Last Bike Sydney Ride – the Sydney Push ride

On Wednesday I went on what will be my last Bike Sydney ride.  I took the Green Trek on the train to Martin Place in time for the assembly at the stairs near the GPO clock tower.

When I got there I met one of the local bike messengers, who surprised me when I found he was riding a Raleigh Mountain bike as opposed to the usual single speed bikes. I hung around the GPO waiting for the other riders and Gilbert Grace – the ride leader turned up. Gilbert turned up and I signed on. If he was surprised to see me he didn’t show it. I had not gone on a Bike Sydney Twilight ride for ages. They really are something special.

Before too long the bike messengers departed either for jobs or back home/the pub or another hang out and the other riders turned up. These included an older rider with an electric power assist hybrid and a young commuting cyclist.

Gilbert gave us the lowdown on the theme of the ride. It was going to be the Sydney Push. The Push was a group of famous and some would argue infamous intellectuals who included the likes of Paddy Mcguinness, Germaine Greer, Harry Hooton, Eva Cox and Robert Hughes. They used to meet at some of the Royal George Pub pictured and held meetings and took part in activism that was particular to their interests. They took their name after some of the local criminal gangs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like the gangs there was a connection – tenuous at best between the Push and the Sydney Underworld, who also frequented the Royal George and other venues which the push frequented. They were prominent from the 1940s to the 1970s.

After we signed on we were joined by a couple of other riders including Kerry Chin who I had met previously on Massbug Rides and Critical Mass. When the ride started we headed up Martin Place through the grounds of Sydney Hospital, through the Domain to the Art Gallery. From there we went on to Woolloomooloo via a lift. Gilbert and I took the stairs and were joined by the other riders when they came down in the lift. We then headed up through the back streets up to the Cross where we went to the first landmark of the ride. The former residence of Juanita Nielsen on Crown Street.

Gilbert related the story of Juanita’s disappearance and her campaign to prevent the destruction of the Darlinghurst Kings Cross area. We also heard how Tropfest began in a pub down the road. It had begun in the back room of a pub and then grew. It is now one of Sydney’s big events – a short film festival which thousands enter. We also heard about Bea Miles one of the Sydney eccentrics who also frequented the area.

From there we went through to the lower end of Darlinghurst road where Gilbert pointed out a studio/residence where Brett Whitely and others lived and worked in the 1960s. We then headed though the back streets of Potts Point and Darlinghurst before we returned to the City. I found it ironic that as cyclists we had a discussion about the Aston Martins on show in the showroom in Darlinghurst.

We rode back into the city and then rode to Pyrmont where we saw the Royal George (pictured above). It is now the Slip Inn and famous as the watering hole where the Price of Denmark met Mary his Australian wife. We discussed the pub for a few moments before a safety briefing on the areas we were going to go through in Pyrmont. We then followed the path accross the Pyrmont bridge and rode around the buildings near the Channel 7 area in Darling Harbour.

We then rode through Pyrmont, where the rain began to play havoc with the ride. I wasn’t sure but I suspect Gilbert cut the ride short when we got to Glebe because we were initially going to go to a pub in Forrest Lodge. Instead we went to the Friend in the Hand in Glebe. I wasn’t worried about cutting the ride short and welcomed the opportunity for a meal and a couple of schooners of beer.

One of the guys who had a cable lock allowed me to lock my bike with his. We went inside after taking all the stealable stuff of the bikes and were able to score a table near the fire. The thing with the Friend in the hand is that like a lot of Sydney Pubs it has a lot of international clientele, some of them no doubt have stayed there and there is a lot of souvenirs on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Some of these things include what I suspect is a surf boat hanging upside down, any number of remote control aircraft, a large number of photos of celebrities – who may or may not have something to do with the pub and the usual number plates and foreign currency.

