 14.4% in Switzerland and 13.8% in Germany.

In Melbourne (again, there is no national data), it’s 4.6%.

Read the whole story:
http://theconversation.edu.au/why-arent-more-kids-cycling-to-school-3531?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+conversationedu+%28The+Conversation%29

Saddle soreness? Could this be a solution?

Workers who ride a bicycle as part of their job may be at risk for genital numbness or more serious sexual and/or reproductive health problems from pressure in the groin (perineum) from the traditional bicycle saddle. NIOSH has conducted studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of no-nose bicycle saddles in reducing pressure in the groin and improving the sexual health of male bicycle patrol police officers. While most workers in jobs that involve bicycling are men, recent evidence suggests
that no-nose bicycle saddles may also benefit women.

Read the article here:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-131/pdfs/2009-131.pdf

An interesting new style of saddles, for men and women, at this USA site here:
http://www.ismseat.com/saddles

With a dealer in Townsville, if you cannot find a local shop selling them:
http://www.bngsports.com.au/

Effortless cycling: in Toowoomba?

Secondly, low street speeds make for safer bicycle riding in Shanghai.

China has clearly got issues with dangerous driver and rider behaviour. But trauma rates are lower than one might expect as traffic speeds are low on suburban streets; usually around 30km/h.

At this speed, cars, motorcyclists and bike riders have more time to negotiate in traffic. The accidents that might occur at higher speeds just don’t happen, and the collisions that do occur (I’ve seen a couple) are usually benign.

The 50km/h posted street speed limit in local streets in Australia, and 40km/h in school zones, are therefore an international embarrassment, set way higher than norms in cities such as Berlin.

Well said that man! But hang on, we don't think we ever heard such a suggestion from Matthew during our time on the Queensland Bicycle Council with him, when the Minister might have had a shell-like ear ready to hear such a suggestion.

In fact, there were not too many actual 'suggestions' from anyone sitting around that enormous table trying to cook up a whole-of-government approach, although TBUG did try to get some discussions going the few times we were there.

Actually, everything was going swimmingly, until TBUG asked why the previous Queensland Cycle Strategy had failed to get anywhere near its targets for 'cycle journeys', and then we were given a vote-of-thanks and waved 'goodbye'.

Which reminds me, we wrote to the Minister recently, asking her if we can see the detailed analysis of the reasons why the previous QCS failed, but so far, no word back.

Read the rest of the story here:
http://theconversation.edu.au/effortless-cycling-how-do-we-make-riding-a-bike-normal-3670