Is this true? I travel the stretch they talk about 6 days a week currently
and I see massive overcrowding, but I am yet to witness "cycle rage".
I am mildly impressed that the new year's resolvers have made it this far.
Last year they were gone by February.
Mind you this is a very parochial rag, and they are prone to write the most
ridiculous things.
Speaking of which did we ever find out if there were 9000 traffic offences
last year or was that more over enthusiastic reporting?
Happy trails!
BtC
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23545222-3102,00.html
Here's the article if you don't want to click the link:
BRISBANE'S busiest bike paths are reaching critical mass, with conflicts
between cyclists and pedestrians escalating into bike rage.
The Coronation Drive bike path - which stretches for 2.5km between the
Regatta Hotel and the William Jolly Bridge - has the highest incidence of
bike rage as the public compete for space, Griffith University Urban
Research Program research fellow Matthew Burke says.
As with our rail, water and road infrastructure, Dr Burke said our bikeways
needed urgent attention to stop the tension spreading.
"Our situation now is we have a large number of users mixing in a small
space and we have conflict there," he said.
Dr Burke admitted that older routes such as the Coronation Drive riverside
path created the most tension because there was little room to move.
According to Brisbane City Council data, Coronation Drive attracts 24,653
pedestrians and cyclists a week.
Dr Burke said the nearby Goodwill Bridge, which attracts 2374 cyclists and
walkers between 6am and 9am weekdays, had few problems because it was wide
enough to accommodate everyone.
But Bicycle Queensland manager Ben Wilson insisted that pedestrians and
cyclists had gotten used to sharing the same space despite claims that
bikeways had become hotbeds of anger.
"Sharing and queuing is a fact of life, and it can be done in an orderly
fashion, but every now and again a situation can occur in an area or a queue
or a bikeway," he said.
The number of people cycling to work in Brisbane last year increased by 12.6
per cent, according to the latest council figures.
Dr Burke claimed the State Government's Cycle Network Plan, which aims to
deliver a connected and cohesive cycle network within southeast Queensland,
would be a good start to address overcrowding on the paths.
But he predicted it would not be completed until 2040.
This year, Lord Mayor Campbell Newman promised to quadruple council spending
on Brisbane bikeways to encourage use and ease congestion.
Under the Cycle City plan, the council will spend $25 million each year to
build and improve bikeways.
Part of that funding will go towards widening the bike path along Coronation
Drive.
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