News February 2011
New Cycle Mapping Site
Fellow CAMWESTies Inc,
Here is a link to a new website I was told about today. Similar to Google Maps, except for cyclists. Unfortunately it is only Sydney Based at the moment. Boundaries seem to be Penrith in the west, Brooklyn to the North and Helensburgh and Campbelltown to the south and south west. It is based on Open Street Maps
Simply type in your start and finish points and select the type of ride you wish to do, direct, safe or safer and it will give you a map and directions. I have tried it on some of my prefereed routes and it seems to be relatively faithful to what I have been riding. You can report hazards and inaccuracies. I believe you may be able to add or suggest routes as well.
Have a look, try it and let me know what you think. Email me at jonhol@bigpond.net.au with your thoughts. Ride The City — Sydney
John Holstein
Member of CAMWEST
(http://camwest.pps.com.au) advocating for better cycling
infrastructure for Sydney's West.
"if we don't change direction, we will end up where we are
headed"
(Professor Irwin Corey American vaudeville comic
and actor (1914 – ))
Amy Gillett Parra Pedal
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:35:25 +1100
From: John Holstein <jonhol2@netscape.net>
To: minister@borger.minister.nsw.gov.au
Cc: EHole@bicyclensw.org.au
Subject: Amy Gillett Parra Pedal
Dr Mr Borger,
I participated in the Amy Gillett Foundation Parra Pedal last Sunday 13 February 2011 and found it to be a pleasant experience on the whole. The event highlighted some of the excellent cycling facilities available in Western Sydney. Congratulations must go to the organisers, volunteers and RTA workers who made the event safe for all concerned.
Unfortunately I cannot stop at those comments. The event also highlighted some of the worst of the cycling infrastructure in Western Sydney as well. I refer in particular a section of cycle path along The Cumberland Highway( Betts Rd) in the Smithfield area. This section of path was obviously built as a shared path as it was a wide concrete path and road crossings were fitted with bicycle lanterns. Unfortunately, there were no markings of any kind on the path or any signage erected to indicate this was in fact a shred path. I can only assume it was built at quite a cost. It also appeared that there had been little or no maintenance carried out on the path in a very long time, possibly since its construction. It was overgrown with weeds and littered with all sorts of rubbish rendering it almost unusable as either a pedestrian or cycle path.
The areas of the ride route that were off main road through parklands fared slightly better. They were marked as such and obviously carried a reasonable amount of cycle and pedestrian traffic. They too, however, were also blighted by the amount of maintenance that was needed to make the journey a pleasant one. Broken glass was present in many areas. I appreciate glass can become a problem over a large area as a result of the actions of one individual at times, but this debris had obviously been around for some time. Areas of the paths required maintenance work to repair storm damage, normal wear and tear and also to prune growth away from the edges of the paths.
One consistent theme throughout the whole event was the number of punctures suffered by the riders. One colleague reported fixing 5 punctures amongst his group of five riders during the 55 km event and it was difficult to ride more than a few hundred metres, often less, before encountering another cyclist stopped to repair a puncture.
It was also extremely disappointing to ride the section of the Prospect Canal Reserve Path through what used to be the Boral Quarry. This path occupies a similar area in size as that occupied by Parramatta Park, yet it has been rendered almost worthless by the refusal of the Government and RTA to require a bridge to be built as part of the road construction. Could you imagine the outcry if you tried to do the same thing with Parramatta Park, or any other similarly sized recreation area in Western Sydney?
In closing, it is disappointing to say the very least, to see infrastructure built and then neglected or vandalised in the name of business, to the point that it becomes worthless.
I look forward to your response.
John Holstein
Chairman, of CAMWEST Bicycle User Group
Inc. (http://camwest.pps.com.au) advocating for better
cycling infrastructure for Sydney's West.
"if we don't change direction, we will end up where we are
headed"
(Professor
Irwin Corey
American vaudeville comic and actor (1914 – ))
