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Aussie cyclists' horror as new cycle lane routes them onto road with 70-tonne trucksCyclist and lorry (copyright Simon MacMichael)

Aussie cyclists' horror as new cycle lane routes them onto road with 70-tonne trucks

Melbourne plans will put riders into harms way, say campaigners
by Sarah Barth
Sun, Nov 12, 2017 20:10
10

Town planners in Australia have been slammed for a new cycle route that puts cyclists on the same stretch of road as 70-tonne trucks.

The new riding route is planned along one of Melbourne’s busiest freight roads, Lorimer St in Port Melbourne running between the Bolte and West Gate Bridge.

The route is part of a plan by the Victorian Government.

Victorian Transport Association CEO Peter Anderson told the Herald Sun: “Lorimer St is a gazetted freight route for heavy vehicles and is intensively used by trucks of up to 70 tonnes in weight travelling between Webb Dock and road and rail freight infrastructure closer to town.

“Regardless of who is at fault, the cyclist will always be worse off in a collision with a truck, so why on earth would you encourage their close interaction on a shared roadway?

“While we fully support infrastructure that encourages commuters onto bikes and away from cars, the last place we should be putting it is on the only gazetted freight route.”

The Victorian Government Put the plan out for consultation last month, and said it was not confirmed yet, but would be in a month’s time.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne said: “The Fishermans Bend Framework is about getting the planning right to build a neighbourhood that the community deserves.”

 

 

Australia
Melbourne
infrastructure

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10 comments

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Tripod16 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Love how the stock photo in this article is a typical London commute with HGVs/buses!

Avatar
Leviathan | 7 years ago
0 likes

How is that any different to most roads in the UK? The Aussies really have cyclists mentally and physically boxed in.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to Leviathan | 7 years ago
1 like

Leviathan wrote:

How is that any different to most roads in the UK? The Aussies really have cyclists mentally and physically boxed in.

So you don't see the difference between the odd 40 ton wagon and a shit load of 70 ton wagons?

 

Avatar
mike the bike | 7 years ago
1 like

 

Not a problem.  In a few years, after the Chinese takeover, the streets of Oz will be teeming with bikes as the indigenous population commutes to their menial jobs.

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Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
2 likes

Australia's love affair with the bicycle continues.

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sammutd88 | 7 years ago
1 like

Plenty of us ride on Lorimer Street. I’ve never had an issue with trucks, old half covered tram tracks are another story.....if marked correctly, it’s a very wide road in places and there’s enough room for booths bikes and cars/trucks. Rubbish article. 

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brooksby replied to sammutd88 | 7 years ago
0 likes

sammutd88 wrote:

Plenty of us ride on Lorimer Street. I’ve never had an issue with trucks, old half covered tram tracks are another story.....if marked correctly, it’s a very wide road in places and there’s enough room for booths bikes and cars/trucks. Rubbish article. 

I think the point is more that no council should really be aiming to divert cyclists onto a main road used by huge HGVs, regardless of how wide that road is.

Avatar
brooksby | 7 years ago
3 likes

"No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die..."

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antigee | 7 years ago
5 likes

not sure if would take that article at face value - The Herald Sun doesn't  usually take a pro' cyclist slant - bit more enthusuastic about "road war" clickbait and pointing out the dangers that cyclists present to other road users

the big news for truck drivers should be that Lorrimer Street already has  on road cycle lanes!

the new proposal that forms part of a controversial  plan for a huge old industrial area does have planned good off road provision not that far  (as in useable)   to the south that will cross Lorrimer St,  the only inconvenience to truck drivers is where the routes will cross having to give way to cyclists (ie stop at red lights to allow cross traffic) time and fuel, time and fuel......

....this article is actually all about allowing port container trucks unfettered access to the general road network - freight transport operators are being squeezed by redevelopment and environmental concerns and are afraid that when new access routes are made to the Toll network and the Western Distributor toll being built they will be forced to pay tolls and use them - the container movement business is a cut throat margin business - operators want to rat run residential areas that currently have bans and curfews. Lorrimer St is a good place to pick a fight over as it isn't residential and the alternatives aren't yet built  but is scheduled to change as the area is  redeveloped...so all in all a bit of lobbying by the freight transport industry happy to use cyclists as a bargaining chip

to be fair here's a link to road industry magazine that gives background 

https://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1704/pledge-for-local-truck...

and here is the recently proposed cycle routing 

https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2017/10/26/bike-vision-confir...

 

Avatar
burtthebike | 7 years ago
9 likes

Since the Oz government has demonstrated time and time again that they hate cyclists, starting with the crass helmet law, this isn't really all that surprising. Still, at least their law has demonstrated beyond all doubt that cycle helmets don't reduce risk to cyclists, so in one way, I'm grateful to them.

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