Like a lot of Sydney Pubs The Friend also has some good food going cheap. I scored the Spaghetti Bolognaise and a garlic bread all for under $10.00. I enjoyed my schooners and partook in the bread that was handed around by the pub management. We also got some olive oil to dip it in.  While we ate we discussed future rides including an underbelly themed ride that may happen sometime in the future. We discussed the likes of Neddy Smith and Roger Rogerson. I also mentioned the possibility of seeing the old Commancheros club house at Louisa Street Birchgrove. Gilbert knew of some good places such as the place in Pine Street Chippendale where Roger Rogerson shot Warren Lanfranchi. We also had a discussion regarding religion, moving house, Atheism, the causes of  World War I and other topics before it became to call it a night.

I decided to ride back to Tempe through Petersham, and Dulwich Hill. It was a good ride and I got back in time for some good sleep. It will be a shame to miss such fine company and food, however I may try to get to Sydney for the occasional ride.

Hurry Up and build the Bike Roads now!

It has been in excess of 2 years in the planning and now they are being built. Sydney’s bike roads have the potential be high quality safe cycling facilities giving cyclists access to the CBD and surrounding areas. The campaign for safer cycling facilities has been a long one waged by Bike Sydney, Bike East and MASSBUG. With Sydney competing with Brisbane and Melbourne for Australia’s cycling city, I would have to say that the bike roads will improve my commute from Marrickville to the Rocks Markets on Saturdays by removing some of the danger posed by trying to access the rocks via Hickson Road.

Doing this currently involves using the Pyrmont Bridge at Darling Harbour then turning left onto Sussex Street and riding through to Hickson Road. According to the City Of Sydney website “

The RTA and their traffic modelling support Kent Street as the best option for a cycleway. The City is planning a two-way cycleway for the eastern side of the street separated from cars and pedestrians running from Druitt Street to Clarence Street near Observatory Hill ”. Under this plan I would be able to access the Rocks with ease. Other workers in the city would be able to ride across the Harbour Bridge and on to North Sydney.

“Cycling advocacy is for cyclists. Bicycle advocacy is not cycling advocacy. Bikeways neither make cycling much safer nor reduce the skill required. They probably do the reverse. Government knows that bikeways don’t make cycling safer, but it uses the public superstition that they do. The government’s bicycle program is designed by superstition for the convenience of motorists. Cyclists react to the government’s bicycle and bikeway programs.” Forester claims that he is a traffic engineer and as such qualified to comment on cycling issues. There is no mention of his experience as a cyclist or if he indeed rides. Furthermore traffic engineers are by and large employed by companies building roads – particulary toll roads which are often used to exclude cyclists. He provided a report on the proposed Bourke Street cycleway based on information provided by Friends of Bourke Street. There are links to it on the “Sustainable Sydney” and Friends of Bourke Street websites. It is worth mentioning that Ken Kiefer who shared similar views on bicycle advocacy was killed by a drunk driver.  

One would ask what on earth would possess anyone to oppose safe cycling in Sydney a city renowned for having an ideal climate for cycling and notorious for it’s motoring culture which is hostile to cyclists? Well in my opinion the best answer to that question is pure unadulterated selfishness and spite. The dead give away about their rationale for opposing the bike roads is the question on their website “

Will your parking lanes be turned into a Cycleway?” You guessed it, obviously we have people who are obviously so obsessed about their ownership of cars and their “right” to store them on a public road, that the safety of others is thrown aside (probably in the same way as they throw their car doors open).Sustainable Sydney then goes into great detail listing roads in various inner-city suburbs and localities which they claim are subject to “to be examined for separated bicycle road suitability”. This ploy obviously devised to stir fear in businesses and residents of the areas. The parking issue is 64 parking spaces!Some of the suggestions on the Bourke Street Bulletin would indicate that there was consideration towards alternatives. These include a 30 km speed limit. Bicycle NSW and Bike Sydney have advocated these but have been ignored and dismissed by both the RTA and the Minister for Roads who hold the veto over lower speed limits. Furthermore given the NSW governments decision to lower the demerit points for low range speeding – driving less than 15 km an hour over the speed limit, it would make little difference. There as also a suggestion that Bourke Street be made one way which would allow more space for the bike road but this was also vetoed by the RTA.

Fortunately Clover Moore was returned as Lord Mayor of Sydney and when the bike roads were put to the vote the council unanimously voted for the bike road projects to begin. All councillors, Labor, Liberal, Green and Independent voted for the project. The opposition to the project at council level is nonexistent. Given that the opposition to the project was organised prior to the 2008 council election they had prior opportunity to do something about the project but they lost.

