Article: Pedestrians, cyclists clash on Coronation Drive bikeway

[ozbob]

From mX via Courier Mail click here!

Pedestrians, cyclists clash on Coronation Drive bikeway

Pedestrians, cyclists clash on Coronation Drive bikeway
Article from: MX

Anna Edwards of mX

April 16, 2008 12:00am

BRISBANE'S busiest bike paths are reaching critical mass, with conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians escalating into bike rage.

The Coronation Drive bike path - which stretches for 2.5km between the Regatta Hotel and the William Jolly Bridge - has the highest incidence of bike rage as the public compete for space, Griffith University Urban Research Program research fellow Matthew Burke says.

As with our rail, water and road infrastructure, Dr Burke said our bikeways needed urgent attention to stop the tension spreading.

"Our situation now is we have a large number of users mixing in a small space and we have conflict there," he said.

Dr Burke admitted that older routes such as the Coronation Drive riverside path created the most tension because there was little room to move.

According to Brisbane City Council data, Coronation Drive attracts 24,653 pedestrians and cyclists a week.

Dr Burke said the nearby Goodwill Bridge, which attracts 2374 cyclists and walkers between 6am and 9am weekdays, had few problems because it was wide enough to accommodate everyone.

But Bicycle Queensland manager Ben Wilson insisted that pedestrians and cyclists had gotten used to sharing the same space despite claims that bikeways had become hotbeds of anger.

"Sharing and queuing is a fact of life, and it can be done in an orderly fashion, but every now and again a situation can occur in an area or a queue or a bikeway," he said.

The number of people cycling to work in Brisbane last year increased by 12.6 per cent, according to the latest council figures.

Dr Burke claimed the State Government's Cycle Network Plan, which aims to deliver a connected and cohesive cycle network within southeast Queensland, would be a good start to address overcrowding on the paths.

But he predicted it would not be completed until 2040.

This year, Lord Mayor Campbell Newman promised to quadruple council spending on Brisbane bikeways to encourage use and ease congestion.

Under the Cycle City plan, the council will spend $25 million each year to build and improve bikeways.

Part of that funding will go towards widening the bike path along Coronation Drive.

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[Mozz]

As a regular user of this track I can confirm that it can be quite dangerous - it seems the pedestrians are treated by some bike commuters in a similar manner to which some car commuters treat bike commuters - with callous disregard.

Bikes are regularly roaring across the bikeways at speeds of 30 - 40 kph within centimetres of pedestrians without any warning bells or other signals. Yes some pedestrians don't do the right thing and wander the pathways sometimes more than 2 abreast but it's a shared resource for both bikes and pedestrians, not a cycling speedway track.

[Zoiks]

Which is why there should be a seperate dedicated medium - high speed cycle path. Leave another path for slow tourist rides, walkers and joggers

[mrciclismo]

As a regular cyclist on Coronation Drive Bikepath I can attest to clashes but these are few and far between IMO.  There are zealots on both sides i.e. cyclists and pedestrians.  It just comes down to people showing each other common courtesy and that way everyone can use the bikepath happily and safely.

[ButFli]

Which is why there should be a seperate dedicated medium - high speed cycle path. Leave another path for slow tourist rides, walkers and joggers

As an experienced cyclist I can tell you that while this sounds like a great idea in theory, the areas where it has been implemented show that it simply does not work. The only places I can recall off the top of my head are off the end of this Coronation Drive Bikeway all the way down towards Parliament, and also across the river between Southbank and the Storey Bridge (and perhaps over the Goodwill bridge I can't quite remember).

Pedestrians will walk wherever they damn well please and ignore any signs which indicate which path is "bicycle only". These pedestrians are the same ones that whinge at you because you dared to ride a bike near their child ON A PATH THAT IS CLEARLY MARKED AS BICYCLES ONLY.

Pedestrians are the problem in most cases. Do not blame the cyclists.

[Zoiks]

Which is also why there needs to be the threat of fines being issued for people on the wrong path.
Bike paths and their users are subject to rules too and thus the users should be responsible if they are doing the wrong thing