Contents
- Congestion
- Sustainable Cities
- Video by canberra.bike
- Webinar
- Urban planning gurus
Congestion
More roads begets more congestion
Downs-Thomson Paradox
Sustainable Cities
Cycling in Germany and the city of Freiburg
Germany has seen a cycling boom in the last 20 years with the recognition that, after walking, bikes are the most sustainable form of transport. The cities are becoming increasingly people friendly and more people choose cycling, walking and public transport instead of driving.
Paris is going green
Paris goes green. Short version of Tomorrows Build video.
Oulu shows how bike path maintenance is done
We think that we in Canberra have difficulties with bike path maintenance. Oulu, Finland, shows us that we are not really trying. With some days less than 4 hours short and temperatures down to -37 C, cycling is common, despite the snow. Good path maintenance is important!
Women and bikes
Australia is a low cycling country, which means that most have never experienced a city where cycling is popular. Fewer women than men cycle in Canberra, which misleads us to think it is the norm, but the opposite is true in high cycling countries. Many of the reasons given why women do not cycle do not stand up to closer inspection if we look beyond our own city – and particularly to other countries.
Video by canberra.bike
Move over to reclaim space for people
We must throw away the old wives’ tale that a free choice must be given everywhere to everybody between using length (space) wasting private transportation and land savings public transit in highly developed urban areas.
Victor Gruen, Urban Planner, 1964
Digging a hole: bike paths and green field estates
Out in those hills, Strathnairn is under construction. Construction of the adjacent suburb of Macnamara is starting soon. We had not surveyed the paths of Strathnairn for about 3 years, so it was time for a visit. These are the newest and best inner suburb cycling paths in West Belconnen.
The road reserve will be returned to TCCS as gifted assets. The handover may have happened already. Unfortunately, the bike paths along Pro Hart Avenue are already damaged due to wet weather and construction activities.
The path design itself is responsible for the water damage seen in the path – only 3 years after construction. Good path designs include drainage, as is done with roads. Water causes asphalt to crack. Once the cracking starts the path quickly deteriorates. Eventually, the asphalt breaks into little pieces – as seen in one section.
The logical conclusion here is that the standards for path construction in new estates is inadequate. Drainage features must be included in the path design.
CBR C3 Belconnen to Braddon
After weeks of wild weather, we went out to see how the paths and the City Renewal were doing.
A lot was going on this weekend on the CBR Cycle Route C3 between Belconnen and Civic. It is noticeable that most of the cyclist are men and boys. When you see kids with a parent, it is always the father. This is a small sample the but we have seen this many times previously.
Canberra.bike has previously raised the need to fund research to gain a better understanding why women and teenage girls do not cycle. We know that in other high cycling countries, women are the majority of cyclists.
The paths have not changed much and Civic feels as car-centric as ever, but it was nice to wave and smile at other active travellers!
New bike paths at Tuggeranong Town Centre
A number of cycle infrastructure improvements are now complete in Greenway, the Tuggeranong town centre. canberra.bike has surveyed the works in this video.
Melba and Evatt on shared paths
Melba and Evatt are two West Belconnen suburbs on either side of Copland Drive on the south slopes of Mount Rogers. Evatt was gazetted on 2 November 1972. After 40 years, the paths are showing their age, and it is time for their replacement to a modern standard.
As you can see – and most likely feel – the shared paths are necessary for a leisurely and relaxed ride around the suburb. However, they are not sufficient for a safe, direct and fast commute to work and back.
Belconnen – west through Page
Riding from the top of Belconnen Town Centre to Florey through Page on segregated shared paths. Crossing the wide arterials of Coulter Drive and Southern Cross Drive is generally not easy. We avoided the busy road by riding through underpasses instead. Underpasses are common in Belconnen, but rare in newer suburbs.
Most people are only familiar with major roads and have little knowledge of Canberra`s shared path network. Lack of signage means that one can feel a little lost at times. However, the back route has its advantages. Riding through Page, we can avoid the fast and aggressive drivers – who make cycling unsafe.
The top and bottom of Belconnen Town Centre are on different levels. This divide makes moving between the two difficult. Crossing Belconnen Town Centre is unsafe. It is almost always better to ride around the town centre if that is possible. The lack of cycle infrastructure in Belconnen Town Centre remains a barrier and hardly anyone rides to the shops.
Webinar
Traffic calming
We can make our city safer and better. Speed kills and not just motorist. Slowing cars down and give the public space back to people is traffic calming. Children are likely to benefit the most. Traffic calming – Cycling for Sustainable Cities.
The rise of the car cult
The postwar period saw the surge of the car cult. Many cities have now shown a complete turnaround. With the resurgence of modes of transport that were alienated for decades. Here are a few examples from the Austroads webinar Cycling for Sustainable Cities.
Cycling and Walking ANZ webinar: active travel
The Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand (CWANZ) held a long webinar on the 25 May 2020. Questions start at 1:30 hours. Worth watching.
Recommended
- 0.24 hrs – widening footpaths for the elderly
- 1:17 hrs – all about system changes
- 1:24 hrs – singing from the same song sheet
- 1:30 hrs – 30km/h streets
Urban planning gurus
Brent Toderian on urban planning
Brent Toderian VIDEO, CURF Seminar – Place based development, CURF University of Canberra, 39:02 / 1:02:17, 04/06/2017
So you think you can drive?
The title refers to the many studies that show we have a very high opinion of ourselves as drivers. Over 50% of drivers regard themselves as better than average – a statistical impossibility. Here is a demonstration. A group of normal people were asked to drive at constant speed and distance in a circle – a perfect road without lights and intersections. Just look what happens!
canberra.bike 