Cycling in Melbourne Australia
Careful now!
Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!
Here's a police response to several CBD issues, although possibly re-tweaked in the meedya to placate the plebs that feral, rogue cyclists are being monitored in the aftermath of their outrage against a defenseless Rex Hunt.
Yes, it's another quality contribution from the HS: Police put brakes on rogue cyclists
Don't bother reading the comments they'll just shorten your lifespan & raise hypertension levels.
City cyclists will be part of a major blitz aimed at pedestrians and motorcyclists flouting road rules. Traffic officers said the CBD had the highest rate of cyclist and pedestrian collisions in the state and the injury toll was increasing at an alarming rate. They say too many cyclists do not observe or know road rules designed to protect them and others.
Fair cop, as riding in the CBD does call for extra care & responsibility, although there's one too many peds who need a basic reminder on how to safely cross streets or their own personalised lolly-pop lady for their own safety.
Slightly more measured response from The Age: Road safety blitz in Melbourne's CBD
Police will launch a four-day road safety blitz in Melbourne's CBD in a bid to reduce the alarming number of collisions involving cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Where the fook did they find this bloke? He must be the only non-fixed rider left in the entire CBD!
Here's a police response to several CBD issues, although possibly re-tweaked in the meedya to placate the plebs that feral, rogue cyclists are being monitored in the aftermath of their outrage against a defenseless Rex Hunt.
Yes, it's another quality contribution from the HS: Police put brakes on rogue cyclists
City cyclists will be part of a major blitz aimed at pedestrians and motorcyclists flouting road rules. Traffic officers said the CBD had the highest rate of cyclist and pedestrian collisions in the state and the injury toll was increasing at an alarming rate. They say too many cyclists do not observe or know road rules designed to protect them and others.
Fair cop, as riding in the CBD does call for extra care & responsibility, although there's one too many peds who need a basic reminder on how to safely cross streets or their own personalised lolly-pop lady for their own safety.
Slightly more measured response from The Age: Road safety blitz in Melbourne's CBD
Police will launch a four-day road safety blitz in Melbourne's CBD in a bid to reduce the alarming number of collisions involving cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Where the fook did they find this bloke? He must be the only non-fixed rider left in the entire CBD!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by NicoleH on -
I hope they will also be ticketing cars who use the bicycle lane to park, pass or turn!
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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on -
Although a duty of care does exist, drivers shouldn't suddenly use bike lanes when otherwise occupied by another legal road user!
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Permalink Reply by Cory on -
Yeah - made the assumption there that people actually know what those flashy light things are, and how to merge. Cory - FAIL!
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Permalink Reply by Jaeger on -
I'm not convinced that this is true. They can cross your lane when they turn but they can't enter it to turn. So if for example the bike lane is one of those (fantastic IMO) ones where the left-turning lane is actually on the left of the bike lane, they can go through the bike lane to enter the turning lane. But if their turning lane is on the right of the bike lane, then they are supposed to turn from their own lane. Open to being proven wrong though, is there a relevant specific road rule?
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Permalink Reply by Treadly and Me on -
There most certainly are relevant road rules—and I'm afraid you're wrong: motor vehicles may enter the bicycle lane under a range of conditions, including to turn left.
This is specifically mentioned in the Driving in Victoria: rules and responsibilities booklet:
If you need to turn left from the road, you may drive along the bicycle lane within 50 metres of your turn off point. You should be courteous to cyclists. You must give way to cyclists in a bicycle lane, and only move into a bicycle lane when it is safe to do so.
Under the Victorian Road Rules (and anywhere the model Australian Road Rules are adopted), the specific rules you need to check are 153 and 158 (in Part 11). Rule 153 says, in part:
A driver (except the rider of a bicycle) must not drive in a bicycle lane, unless the driver is permitted to drive in the bicycle lane under this rule or rule 158.
