Off yer bike - for the sake of all of us on the roads (http://smh.com.au/news/opinion/off-yer-bike--for-the-sake-of-all-of-us-on-the-roads/2005/12/02/1133422105845.html)

By Michael Duffy

T'S TIME to get bikes off our roads. As a mainstream form of transport, the bicycle has proved itself the equivalent of communism: a lovely idea that failed dismally in practice. Bikes are dangerous to ride and slow traffic, which creates more pollution. For the good of all of us, we need to ban the bike.

When Government started to encourage bike riding a few decades ago, it was like the balmy days after the Russian Revolution: the future looked golden. It was hoped that a significant proportion of all trips made in Sydney would soon be by bike.

Where it all went wrong was that almost no one showed any enthusiasm to get on their bikes. Today, fewer than 1 per cent of all trips in Sydney are made by bike. The bike activists blame this on the paucity of bike lanes and tracks, but this is like Marxists excusing the failure of communism in the Soviet Union by blaming the nature of its regime. The sad truth is that in both cases a vanguard tried to impose a new form of behaviour on the populace and was rejected. The only difference is that the bike lobby hasn't accepted this.

Every week I travel 10 kilometres down a crowded, four-lane, inner-city road. Whenever it contains bikes, the traffic is frequently forced to slow to a crawl as drivers wait for a chance to pass them. This increases the pollution given off by the cars, as well as raising tempers all round.

Many bike riders hog the centre of their lane, legally and perhaps wisely, but also slip between traffic when it stops. Where there are traffic lights, this means you can find yourself grinding along behind the same bike several times in the space of a journey. So thousands of cars are inconvenienced by two or three bikes, and the amount of greenhouse gas produced increases.

Bike riders tend to be unhappy and resentful people. They relish telling stories of narrow escapes from death at the hands of stupid car drivers. While glad the individuals involved survived, one has to wonder why they persist. We all know that significant proportions of the population are depressed, tense, on a vast range of attention-limiting prescription and non-prescription drugs, or like using their mobile phones while driving.

For bike riders to launch into city traffic expecting everyone else to respond instantaneously to their unexpected appearance in the same lane, or when they flash through red lights at intersections, suggests a desire for self-harm. As does their preparedness to engage in sustained exercise where they breathe in large quantities of monoxide, with health consequences that can only be guessed at.

Possibly their thinking has been adversely affected by the smog. Consider some of the proposals the lobby group Bicycle NSW made at the last state election. These included "affirmative action" such as forcing people to stop driving by introducing parking restrictions and imposing a general urban speed limit of 50kmh for all of Sydney. Considering the tiny number of cyclists who would benefit from such a change, you wonder if the bike lobby is suffering from delusions of grandeur.

Given the threat bike riders pose to themselves and others, the big question is whether it is right to encourage them. Unfortunately, bike riding is one of those activities that has acquired an aura of virtue. Supporting it (with other people's money) is an easy way of demonstrating your moral stature. The new Westlink M7 has a 40-kilometre cycleway stretching from Prestons to Baulkham Hills. This was recommended in the tollway's environmental impact statement on the sole grounds (here quoting from the one-volume summary) that it "would improve cycling opportunities in the region".

Now, almost no one rides bikes on roads in the western suburbs. According to a Westlink spokesman, there are not even any estimated usage figures for the new bike path. Very wise, that - but it makes you wonder just why building an unwanted 40-kilometre strip of concrete to be lit at night by coal-powered electricity should be considered environmentally beneficial.

The Westlink spokesman refused to disclose how much the cycleway had added to the cost of the project - or to the toll that will be charged to road users.

Fortunately the State Government is less enthusiastic about spending its money on bike infrastructure and has recently halved such expenditure. But more needs to be done. A public campaign encouraging people not to ride bikes in traffic would be a responsible start.

-------------


Randwicked sez: You know, if I heard an asteroid was to hit Earth tomorrow, at least I would be comforted by the thought that it would fuck Michael Duffy's car up.

Both at once. He probably drives a BMW X5 or Mercedes Benz M Class.

The crap they write to sell papers.

Michael Duffy is just trying to be Andrew Bolt or Miranda Devine. Nobody used to talk about him in the letters pages, so he resorts this writing tripe like this to get mentioned, just as Andrew Bolt or Miranda does. I suspect he has a little tug at his willie when he sees the ruckus he's caused, as does Andrew Bolt and Miranda Devine.

Is he the former Federal Politician and one time Deputy PM?

