Cairns Bicycle User Group - See the sea bug

Projects, Reports and Research Officer, Lenore Evans, CBUG

17 Gordon St, Earlville, Cairns 4870

Ph/Fax 07 4054 1756

Email cbug@altnews.com.au

Internet http://www.altnews.com.au/cbug

Dear,

Cairns City Council - Election 2000

Herewith is my vision of Cairns, a people friendly city, and my ideas about what action needs to be taken to provide a grass roots service to ALL local citizens and visitors alike.

In particular, the Cairns Bikeway Strategy August 1996 is a very fine document that sets out clearly the policy and works to achieve a network of bikeways for commuter and recreational cyclists. It must be understood that bikeways are a combination of traffic lanes, road shoulders, car parking lanes, bike lanes, bike paths, foot paths, intersections, crossings, underpasses, foot bridges, road bridges, and is very much connected with transport planning. It is important to also consider that road shoulders are a safety issue for all motor vehicles and an economical issue in the maintenance and longevity of our roads.

Also these networks provide a service to ALL people in our community such as cyclists of all ages who ride to work, shops, school, sport, recreation, tourism - hire bikes, touring cyclists - saddlebags; pedestrians - all motorists are pedestrians too; people with disABILITIES - wheelchairs and adult tricycles; people of mature age - walking frames; people who go walking, run and jog - some with jogging prams/kids; walk the dog; recreational devices such as roller bladers; wheeled toys such as kids tricycles; people pushing prams etc.

The 3.5 metre path on the Strand, Townsville is a prime example of all these user groups sharing a facility and enjoying the outdoors, getting some exercise, have a picnic, go for a swim and mixing with and meeting other people in their community and visitors. This activity has great therapeudic and health benefits to people who need to wind down, get exercise, get a feeling of belonging to a community. AND THERE'S MORE. Building paths on the Esplanade is just the beginning. Can you imagine a network where people can get out of their houses and out of their cars ALL OVER CAIRNS - MIRRIWINNI TO ELLIS BEACH.

Our strategy does not start and end with the network. The network is the back bone of the strategy with all streets and paths connecting to it. This is the stage where we are at - building foot bridges, road shoulders, bike paths to create the BACK BONE and open up the network.

PLEASE CONTINUE:

Cairns Bicycle User Group: Cairns City Council Election,, Page 2.

What do we need to do to achieve this service for Cairns?

BASICS: Maintenance;

1. road shoulders - sweeping.

2. gutters - clearing - some gutters are part of the measurements for bike lanes.

3. bike paths - clearing overgrown grass, trimming trees and reporting damage, doing safety audits - an all year round special work gang.

4. accidents - cleaning roads of glass.

5. foot paths - trimming trees - these obstructions prevent foot paths and road shoulders from being used by people and present visibility hazards for motorists.

6. line marking - a program has been actioned as documented in the strategy.

ROAD WORKS: Cairns Bikeway Strategy - Appendix 4.

Planning;

1. Road shoulders, road upgrades, bicycle detection and crossings are listed and prioritised A,B and C in Appendix 4. Some of these works are documented to be completed by the capital works section 5.9 which is the 5 year plan.

2. One of the issues discussed at the meeting of the State Cycle Committee in

Brisbane on 1^st December 1999, was the need for the inclusion of cycling as part of the planning process in all projects. It is more economical to provide for cyclists and other users at the planning stage for road projects.

Road shoulders;

1.Council has a data base of roads that need shoulder sealing which are documented in the strategy and also reported by Cairns Bicycle User Group.

2. Roads with a shoulder on one side only encourages cyclists to ride wrong way. Shoulder sealing the other side of the road is high priority.

Intersections;

1. Activating traffic lights is a problem for cyclists. Either we disobey the law or sit there and wait for a motor vehicle.

2. Approach bicycle lanes at intersections for cyclists riding straight ahead is a great improvement in Cairns and should be continued.

