CAIRNS BICYCLE USER GROUP NEWS 2004
Tougher Penalties:
More Great Bike Rides:
Queensland Bike Rides:
Pedestrian and Cycle Strategy:
Bike Week 2004:
Elections 2004:
PENALTIES:
Cairns Post 12 October 2004 - Tougher penalties will come in on 1 November 2004:-
1. Failing to wear a seat belt $225.
1. Mt Kosciuszko to St Kilda, Victoria, Australia - 9 to 16 October 2004 - All Trails Bicycle Tours - "Clouds to the Crowds" challenge and three more great rides.
2. Cycle Northern Thailand and Laos - 12 to 25 November 2004 - The CARE Australia "Mekong Challenge".
Check them out here.
Three great bike rides in Queensland are enticing more and more cyclists to enjoy the company of other cyclists and to be challenged as they have never been before. Now that the cooler months are approaching in sunny Queensland, better cycling weather will make these rides so enjoyable.
First there is the "Cairns to Karumba" ride, 27 June to 3 July. Ride through the Atherton Tablelands and continue a long flat outback experience all the way west to the southern end of the Gulf.
Then we have the great "Cycle Queensland" ride, 4 September to 12 September. The scenic "reef to beef" ride from Miliam Vale to Kilkivan in southern Queensland with a 1,000 riders from anywhere and everywhere, will be a wonderful experience.
Last but not least is the Cafnec "Wilderness Tour", 18 September to 25 September, in Far North Queensland, from Cardwell to Cairns through forestry and wilderness dirt roads and bitumen roads on the Atherton Tablelands. Book now because numbers are limited.
For more information click here
Cyclists, pedestrians and people with disabilities are urged to comment on the Cairns Pedestrian Movement and Cycle Travel Strategy. We only have until 19th April 2004 to lodge any comments, requests, observations etc, so take a look at the draft copies located at the Council Customer Service, Spence St and at all the libraries.
Past History of the Strategy:- click here
Submission by the CBUG Secretary:- click here
Tuesday 23rd March, WOMEN ON WHEELS information evening, Barlow Park, Scott St and Draper St.
Thursday 25th March, RIDE TO WORK day, free breakfast, 6.30 am - 8.30 am, Cairns City Council.
Friday 26th March, COME AND TRY, Cairns Cycling Club.
Saturday 27th March, COME AND TRY, Cairns BMX Club.
For more information click here
This year will see the people of Cairns vote in three elections, federal, state and local. The first election was held on Saturday 7th February 2004 to elect representatives for the State of Queensland. The next election will be for local governments on Saturday 27th March 2004. Click here to view the policies of prospective teams and candidates
Cycling, walking, running, prams, wheelchairs, adult tricycles, toys, skates, roller blades are ways to move people in, around and through our communities. This is a people transport issue that needs just as much attention as providing for more and more motor vehicles on wider and wider roads.
Cyclists in particular are the meat in the sandwich. They share roads with larger and faster vehicles and share paths of different widths with pedestrians and slower forms of movement. This is the lot of the cyclist in that they must always be competing for space with other faster and slower transport modes. And to top it all off, they may receive less attention than required when the planning, funding and construction of road, intersection and bridge projects are processed.
Consultation with bicycle transport community groups is essential for engineers and political representatives to get it right the first time. Retrofitting and fixing up mistakes will take enormous amounts of community time and effort not to mention the extra cost to the tax payer if and when the problems are fixed.
Motorists have traffic lanes, pedestrians have paths but cyclists do not always get their fair share of the road with standard width bicycle lanes and road shoulders. Cyclists do not always have good wide paths as an alternative to riding on the road.
Even though cyclists are allowed to ride on footpaths in Queensland, it should not be assumed that that is where they should ride. For obvious reasons, bicycle lanes on the road are a necessary facility to provide safety and efficiency for fast and experienced cyclists. For cyclists desiring a bike path network, this is difficult because existing paths do not connect, not even by footpaths.
As well as bicycle lanes, bicycle push buttons at signalised intersections are only just being provided. This service should apply at every intersection in Queensland, not just one here and one there. Adequate space to cross railway lines; space to ride through intersections; squeese points at bridges are other safety issues. Every cyclist has his or her pet issue to bare.
Even though a bicycle is legally a vehicle and cyclists have the right to ride on the road, there are cyclists young to old, who prefer paths. A path network needs to be constructed wide enough to allow cyclists to travel at a reasonable speed. Speed is the main difference between cyclists riding on roads and paths. Naturally, cyclists can maintain a higher speed on the road, do not need to stop at road crossings and get off their bike and walk, negotiate gutters, bollards, narrow foot bridges etc. A balance of good road and path facilities is necessary for the promotion and encouragement of bicycle transport to suit cyclists of all ages, speed and ability.
So if there is something you wish to say, now is the time because IT IS ELECTION YEAR.
So when you know who has won the seat in the electorate where you voted, let them know exactly what you want and where you want it.
Signed: CBUG Web Master
P.S. If you have an issue and would like it posted here, just go back to the home page and email the Web Master - click on "Feedback".
TOUGHER PENALTIES
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA:
2. Failing to wear a helmet on a motorcycle $225.
3. Failing to wear a helmet on a bicycle $75.
4. Car "surfing" $140.
5. Overcrowding $140.MORE GREAT BIKE RIDES
AUSTRALIA AND THAILAND/LAOS:
QUEENSLAND BIKE RIDES
THREE GREAT RIDES:
PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE STRATEGY
INVITATION FOR COMMENTS:
BIKE WEEK 2004
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS:
ELECTIONS 2004
STATE OF QUEENSLAND: