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).
Jonathonsbicycleblog's Weblog 