This guys a fucking dickhead.

paint a line down the middle of the footpath. People keep one one sides, bikes keep on the other. Tada.

Flame away

My discussions with members of the cyclist activist group called "critical mass" , have reinforced my view that this group has inflamed aggression between motorists and cyclists. Is anyone else aware of their of this group and their activities in other locations outside of Melbourne?

paint a line down the middle of the footpath. People keep one one sides, bikes keep on the other. Tada.

Flame away

Congrats Hornetfig, you are the only one so far that has made a comment on the topic. The others, well .................?

They tend to try to lobby governments by disrupting traffic on major roads at inconvenient times, turning the motorists against them and decreasing public empathy.

The irony is that bus drivers seem to give cyclists the hardest time of all. A few times a week i'm in a bus that's sitting 1m from a cyclist madly peddling in a futile battle to get some distance between them.

Sorry, but too many bus drivers are dickheads.

...or under pressure to keep to the timetable.

They tend to try to lobby governments by disrupting traffic on major roads at inconvenient times, turning the motorists against them and decreasing public empathy.

And they are so narrow minded and sheep like to see the broader consequenses of their actions. In the long run they damage there cause.

paint a line down the middle of the footpath. People keep one one sides, bikes keep on the other. Tada.


Is that really practical?

The very streets that are narrow and thus causing troubles for motorists and cyclists are also most likely to have narrow footpaths - too narrow for that plan. Sydney's George St and Military Rd's - where I often see the problem - come to mind immediately. Putting a cycle lane down the footpath on George St - lol. You are kidding.

Yet, those roads that have wide enough footpaths a few and have wide footpaths becasue the roads themselves are wide.


Flame away

Yeah - it seems you know it's not a viable suggestion (to put it politely) and are anticipating criticism.

paint a line down the middle of the footpath. People keep one one sides, bikes keep on the other. Tada.

Flame away

Bad idea. Very unsafe for the cyclist and pedestrians alike.
Its much safer to have a cycle lane on the roadway. Makes the cyclist visible to all and the cyclist also has a beter view. A bicycle is also a road vehicle and should participate as such in traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists arent a good mix.

...or under pressure to keep to the timetable.

Unlikely as they don't tail gate slow cars by 1m as they do cyclists who are not really that slow sometimes. It's clear they're trying to send a message to the cyclist.

paint a line down the middle of the footpath. People keep one one sides, bikes keep on the other. Tada.

Hehe... cyclists might whinge about the dangers of riding in traffic, but pedestrians, particularly those who have to share footpaths with cyclists, are the biggest whingers of them all. Local papers out in the suburbs love stories about mothers who take their kids for a walk on a shared footpath and then nearly get run over by inconsiderate cyclists who don't slow down to walking pace to pass them.

I find it funny how people are always willing to react to this crap - it seems to come up every few months (either in the letters pages, an editorial or on ACA/TT).

They do it that way in many European cities and it works well. The difference is, there there is a mutual acceptance among both parties.

They do it that way in many European cities and it works well. The difference is, there there is a mutual acceptance among both parties.

We don't have that here. lol.

And i am still guessing that in the cases you mention there is more space (and less people?) than on streets such as George and Military

Correct on both counts, hence the word 'difference'.

Correct on both counts, hence the word 'difference'.

hence the words 'differences are'. ;)

Excellent point though. really.

A lot more tolerance and respect needed from both groups would make the system work better. Sadly we have too many selfish people in control of vehicles of all sorts.

damn right. lets go throw some rocks at those offending buses and put sticks in the spokes of all the bicycle couriers causing havoc on the footpaths.

A lot more tolerance and respect needed from both groups would make the system work better. Sadly we have too many selfish people in control of vehicles of all sorts.

hence the words 'differences are'.

Excellent point though. really.

Yeah, yeah, just being difficult. ;)
In all honesty, I don't know the solution. There seems to be a tendency for shared pedestrian/bicycle offroad paths (M7, LCT and a likelihood these will be joined by another in the future). Clearly though, these do nothing to solve inner-city problems and are more for recreation rather than commuting.

The obvious solution is to provide decent public transport, therefore removing cars from the roads and reclaiming a lane to provide a cycle path and wider footpath. This will never happen of course but I couldn't help throwing it in there.

I don't know if this is a viable option or not, but could the vehicle lanes on some roads be narrowed slightly (say each lane is narrowed by 20cm), adding upto enough space for a cycle lane at the side of the road?

