[bikeqld] Is Nathan Rees really a cyclist?

[Anthony Lee]

>From the Sydney Morning Herald

Ranks swell as Sydney's cyclists take to the streets
Jennie Curtin 
September 5, 2009 - 12:00AM 
IT'S another of the rites of spring: along with discarding that
extra layer of clothing, stepping out for an early morning walk and
detecting the scent of jasmine in the air comes the arrival in force of
the two-wheeled brigade.
Sydney commuters are taking to bicycles
with increasing enthusiasm, with numbers more than doubling since 2002,
according to RTA figures. And the onset of the warmer weather brings an
instant spike in the statistics.
The RTA installed counters on
cycleways around the city in 2002 to monitor bike usage. In that year,
there were an average 2500 riders every weekday; by 2007, the figure
had climbed to 4200.
The most popular cycle paths are on the
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge and Anzac Parade. There are also
considerable numbers riding into the city on some of the major roads,
including Oxford Street, Broadway and King Street Newtown, but
automatic counters as yet cannot separate bicycles from cars, so
numbers are uncertain.
And while bikes are hardly likely to ever
match it with cars, last year 1.2 million bikes were sold in Australia,
outnumbering car sales for the ninth consecutive year.
The good
news for cyclists is that the more numerous they are, the safer they
are, says associate Professor Chris Rissel, from the School of Public
Health at Sydney University. ''The data tends to suggest that as more
people cycle, drivers become more used to riders around them,'' he said.
''It has a civilising influence on the majority of drivers to have more cyclists around.''
But
road rage still features between drivers and cyclists and, indeed,
pedestrians. On Pyrmont Bridge, a route shared by walkers and riders,
there are near misses daily, many caused by speeding cyclists. As one
walker, Ian Sinden, said yesterday: ''It's ironic that, when sharing
road space, many cyclists complain about hostile drivers but the
cyclists themselves become the aggressors when pedestrians are
involved.''
Separate cycle paths help to ease such tensions. City
of Sydney has taken the lead in building bike paths, earmarking $70
million over the next four years. It also offers free courses for those
new to city commuting and it maintains a fleet of 15 bicycles for staff
to use.
The NSW Government should follow suit, according to
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon. ''The Rees Government is yet to wake up to the
cycling renaissance and commit the millions needed to gear Sydney for
bikes. In 2005 Michael Costa slashed bike and pedestrian funding by a
third. This year the Government only earmarked $6.7 million for
cycling, falling short of its 1999 commitment to allocate $25 million a
year.''
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/ranks-swell-as-sydneys-cyclists-take-to-the-streets-20090904-fbid.html 
 Anthony Lee
The Doctor -- the last of the Time Lords?
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E-Mail: doctorw1963 at yahoo.com.au



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