[bikeqld] RE: Murphys Creek
Matt
matt at people.net.au
Wed Apr 1 18:57:16 CDT 2009
BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;
}Valid points made by all here (and thanks to all who have corrected
my previously incorrect view of single-file on single-lane roads :)
I *could* tell my mates that are in the police but the one who would
do something about it has been reassigned to special duties for a
couple of years - and the police in Toowoomba have proven on many an
occasion to be unwilling to bother going to Murphy's Creek for
anything.
I'm also not advocating running away from abuse or a fight - I'm
more interested in informing people of the situation so that they are
better able to make an informed decision about what to watch for and
to be aware of potential situations. The roads in this area are
narrow and the locals are able to drive around while drunk in
oversize 4WD's because there is not a police presence. If you get
someone who is not blessed with fore-thought for their actions, the
legal system may be highly developed and there to make the people
answer for their crimes but people still have smashed bikes and
smashed bones and the potential for death or lifelong injuries.
I'm the same way with roads. I ride through MC myself at times (it
is a FANTASTIC (fast!) ride when the westerlies are blowing! :) but I
know the area and the kind of people that are there and it requires a
heightened sense of awareness when going through there. The
difference between there and riding in Brisbane is that there is
little traffic and the chances of being mowed down and not found with
the perpetrator being unknown are far greater. I will not ride on
footpaths in Brisbane because I am a vehicle that is entitled to the
road as well - but discretion does override this on Bowen Bridge rd
as it is just downright dangerous through there with those narrow
lanes.
The whole basis of this is "possession of knowledge that may save
your life" and "be safe".
On Wed 01/04/09 22:57 , "Peter Whittle" pjl.whittle at optusnet.com.au
sent:
I'm for softly-softly to a point, but at the end of the day, we have
a
highly developed justice system that is designed for such folk, so
while
discretion is good (and I have worked in such areas wearing a blue
shirt),
nor can we allow ourselves to be intimidated by such people. They
don't own
Murphy's Creek, or the roads around it, and they can't go around
assaulting
people they don't like or understand. Nor, for that matter, do they,
by and
large. One idiot will drive into some cyclists in the middle of
Sydney - it
doesn't have to be Banjo-land - but many more have sworn to their
mates that
they would do it and they have never done it. There is a lot of
brave talk
that does not translate into stupid action. Heck, if I was going to
fold
over on such a threat, would I be riding on Brisbane roads?
The message out of the Sydney case and many others was obey the road
rules
and be cool-headed - don't throw back the abuse or you lose your
moral
right, but report it to the police, persistently, and eventually the
message
will get through.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: bikeqld-bounces at bikeqld.org.au []
On Behalf Of Dave Mc
Sent: Thursday, 2 April 2009 6:00 AM
To:
Subject: [bikeqld] RE: Murphys Creek
Ian- what you quote is perfectly correct- BUT- it won't bring back a
number
of dead cyclists, or suddenly miraculously heal injuries. It finally
comes
down to discretion being the better part of valour. There are times
when it
is wiser to abrogate one's rights to come home alive to one's family
again.
The S word- survival.
A couple of us are currently rewriting the Queensland Bicentennial
National
Trail guidebooks (as volunteers)- massive job Qld has half the
books- six.
(anyone with any interest in this contact me off list).
We are encountering this very difficulty right across Queensland. As
the
Trail wends its way south we are now finding many areas on the edges
of
towns that were rural 20 years ago that are now rural residential
(and the
Trail DOES pass through Murphys Creek- we cycled it recently
auditing the
Trail).
The difficulties you have listed we have encountered in a number of
places.
Folks like to grow their recreational plants and DON'T like
strangers
passing by. We were challenged by one guy once hundreds of metres
from his
house- and we had never left (or were going to leave) public road.
He was
finally supportive when he realised our mission- but his initial
hostility
was unnerving.
Other places we have heard of guys who are pretty handy with guns.
How do
you write all this up in public notes? Can't be too direct- it
becomes quite
an exercise in creatively writing veiled messages hoping trekkers
pick up
the drift!