When I was a kid growing up it was ILLEGAL to ride your bike on the footpath, conversely there was also ample space on the side of the road. If it was a busy road you stayed off it - also SINGLE FILE people - it's not rocket science! If cyclists were taught to abide by these rules idiots like Duffy wouldn't have a page to write on!

put sticks in the spokes of all the bicycle couriers causing havoc on the footpaths.

Idon't mind couriers so much - sure, they can scare the crap out of people, but at least they're usally in control and know what they're doing. What I find far more annoying are the idiots on their KMart specials who ride on crowded footpaths because they're too scared to ride on the road - they weave all over the place, get in people's way and have very bad balance.

In the region I live, it is common to see selfish cyclists riding "two abreast" making it difficult for motorists to pass.

I don't know if this is a viable option or not, but could the vehicle lanes on some roads be narrowed slightly (say each lane is narrowed by 20cm), adding upto enough space for a cycle lane at the side of the road?
Indeed. If you took lets say 25cm off each lane on Military rd for instance then you get a 75cm wide cycle lane.

I have seen many couriers (both motorists & cyclists) who have no consideration for anyones safety, let alone their own

I don't know if this is a viable option or not, but could the vehicle lanes on some roads be narrowed slightly (say each lane is narrowed by 20cm), adding upto enough space for a cycle lane at the side of the road?

The left lane must be 3.7m wide (@ 60km/h) for a shared lane, which provides a 1.2m bicycle lane. Width obviously increases as the speed limit increases.

The left lane must be 3.7m wide (@ 60km/h) for a shared lane, which provides a 1.2m bicycle lane. Width obviously increases as the speed limit increases.

Thats a freeway standard width. Surely a width of 3m would be enough on an urban road (50 / 60kph)?

That's 2.5m road, 1.2m bicycle. It's just an Austroads standard. Such standards are often not met in reality.

Critical Mass? That term is emotive and doesn't really do justice to precisely what it is.

Critical Mass is a group of people headed in roughly the same direction at roughly the same time, with some joining the group en route and others veering off, on public roads, in numbers large enough that they can't move that quickly even if they wanted to. The people are on bikes occupying a small amount of road space and it happens once a month.

Peak Hour is a group of people headed in roughly the same direction at roughly the same time, with some joining the group en route and others veering off, on public roads, in numbers large enough that they can't move that quickly even if they wanted to. The people are encased in cars occupying a colossal amount of road space and it happens ten times a week.

Critical Mass doesn't hold up traffic, it simply is traffic. The tail end of peak hour causes far more delays than the cyclists do at 6.15pm or so whenever they actually start rolling and it's not as if once a month is much more of an imposte to anyone or anything than peak hour, seeing as they both work on a rough but predictable schedule.

Critical Mass? That term is emotive and doesn't really do justice to precisely what it is.

Critical Mass is a group of people headed in roughly the same direction at roughly the same time, with some joining the group en route and others veering off, on public roads, in numbers large enough that they can't move that quickly even if they wanted to. The people are on bikes occupying a small amount of road space and it happens once a month.

Peak Hour is a group of people headed in roughly the same direction at roughly the same time, with some joining the group en route and others veering off, on public roads, in numbers large enough that they can't move that quickly even if they wanted to. The people are encased in cars occupying a colossal amount of road space and it happens ten times a week.

Critical Mass doesn't hold up traffic, it simply is traffic. The tail end of peak hour causes far more delays than the cyclists do at 6.15pm or so whenever they actually start rolling and it's not as if once a month is much more of an imposte to anyone or anything than peak hour, seeing as they both work on a rough but predictable schedule.

"Critical mass" is a group of activists that deliberately cause as much problems as they possibly can to disrupt others. Sadly I believe someone will get hurt as a result of their selfish actions.

I think there is a lack of road education full stop in this nation. Basic manners are none existent, you go to Europe they stay left them have slower cars in left lane and faster cars in right. Here you have constant dickheads who go to slow and then the fast and impatient or "hoon".

The view that speed is evil from the Looney left and righteous right is purely ill education a quick fix.

Driving skill is poor at best and manners shocking, driving in Australia is not something people enjoy.

Did I mention they have amazing 21st century roads that are thought out well and public transport that is abundant and well organized for people to actually use?

I think there is a lack of road education full stop in this nation. Basic manners are none existent, you go to Europe they stay left them have slower cars in left lane and faster cars in right.