Cycling through Sydney can be best described as a challenge. More people are eager to ride to work and reduce their dependence on cars. I for one would like to see Sydney compete nationally with Melbourne and Brisbane both of which are building bicycle infrastructure and in the case of Brisbane are reducing speed limits to encourage safer cycling – Brisbane now has a 40 km per hour speed limit. They are also considering a 30 km per hour speed limit sometime in the future. For now I will have to battle my way long Hickson Rd to the Rocks but hopefully some time soon I will have a safe way to the Rocks.

So to the City Of Sydney I say build my Bike Roads. Build them NOW!

The bike roads will be signalised at various intersections and will provide separation of cyclists from busy road traffic. The “Friends of Bourke Street” bulletin displays some questionable attitudes towards cycling safety. In one discussion on the bulletin “Richard” said “haven’t walked the Western side, but took both Andrew Woodhouse and Joshua Cole (the “Hub” journalist) for a stroll down the Eastern footpath south of Phillip/Crescent Streets. Apart from the immense frustration of waiting for all the traffic lights – if I’d been on my bike I’d have jumped them”, not only a curious attitude toward cycling safety but a very doubtful attitude to the road rules!

There are other parts of the city which will also be getting bicycle lanes including Bourke Street which will give cyclists access to Zetland and Alexandria. The only opposition to the bike roads appears to becoming from a group of residents in the Bourke Street area which appear to have done some research using google and come up with dubious research that they claim make the bike roads dangerous. They have also organised two groups namely Friends of Bourke Street – opposing the bike road on Bourke Street and “Sustainable Sydney” opposing the bicycle plan outright.

 The initial rationale given for the opposition to the Bourke Street bike road were claims that some historic trees would be cut down to make way for the bike road. Despite evidence that the trees would remain with the bike road, the council revised the plans and still the opposition remained. This time the reasons cited were supported from one John Forester. According to his website he appears to be pushing similar to Ken Kiefer. Forester claims

World youth day cycling & getting on the (bike) bus with single speed commuting

For those not from Sydney or who have been living in a parallel universe, Sydney hosted the Catholic World Youth Day (WYD 08). To cope with all the expected issues with motor traffic and to accommodate something like 2-3 hundred thousand happy young Christians. We had some altered traffic arrangements in Sydney.

As I had stated earlier in the blog the changes began the week before last and it went right up til Monday when the majority of pilgrims were to fly back to the countries they came from or in the case of the Aussie based ones fly interstate (some may have taken trains!).

On Saturday I went on my usual ride with the DHBC under the impression we would still be able to access Centennial Park without any issues. We had a good clear run until we got to Anzac Parade where there was a largish fence erected to give the pilgrims a clear run to Randwick race course (they were walking from North Sydney across the bridge to Randwick Racecourse. We were directed a little way down the road where were were able to cross and ride to Centennial Park.

The park was totally devoid of cars – probably the best thing about WYD08 was the limits on cars. This meant we were able to do laps and not worry about motor vehicles (we were even able to use the car lanes!) Centennial Park has a car free day on the last Sunday of the month, I have never rode in the park on that day but from what I was told Saturday was better, No cars and also no Rollerbladers. No triathletes (I suspect they mostly drive to Centennial Park with their bikes on roof racks), so not much in the way of runners. No horses, so almost no horse manure aroma.

The ride went well although we concluded early to avoid loosing our access through Anzac Parade. The park was pretty peaceful. We got back to the point where we entered and what was initially a trickle of pilgrims was becoming a busy wave of pedestrians. We rode part of the way through then joined the path at Moore Park. The pilgrims weren’t bad, I was more worried about locals and of course the police.

We had a good run back to the cafe were we had coffee. I told some people about a case in the SMH about a gay couple who took pilgrims in (An Islamic school even let them sleep in their hall). When the pilgrims found out they were staying with a gay couple they walked out saying it was against Gods law. That brought a laugh from the group.