Drainage grates;

The design of grates needs to be bicycle friendly considering that gutters have been included in the measurements of bike lanes and that the grates protrude further than the gutter. Also shopping centres need to be aware of this. Grates need to protrude back into the footpath rather than out into the road.

Cairns Bicycle User Group: Cairns City Council Election, Page 3.

BIKE PATHS: Cairns Bikeway Strategy - Appendix 5.

Planning;

Paths and foot bridges are listed and prioritised A,B and C in Appendix 5. Some of these works are documented to be completed by the capital works section 5.9 which is the 5 year plan.

Bollards;

All large cement bollards should be removed from path entrances - they obstruct prams, wheelchairs and adult tricycles.

Connections;

Path to road - round off the paths at corners - 90 degrees is difficult to ride.

BICYCLE PARKING:

1. Even though cyclists find plenty of places to park their bikes, poles, trees, posts, parking meters, fences etc, it would be good to have a standard parking design for Cairns. The Australian Standard "parking rail" at the council chambers is a simple design conforming to established ideals for medium parking security which enables the wheels and frame to be secured. Old parking racks which only support the bike by one wheel need replacing.

2. Also the council designed and colour of the bike parking next to the toilets in the median strip Spence St and Lake St, is an innovative and a colourfull bike parking device that could become the replacement for the old bike racks around the city and be the design for parking on the Esplanade and other public places.

BIKE MAP:

1. With the councils new mapping system and completed documentation of council's assets, a bike map should be made available to the public. Perhaps more works to complete the network is required before a bike map is printed.

2. Three years ago, CBUG started to keep Hema Maps informed about bike paths which they have included in their street map of Cairns - available from newsagents and map shops. From this information, people can plan their bicycle trip by knowing where there are paths and roads and where they connect.

BICYCLE SERVICES:

Council's building services should require building permits to provide change rooms, showers, lockers and secure bike parking for staff. The Council's Lake St parking station is a good location. Also shopping centres etc should be required to provide Australian Standard customer bike parking under cover.

Cairns Bicycle User Group: Cairns City Council Election, Page 4.

DisABILITY ACCESS:

Roads;

1. Gutters can be a brick wall. If it is not safe to negotiate a gutter, a person may have to plan another route which may be more dangerous. Basic design of gutters need to be better for wheel chairs, prams, bicycles and people walking. This is a safety issue.

2. Intersections can also be a brick wall where raised islands prevent safe passage. A level road is required without having to travel up and down over cement islands.

3. Access to buildings (no ramp at front entrance to the Cairns Civic Theatre), services and toilets can also be another brick wall. Did you know that a 5 cm lip from one level to another can be unsurmountable by a person driving a wheel chair on their own. This is all it takes to make life difficult (and dangerous) for people - especially at intersections; ie getting from a car park to a foot path or veranda etc. They need to turn their chair around and negotiate the lip backwards.

COMMUNITY CONSULTATION:

Cairns Bicycle User Group;

1. It is documented in the strategy that CBUG informs council by reporting road and path concerns from people in the community. Since 1995, CBUG has actioned over 100 reports which is also an economical way for council to keep the strategy up to date. This is a free service from this community group to the people of Cairns.

2. It is also the role of CBUG to have access to plans for bike paths, foot bridges and road works so that cyclists may make comment before works are actioned. We would like the council to take more opportunity to include CBUG in inspections and viewing plans This may prevent any problems and actually saves rate payers money by not having to fix up things afterwards such as protruding cement islands - and constructing shoulders on one side of the road.

3. At the Cairns Ride to Work Day in October, participants filled in a survey form. CBUG did a research document from the comments and provided this information to council. Included was a list of works that cyclists identified as needing attention. This information should be used to update the strategy. Cyclists main concerns are with road shoulder cleaning and clearing of glass after accidents. High on the list was motorists dangerous behaviour.

Hoping this information is helpful to you,

Yours sincerely, Lenore Evans, CBUG.