Not quite. Perhaps in places like Germany and Austria but try driving in places like Italy and Greece. On a rural highway, it's not uncommon to have to move off to the side of the road as a car is coming the other direction in your lane to pass another car. They're a little bit crazy over there but it seems to work for them. On freeways, what you say is true. Slow cars in right lane, absolutely no overtaking in right lane. That's law over there and here but it's not policed here.

How about we turn all 6 lane arterials into this in each carriageway?

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/2353/dsc031733zc.jpg

:baeh3:

"Critical mass" is a group of activists that deliberately cause as much problems as they possibly can to disrupt others. Sadly I believe someone will get hurt as a result of their selfish actions.

If you're going to get sad or otherwise blue and italicised whenever someone might get hurt, don't ever go near a car again. In fact, don't step out of your front door. It's a big planet out there, filled with lots of people with conflicting interests, both intentional and unintentional.

What an idiot.I couldnt believe I was reading it when I first saw it.

Bicyles are the number one mode of travel within the 5km to 10km radius if the area is flat.I live and work in Osaka.I would have to say over half of my trips are made by the humble bicycle.Heathy,green and very very cheap!!!!

How about we turn all 6 lane arterials into this in each carriageway?

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/2353/dsc031733zc.jpg

:baeh3:

That pic is dam awesome.If only all our main roads were like that and we had a metro accompanied by the larger heavy rail system for the longer trips we wouldnt need to use cars so much.Bicycles would have baskets for shopping trips and little front and back seats to take the little one's to pre school.A perfect world.

Of course a nice big heafty congestion charge on all cars using the road would make this a reality.

In Brisbane there are quite a few major raods which now incorporate cycle lanes. The design standard for road widenings is a 9m carriageway in each direction with a 2m cycle lane and 2 x 3.5m traffic lanes. Although in many areas the traffic lanes are 3m wide and the cycle lanes are 1m wide.

^^^

Do you have any pictures of those kinds of roads.I would like to see them

In the region I live, it is common to see selfish cyclists riding "two abreast" making it difficult for motorists to pass.

If you're talking about the Dandenongs, I have experienced some of the most idiotic drivers whilst riding through them. The fact is, it is necessary on windy narrow roads to ride well wide of the edge, especially on corners, to make sure drivers slow down and overtake you - not just pass you in the same lane with about a foot of clearance. Too many drivers think they can stay in their lane and only need to slow from 70-65kph - then an oncoming car comes and they are forced to pass within the same lane - which in the hills are often not wide enough for any more than a small car to pass a cyclist.

The last time I was in Oz, riding around the hills - grew up there as a kid, so I know the area and the roads very well - I copped every kind of abuse and bad driving there. Driving two abreast is the safest way to travel when there are so many blind corners. And anyway, why should I compromise my safety so that you can have a slightly quicker trip??? Would you rather an extra car to wait behind at the lights or one less parking space to choose from?

Cycling is a legitmate form of transport, and until anti cycling drivers get into their head that whiles cycles may slow traffic, they also take up less space, they don't add to traffic jams, don't add to respiratory illness, the greenhouse effect.....etc.... and they take up no parking spaces.

My discussions with members of the cyclist activist group called "critical mass" , have reinforced my view that this group has inflamed aggression between motorists and cyclists. Is anyone else aware of their of this group and their activities in other locations outside of Melbourne?

yeah - i frequent critical mass and i enjoy pissing off car drivers - it shows them up as the uptight, stressed out, selfish pricks that they are. i mean - they should be aware that part of the CBD will be blocked on the last friday arvo of the month - so avoid it! fuck me! - bikes taking over the CBD for a couple of hours a month - what next? mwa hahahahahahah

yeah - i frequent critical mass and i enjoy pissing off car drivers - it shows them up as the uptight, stressed out, selfish pricks that they are.

That’s not very fair (unless you are taking the piss).

I’m perfectly aware of the tribulations suffered by cyclists and treat them with respect on the road. I was one myself for many years. But to go and purposely piss people off ain’t going to help your cause. It’s hardly going endear people to you. It’s also down right rude.

oh come on...........its fun!
but seriously critical mass is a great idea, not only because it demostrates in an 'in your face' way how cycling should be more seriously considered, but its nice to be able to use the streets for non-motorised transport (including pedestrians), even if only for a few hours. I'm not sure I agreed with the Citylink tunnel blockage that happened a while back - while its a big impact demo, it created far too much havoc., although in that case it served more as a protest against continued reliance on big ticket road infrastructure over PT/cycling initiatives.
Critical mass is about advocating for people-based/human scale urban planning against incessant car-based planning - a brief moment of sanity in the hectic traffic ridden city. Ahhhh - can i put a flower in your gun barrel while I'm here?