Softly softly is the order of the day methinks.
-----Original Message-----
From: bikeqld-bounces at bikeqld.org.au []
On Behalf Of
Sent: Thursday, 2 April 2009 3:00 AM
To:
Subject: bikeqld Digest, Vol 44, Issue 1
Send bikeqld mailing list submissions to
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://www.bikeqld.org.au/mailman/listinfo/bikeqld
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
You can reach the person managing the list at
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of bikeqld digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Riding around Toowoomba (Matt)
2. Re: Riding around Toowoomba (Ian Lister)
3. RE: Riding around Toowoomba (Peter Whittle)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:48:51 +0000
From: Matt
Subject: [bikeqld] Riding around Toowoomba
To: "BIQ"
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
I guess this should be passed around as a warning more than
anything
for those in the Toowoomba area who ride through Murphy's Creek (the
circuit from Mt Kynock / Ballard Hill / Murphy's Creek / back the
Toowoomba Range.
I was talking to someone on the weekend who lives near the area
(not
in the township itself) and there is a LOT of discontent in the area
with cyclists - particularly the packs who ride 2- and 3-abreast on
the narrow, single-lane road. For the sake of clarity, this person
is
an ex-cyclist and has ridden motorbikes for near 40 years, so they
are
well versed in the life on two wheels.
(Remember - I'm not advocating anything here - just passing on a
message to the cycling community from someone I spoke to who lives
near there and is expecting to wake up one morning to the sounds of
many sirens).
Now... the funny thing about Murphy's Creek is that it is somewhat
like the joke about Tasmania - a bit of inbreeding - a lot of
boozing
- it's known for people who indulge in the wacky weed - the
occasional
bit of after-dark "lurve" with Bessy (before tipping her later in
the
night) - and even a family or two who may share the teeth around so
that they can take turns chewing during mealtimes.
My own experience has shown that there are people down that way who
will NOT give any credence to the right of a cyclist being on the
road and often think nothing of pulling out of a blind driveway onto
a road with highway speed at zero knots (I've experienced the
4-wheel
lockup more than once thanks to people who think like this).
Someone
in lycra automatically becomes a target for sport from a lump of
wood
or an empty stubby. You are not dealing with city types who will
semi-respect your rights on the road!
The whole point of this is that if anyone knows of people in the
Toowoomba area who ride through here - PLEASE tell them to ride
single file through this area (as dictated by the road rules) and be
sure to allow vehicles to pass whenever possible because there are
people down that way in their 4WD's or old Falcon/Holden who will
think nothing about running a pack off the road into the scrub for
sport - especially if they are "hogging the road".
Remember too - don't blame the messenger - I just want to help
prevent someone losing bark or getting their bike trashed.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
http://www.bikeqld.org.au/pipermail/bikeqld/attachments/20090331/e9a2591c/at
tachment-0001.htm
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 10:11:54 +1000 (EST)
From: Ian Lister
Subject: Re: [bikeqld] Riding around Toowoomba
To:
Message-ID:
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Hi Matt,
On Tue, 31 Mar 2009, Matt wrote:
[snip]
> The whole point of this is that if anyone knows of people in the
> Toowoomba area who ride through here - PLEASE tell them to ride
single
> file through this area (as dictated by the road rules)
[snip]
I'm sure I won't be the only one to point out that the road rules
permit
cyclists to cycle two abreast (and more if overtaking).
http://www.bikeqld.org.au/wiki/Road_rules#Riding_two_abreast
=====8 Toowoomba area who ride through here - PLEASE tell them to
ride single
> file through this area (as dictated by the road rules)
[snip]
I'm sure I won't be the only one to point out that the road rules
permit
cyclists to cycle two abreast (and more if overtaking).
http://www.bikeqld.org.au/wiki/Road_rules#Riding_two_abreast
=====8
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.bikeqld.org.au/pipermail/bikeqld/attachments/20090401/1ea09a85/attachment-0001.htm
More information about the bikeqld
mailing list