The conditions in rule 158 include:
(1) The driver of any vehicle may drive for up to the permitted distance in a bicycle lane, bus lane, tram lane, transit lane or truck lane if it is necessary for the driver to drive in the lane:
(a) to enter or leave the road; or
(b) to enter a part of the road of one kind from a part of the road of another kind (for example, moving to or from a service road, the shoulder of the road or an emergency stopping lane); or
(c) to overtake a vehicle that is turning right, or making a U-turn from the centre of the road, and is giving a right change of direction signal; or
(d) to enter a marked lane, or part of the road where there is room for a line of traffic (other than motor bikes, bicycles, motorised wheelchairs or animals), from the side of the road.…
(4) In this rule:
permitted distance means:
(a) for a bicycle lane or tram lane — 50 metres; or
(b) for any other lane — 100 metres.
Which means there are plenty of occasions where it's perfectly legal for motor vehicles to enter a designated bicycle lane and travel for up to 50 metres.
Regarding the situation where the turning lane is to the left of the bicycle lane (as shown in the 'Head Start' Storage Areas at Intersections design note), I believe drivers are bound by rule 28 and 29 (in Part 4):
A driver turning left at an intersection from a multi-lane road must approach and enter the intersection from within the left lane…
and
If a driver is turning left at an intersection and there is a road marking indicating how the turn is required to be made, the driver must make the turn as indicated by the road marking.
In which case, the turning vehicle may cross the bicycle lane to get to the turning lane but may not turn from the bicycle lane (where no turning marks exist). This also implies that bicycles must use the turning lane when turning left and not turn from the bicycle lane.
I can't think of many places where there are marked left-turn lanes to the right of a through bicycle lane. No doubt there are such situations, but it's crap design and should be removed.
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Permalink Reply by Jaeger on
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Yeah the last case is what I had in mind. There is one where Peel St goes into Flemington Rd. Both bike lane and car lane turn left, both are clearly marked, yet drivers frequently turn from the bike line, which irritates me. There is often traffic holding left-turning cars up but nothing in the bike lane around the corner. So drivers who do this needlessly obstruct the clear flow of cycle traffic.
It isn't a crap design at all. If the bike lane were on the other side you would get stuck in the middle of a busy road when you turned. Other alternative would be to remove the bike lane 20 metres before the intersection, but that would not improve safety for cyclists either. I think the thing most likely to improve behaviour would be a lick of that green paint they're mad for at the moment.
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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on
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Ignoring my own advice here.
About time! For too long these holier than thou, two wheeled anarchists have thought they can get away with ignoring the road rules... Posted by: Bad Brad of Nazi Victoria 7:49am today Comment 12 of 38
Pity the Hun doesn't have full html comments so I could post the following diagram online to assist this confused muppet.
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Permalink Reply by Jaeger on
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These people are not some minority group of freaks, they're the regular Joe's that almost kill me on a weekly-basis because they think anyone who rides a bike is an evil law-breaking monster who deserves pain for running red lights.
Incidentally the two-wheeled anarchists are making a perfectly rational decision given their information set, which includes the fact that up until now you were probably much more likely to be mashed into the road by a truck than be fined for running that red light... I'd like to to come home to my kids tomorrow night, so bring on the fines. I'll be happier when the herald-sun's readership just concentrates their anger on my vegetarianism - assuming they don't try and run me over for that crime...
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Permalink Reply by Cory on
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You almost get killed every week? Errr.. WTF are you DOING!??
Sorry... I commute every day. Sure, it's only a quick one, but I take lanes when required and I rarely, (almost never) have any grief. Ever.
But yeah - bookem Danno. Book the pedestrons too. And the cars. We have the laws... thank funk they're going to start enforcing them.
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Permalink Reply by Jaeger on
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Possibly I exaggerated for effect. I've never actually been hit by a car, every crash only between myself and the ground... I like to think it (the not being collected by a car bit) is because I'm just such a fantastic rider; I suspect it has more to do with luck though.
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