I've got to say, all that does is channels the motorists' anger towards cyclists rather than in support of them and towards the government. The government just sits back and enjoys the show.

glad I live in Melbourne. Bikes may not be fully accepted here, but our inner city has the best infrastructure in the country for them, and a lot of people use it as a valid alternative form of transport.

There are about 12,000 cycle trips into and out of Melbourne's CBD each weekday, including 3,300 cyclists every weekday on Swanston Street alone (which actually carries more bicycles than motor vehicles if you exclude taxis, trams and buses).

http://www.bv.com.au/file/Count%20data%20for%20Swanstons%20St%201992%20-05.pdf

Beach Rd is Australia's premier cycling training route and carries more than 7,000 bicycles each weekend including packs that number over 150 riders.

Bicycle Victoria works hard to make Melbourne councils accountable for cycling and the flat topography of the city makes it a riders heaven. Recently Melbourne City Council announced it would be copying Copenhagen (City of Cyclists) model, which is great news for cyclists.

now for a more serious reply::

the most significant problem is that the primary right of way conflict is between cyclists and buses, two 'clean' forms of transport. Now I don't think you can argue that a bus, transporting, say 50 passengers ought have a higher priority than a bicycle, but on the other hand, a bicycle as a efficient form of transport ought have higher priority than a car.

So, how can it be arranged that buses and bicyclists don't conflict with each other but do conflict with the typical single-occupant vehicle?

The answer that I can see is to put in your 3.2m bus lane, then a 3m right lane then add a solid dividing beside the bus lane and put the bicyclists in the left-most general traffic lane (as wide as possible to minimise ROW conflicts).

So on your typical six lane arterial:


| ^ | ^ ^ | v | v | v |
| 3.2m | | | 3m | 3m | | | 3.2m |
| bus | | | | | bus |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |

with those centre lanes however wide depending on carriageway constraints.

^^^

Do you have any pictures of those kinds of roads.I would like to see them

I don't have any pictures of these roads are there are none near me. But if I have time I can go looking for them with my digital camera. Dandenong Road, Mt Ommaney and Manly Road, Manly West come to mind. In each case the road researve is 30 metres wide with a 9m carriageway on each side of a 4m median strip. The bike lanes are closest to the kerb and 2m wide, while there are 2 general traffic lanes in each direction that are 3.5m wide.

i support whole-heartedly their aims. Cyclists are treated like shit on the roads. It is just some of their tactics that i don't think have done them any favours in getting their support. Particurly the way you describe them a few posts back. lol (and i did suggest you were taking the piss)
:)
oh come on...........its fun!
but seriously critical mass is a great idea, not only because it demostrates in an 'in your face' way how cycling should be more seriously considered, but its nice to be able to use the streets for non-motorised transport (including pedestrians), even if only for a few hours. I'm not sure I agreed with the Citylink tunnel blockage that happened a while back - while its a big impact demo, it created far too much havoc., although in that case it served more as a protest against continued reliance on big ticket road infrastructure over PT/cycling initiatives.
Critical mass is about advocating for people-based/human scale urban planning against incessant car-based planning - a brief moment of sanity in the hectic traffic ridden city. Ahhhh - can i put a flower in your gun barrel while I'm here?

Extract from 10/12/2005 SMH Editorial
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/12/09/1134086804756.html

Two wheels good

READERS who have feared this week that a bout of petrol sniffing has broken out in these offices can rest easy: the Herald is not opposed to bicycles. From behind the windscreen, cycling may look laborious and be annoying, but we realise the cyclist's life has pleasures that the car folk never know. Michael Duffy argued that cyclists should be banned from the roads. Cyclists responded that, on the contrary, the world would be a better place if cycling were compulsory. We believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle, preferably in a designated bike lane where it has less chance of being run over by a semi-trailer.

I don't have any pictures of these roads are there are none near me. But if I have time I can go looking for them with my digital camera. Dandenong Road, Mt Ommaney and Manly Road, Manly West come to mind. In each case the road researve is 30 metres wide with a 9m carriageway on each side of a 4m median strip. The bike lanes are closest to the kerb and 2m wide, while there are 2 general traffic lanes in each direction that are 3.5m wide.

