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LEICHHARDT BICYCLE USERS GROUP
LBUG Home Rides Calendar Join LBUG Contact Big Bike Day Go For a Ride LBUG on Ning
LBUG meetings - LBUG Committee Meetings are held quarterly. We also attend the Leichhardt Council Bicycle Advisory Committee, usually on a Wednesday night in the Town Hall. If interested in coming along, contact us or council. Tel 98103706 for next meeting date or check with Leichhardt Council on their bicycle page or tel 93679222
Agendas and minutes for the BAC.
LBUG on Ning - new interactive web site to allow members to make comments, start discussions and add photos. Our Rides Calendar is there too. You can see when the next ride or tour is on and and help plan rides. It is easy to use and anyone can join. (You can view the site but to use the interactive facilities you will need to Sign Up first and choose a password. After that you Sign In each time. Set your computer to remember the password and it is very easy.)
For those interested in the Council Bike Plan come along to the next BAC on Wed 9 May in the Town Hall at 630pm. Entry from side door in Marion St. Can park bikes inside. See links to the Agenda in the box above. The Bike Plan is due to be reviewed and updated for the next 5 years, so this meeting will be important to identify new bike routes and needed upgrades of existing facilities.
Balmain Road is one of the few ways to get across the City West Link, and is also relatively flat, so it is an important route for cyclists between Leichhardt and Rozelle or Balmain. This is recognised in the Leichhardt Bicycle Strategy, where it is designated a Strategic Route, NS 4.
There is a bike lane from Parramatta Rd to Marion St, and you can bypass one section by taking Derbyshire Rd behind the Secondary College. Then there is the new pedestrian/cycle path from the City West Link to Leichhardt Secondary College, but the crossing of the City West Link needs improvement as does the Lilyfield Rd intersection.
The RTA is to resurface the section from Wharf Rd to Rozelle in May 2012 and this will be an opportunity to mark a proper bike lane on both sides, but only if parking is removed from the Callan Park side. An alternative is to build a path in Callan Park behind the brick wall, but this has been rejected. See Callan Park item below. The RTA is looking at some designs for the road, but the Council has said it won't support removal of car parking on the Callan Park frontage.
A 40 K limit would make the road safer for all road users.
Note added in April 2012: very disappointed that very little has been gained here, despite many meetings with Council. RTA (now RMS) have refused to agree to Council's remarking scheme after the resurfacing,which would have removed the dangerous car door shoulder lanes, or improve intersections at Wharf Rd or Victoria Rd, and Council won't remove parking to make room for a bike lane anyway. There has been an agreement to look at a signposted route through Callan Park on existing roads, from Wharf Rd to Cecily St gate.
Local Government elections are coming up in September 2012. LBUG is keen to hear from candidates about their policies on promoting the use of bicycles in Leichhardt, and if they will support the Council's Bicycle Strategy (aka the Bike Plan). The plan is up for review this year for the next 5 years. Quite a bit has been done in the last 5 years - lots of signs up, green paint here and there, some useful lane widening on Booth St, more bike parking, but some things are lagging, like safe crossings of the City West Link and improvements to Darling St.
Go speak to your local councillors and candidates when announced(4 wards, Annandale, Leichhardt, Lilyfield/Rozelle, Balmain)) and ask them what their policies on cycling are. Ask them if they are familiar with the Bicycle Strategy, and point them to the LBUG website if they want to see what we think. Nearly all current Crs have indicated suport for cycling, so we hope the cross party agreement will continue.
LBUGs election page, see responses from candidates last time
Update- The Greens did well last time, with 6 councillors out of 12. Labor lost a Councillor position (Balmain) to the Liberals. Jamie Parker is now member for Balmain and Rochelle Porteus is Mayor, and Chair of the Traffic C'ttee...
LBUG rides for 2012 are on the Calendar on Ning. The Rides Committee will be meeting in June to finalise the draft for the rest of the year. We will do several weekend or longer tours as well as our regular day rides around Sydney, including monthly EasyRides on the first Sunday usually. New riders are welcome. Download an EasyRide flyer.
New website is at leichhardtbug.ning.com. To get curent news and ride information, take part in discussions and view and upload photos or files visit our new site. Will keep this site as a gateway until further notice.
The cycleway part of the project has been "postponed" for more studies. A petition of 10,000 signatures has been collected. See more at Greenway .
[Feb, 2012] LBUG asked for a children's cycling circuit, better internal roads, better access from surrounding streets and for making the Park a cycling destination. We also asked for a bike path along the Balmain Rd frontage, so cyclists can avoid the traffic on Balmain Rd. The Council says it is not in the Plan, but we say it was in the Drafts, and should not have been taken out of the final plan, although we say it still is mentioned. Bicycle NSW is asking the Council for an explanation. Discussion on Ning.
[Dec, 2011]
Nov 2010. LBUG is now an Incorporated Association. This means we need to have several meetings a year, elect officials, report our finances and keep records. In return we get protection under the Sporting Clubs Act against claims for liability and we also get to remain affiliated with Bicycle NSW, under their rules.
There are often outbreaks of irate letters to the local papers about speeding cyclists and, in retaliation, about careless dog owners and unaware pedestrians, ipod in ear, and so on. LBUG has had a Path Etiquette on its website for some time, and is keen to promote better understanding and behaviour by all users.
Cycling continues to make the Herald's pages. If it isn't a swag of Letters to the Editor (pro and anti cycling) it is articles like this or a strong pro-cycling Editorial on 2/1/2009. [Jan2, 2009]
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| From Bicycle audit Sept 2008- Leichhardt. |
With a digital camera it is easy enough to take photos of roads around Leichhardt and put together a safety audit of cycling conditions. LBUG discussed the audit with the Council to seek action. If you see any hazards or problems that should be fixed, like poor surfaces, holes, bumps, lips, squeeze points, poor access, let us know and contact the Council too. Your efforts can help us all get better conditions for cycling.