The road closures affected Sunday and as I am a St John Ambulance Volunteer I saw one guy weaving through the crowd on a road bike at about 6 in the morning. When the papal mass ended the road closures were still in place and the local cyclists were able  to enjoy some moments of riding on roads normally chockablock with cars. The velo cops even rode in a straight line up Anzac to Moore Park and I was able to walk to Central in the middle of the road.

This week also saw me going into Surrey Hills for an Occupational First Aid Course with St John Ambulance. I decided unlike previous years where I have gone into town on a train and claimed the fare back on petty cash when I returned to work; I would ride in with the Bike Bus which was organised by Fiona Campbell from MASSBUG. This would mean that I would continue to get my exercise in for the day and avoid the overcrowding that occurs on City Rail trains.

A Bike Bus is a group of cyclists who commute together. They join the bus at various point along a set route. There is a “Driver” who provides leadership to the “bus”. In Sydney Bike Buses are usually organised by local Bicycle Users Groups (BUGS). There are other Bike Buses that go into town these include one organised by BURSTBUG (Burwood Strathfield Bicycle Users Group) and ASHBUG (Ashfield Bicycle Users Group) and The University of NSW bicycle co-operative.  Being in MASSBUG the choice was obvious.

What was to make things difficult was the choice of bike to take. There was a very real possibility that I would have to lock the bike outside. So I did not want to take my good Green Trek hybrid for the commute. I also would have to take a lock. Fortunately I have the Fearless Gear-less for such a job as this, but would it go up the hills?

My other concern was gear to take with me. I don’t ride in street clothes so I would have to take some with me. I am not wealthy enough to eat at restaurants and cafes 4 days a week (the course went that long) and so I would need to take food. I also needed writing equipment and two towels for the trauma management scenarios and as something to relieve my knees (they weren’t needed as much as I was led to believe), to I had to have space for them. Unfortunately the Fearless Gear-less does not have a rack so panniers were out of the question. I took the gear in a day bag/pack designed for everyday use. It worked although I had to break the load up and when I got the WYD08 Pilgrim pack I was to get as a reward for volunteering for St John on WYD08 I had to put that to the back of the pack and ride in a driza bone we got as a bonus.

On Monday I waited for the Bike Bus outside the Henson Park Hotel and caught up with Fiona the “Driver”. We waited for others who normally join the bus at the Henson Park before heading off. We went though some of the streets we cover on the DHBC Saturday Slowies ride and some which I didn’t know existed. We got to the Newtown Neighbourhood centre where we met two more riders who’s names have escaped me now. These were regulars.

We had to walk our bikes to a point on Bedford St where we could cross into Wilson St when the lights changed. When they did we rode down the equivalent of the Hume Highway for cycle commuters. When we got to Redfern we rode through Lawson Street to the bicycle facilities near Regent St. We rode through the quite areas and into the city via Prince Alfred Park. From there we rode on down Elizabeth St to various points in the city.

It was suggested that I get to Hunt Street via Campbell Street. This proved to be a very good idea. I found that the Fearless Gear-less handled the hills well. I got to St John House and found from a very abrupt and officious instructor that I had to lock the bike outside. I wasn’t the only one to arrive by bike and was joined by a lawyer on a rigid forked cannondale. Fortunately nothing happened to either of our bikes. On Monday I took the front wheel off and locked it with the frame to the pole and took the seat post and front light.

Over the next 4 days I was able to refine this using the cable lock to lock the front wheel and later the seat post to the frame as well as using the U lock to lock the bike to the post. I was able to enjoy a bit of sweet revenge on Thursday when I left after successfully completing the course. I spotted the officious oaf and gently reminded him that “smoking kills” as I passed (Fortunately he was not liked by our instructor).

The highlight of the week was riding with the Bike Bus. They are a good group of people and it would be excellent to see more of them around Sydney.  I would like to conclude this post with a special Well Done to Fiona Campbell who as the “driver” organised the trip and helped calm nerves on more than one occasion (I don’t regularly ride through Sydney in the Peak).