Nice.The bike lanes in Osaka are red and are usally just next to the pavement.No one ever uses them,strictly speaking.People just ride where they want.Considering everyone in the city uses bicycles for short trips it can get messy

About 5 weeks ago I was driving down Ingles Rd and had to swerve around a man and a woman riding two abreast having some sort of conversation (like those idiots that stop their cars in the middle of the road to talk! - happens mostly in small towns!) I beeped the horn - and yelled out single file guys - then went around them. Not maliciously either but I beleive it serves their interests to get out of the way.

My brother worked with a gu in Canberra who collided with (and killed) a cyclist on Hindmarsh Dr and his workmate was not charged

As annoying as it may be to you, it is perfectly legal for cyclists to ride two abreast. Wow - sounds like you were a real hero putting them in their place. :ohno:

About 5 weeks ago I was driving down Ingles Rd and had to swerve around a man and a woman riding two abreast having some sort of conversation (like those idiots that stop their cars in the middle of the road to talk! - happens mostly in small towns!) I beeped the horn - and yelled out single file guys - then went around them. Not maliciously either but I beleive it serves their interests to get out of the way.

My brother worked with a gu in Canberra who collided with (and killed) a cyclist on Hindmarsh Dr and his workmate was not charged

As annoying as it may be to you, it is perfectly legal for cyclists to ride two abreast. Wow - sounds like you were a real hero putting them in their place. :ohno:

Yes, and can actually make cycling safer - instead of trying to squeeze past and forcing the cyclist into the gutter, people are forced to change lanes (or at least make some effort) to actually go around the cyclist.

Of course cyclists who do this on busy, single lane roads are very annoying (just like the (far more common) idiot drivers who drive slowly in the middle or right lanes of a freeway).

From today's SMH editorial (http://smh.com.au/editorial/index.html?page=2) (the paper that started it all)
------------------------------
Two wheels good


READERS who have feared this week that a bout of petrol sniffing has broken out in these offices can rest easy: the Herald is not opposed to bicycles. From behind the windscreen, cycling may look laborious and be annoying, but we realise the cyclist's life has pleasures that the car folk never know. Michael Duffy argued that cyclists should be banned from the roads. Cyclists responded that, on the contrary, the world would be a better place if cycling were compulsory. We believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle, preferably in a designated bike lane where it has less chance of being run over by a semi-trailer.

Obviously Anton, you didn't read my post about 6 posts back.

Obviously Anton, you didn't read my post about 6 posts back.

OK - you're the WINNER!!!! :D

9IT'S TIME to get bikes off our roads. As a mainstream form of transport, the bicycle has proved itself the equivalent of communism: a lovely idea that failed dismally in practice. Bikes are dangerous to ride and slow traffic, which creates more pollution. For the good of all of us, we need to ban the bike.

yep.

Can't they just ride on the footpath instead of making people drive slowly and carefully behind them just so they dont get killed. They don't deserve it, stupid greenpeace hippies.

9IT'S TIME to get bikes off our roads. As a mainstream form of transport, the bicycle has proved itself the equivalent of communism: a lovely idea that failed dismally in practice. Bikes are dangerous to ride and slow traffic, which creates more pollution. For the good of all of us, we need to ban the bike.

yep.

Can't they just ride on the footpath instead of making people drive slowly and carefully behind them just so they dont get killed. They don't deserve it, stupid greenpeace hippies.

Actually, how has it failed "dismally"?
banning bikes => more cars on road = more pollution.

Oh, and you've just proved yourself to be a hypocrite. Your calling bicycles the equivalent of communism and here you are trying to force bicycle riders to find alternate means of transport.

^Not to mention ignorant and insular. In places like Brisbane, bikes may not be a common site, but in many other parts of the world it is the cyclists that keep the traffic moving.

In fact, arguably there are many more places where the car has proven to be a failure than the bicycle.

And I'm not just referring to countries such as China - high petrol prices combined with congestion (and congestion charging) has resulted in huge increases in cycling in London - a city which has all the negative aspects a cyclist would want - narrow roads, lots of buses, crap weather, darkness in winter between 3:30pm and 7:30am. In central London, the quickest form of transport by far is cycling.

In most European cities, cycling for commuting within cities has always been the norm for much of the population - even with a strong, cold, dark winter.

So before you go making broad sweeping generalisations, open your eyes to the fact that Astraya isn't in any sense representative of the world as a whole.

Well I stand corrected - I looked at the VicRoads website and Indeed you can ride 2 abreast. When I was growing up I was always told single file! Oh well!