Cycling around Sydney during World Youth Day & a personal best

This week has been an interesting one for those of us who cycle around Sydney. On the political level the Rudd government has decided to set up a green wash carbon trading system that in the words of Christine Milne goes from the polluter pays to the polluter gets paid principle. The Government will cut petrol excise to compensate for the Emissions tax, they will give permits (for free) to coal fired power generators and cash compensation. There will allegedly be an auction of permits but the watered down nature of the emissions trading system makes a mockery of the proposition.

On the practical level things have been problematic. World Youth Day is in town and there is now thousands of pilgrims and laws which enabled the NSW Government to remove the city’s only bicycle lanes on Park Street. They have been replaced with bus lanes which cyclist are allowed to ride in, however they wind up sharing it with Buses, Motorcyclists, and Taxis. For those who do not know the Sydney Taxi driver is the motoring equivalent of the Kamikaze pilot. They stop suddenly to collect passengers (in Sydney the idea of putting your hazards on has become a form of abdication of responsibility on the part of drivers).

I went to Centennial Park for a couple of laps on Tuesday. The preparations have been going all out and there is a corridor of fencing along the lanes leading to the park. I rode the first lap and found that there were contractors putting up fencing along the  Grand Parade they weren’t well lit although they were visible to a point. I did 4 laps before exiting through the Randwick gates which were kindly left open by the contractors.

I went along the shared path to Doncaster avenue – the path was lined with fencing – some of the base stands were actually on the path and creating a hazard for cyclists and pedestrians. When I got to the crossing point which links the shared path to Doncaster avenue, I found the crossing had been blocked by fencing. It appears that the locals cycling or walking around Doncaster avenue aren’t welcome at youth day.

Yesterday despite the predicted traffic chaos I was able to achieve a personal best. I left work at about 4.05 pm and rode to St John House (currently St John Ambulance Head Quarters – I do a bit of voluntary work for them and will be at Randwick on Sunday). I pulled out every trick in the book to get to Surrey Hills. I tried to keep it legal which I was able to do mostly but as time went along I went all out. I rode through St Peters and Alexandria. When I got through Erskinville I was able to ride through to Wilson St Newtown with a red car on my tail. 

The whole situation reminded me of an episode of  Top Gear that I saw on You Tube while at work where they had a race between a car, bicycle, and a public transport user and a speed boat to get from one point in London to Heathrow Airport. The bicycle won, of course although there was a time I was wondering if I would do the same. I was racing the clock – I said I would collect my accreditation by 5 PM and I was getting close.

When I got to the corner of Little Everleigh Street and Lawson Street, I was held up. There was a group of Spanish pilgrims on their way down Everleigh Street (yes The Block). They had a flag on a fishing rod and were dangling it over the road. I don’t know if this was their way of controlling the traffic or if it was their way of showing where they came from. But it did slow the cars and I was able to turn onto Lawson Street. I got the usual pamphlet from one of them. I tried out my dodgy Spanish, which was as good as their English. Eventually I was able to get away and got to the lights near Regent St.

I checked the time when I got to the lights and found it was 4:49pm – 11 minutes to go.  When the lights changed I rode full pace to Elizabeth St through the various lanes. I then went contraflow and through Waterloo and crossed into Surrey Hills. Where I rode through across Albion St and then rode through some of the one way streets and lanes and came out close to the Sydney police centre and Hunt Street Surrey Hills – my target.

When I got to HQ I met people on their way home from work. I told them I was here collect my World Youth Day accreditation. They let me in and the security guard showed me to the floor where I collected my accreditation & information on how to get to the event on Sunday. The time when I got in was 5:00 PM when I got my accreditation it was 5:05. I had made it through Sydney’s peak hour traffic from the airport in less than an hour. I would say I even beat cars heading into town from the airport.

Afterwards I got a drink and some food in the “Red Room” and caught up with some people who I know through various sources. I was able to catch up on the news about World Youth Day and the Tour De France. I will do a separate post on how Cadel Evans is going but I will wait and see how things go with the race before I go making any predictions.

When I rode home it was a difficult ride – Peak Hour was on and in full swing. I rode through Surrey Hills to Redfern and then went home via Wilson Street. I made it in time to get some food and then got myself ready to go back to Lithgow.