YarraBUG coffee + ride to the Commonwealth Games Road Race March 26
YarraBUG meeting postponed
Ride Calendar & Incorporation
Farren Bicycle Collection + Mountain Goat Brewery
Queens Parade Update
Leader Newspaper pro-cycling letters
Yarra Council Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting
Yarra Council Schools Forum
Yarra Council - Victoria Street East Public Meeting/Workshop
Yarra Council 2006 Budget
Finbar Neighbourhood House Social Ride
Bicycle Victoria Bike path Discovery Day
Bicycle Victoria Ride Calendar
MBTC Mad Ride
Aeolian Ride update
2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Lindsay Tanner Herald Sun article
YarraBUG meeting postponed until May 16
Our next meeting was planned on Easter Tuesday. Wednesday 19th April is the Yarra Council Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting. The next Tuesday is Anzac Day. So we’ve decided it’s all too much and we’ll adjourn until May 16. Also gives us extra time to scoff chocolate, *ahem*, go for a ride. See you then, at 7.30pm at Suede Bar, 284 Smith Street, Collingwood. Suede Bar have a fine selection of beers & I reckon their Kumara chips are pretty good.
Ride Calendar & Incorporation
Something YarraBUG have been investigating is a organised ride calendar and also becoming a incorporated association. Becoming incorporated provides YarraBUG more structure, focus and legal status. Regarding rides, we could structure them as:
1. Easy/beginners on offroad bikepaths and back streets.
2. Longer road circuits like out to Yarra Boulevard, Beach Road or out to Kinglake,
3. MTB Rides either locally or at Lysterfield or You Yangs,
4. Local gourmet rides (”cafe crawls”) taking in Yarra’s marvellous array of eateries.
If you have any prior experience with community/sports organisations and would like to contribute your ideas, please contact us: yarrabug@yahoo.com.au Ph: 0407 825 467
Farren Bicycle Collection + Mountain Goat Brewery
More amazing bicycles and idle chatter about bicycles than you can poke a pointy spoke at. Friday 5 May: Farren Bicycle Collection + Mountain Goat Brewery, 6pm - 131 Brighton Street, Richmond (Melways 58 F1) Come along, mingle with fellow cyclists, and view the amazing vintage bicycles & tricycles collection. Later during the evening we can adjourn to the Mountain Goat Brewery (cnr of River & Clarke St, Richmond) Goat Management allows your trusty bike to be parked inside the premises & the doorbloke is very nice. (where have we heard that before?)
Queens Parade Update
This was discussed last year at YarraBUG’s September Coffee & Cake outing, it’s good to see VicRoads have been making progress on the Queens Parade/Heidelberg Road intersection and two bicycle storage boxes have been painted. Do you have feedback regarding this issue or do you commute through this area? Please let us know your thoughts, as we will communicate with VicRoads on further developments.
Leader Newspaper pro-cycling letters
Click here for larger image. Following up from the March 21 article, Leader newspaper readers had been writing their options about cyclists on the roads - and they’re all positive! I must express some disappointment with the article published March 21st as basically half of my interview regarding cyclists shared rights and responsibilities was omitted. The photo used in the article omitted to credit Elliot Fishman and Yarra Council Mayor Jackie Fristacky. Also, what was it with the poll? Firstly the results didn’t add up to 100% and then last week completely different results were printed. Needless to mention, hyperbole sells papers.
Yarra Council Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting
Next Yarra Council Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting is 6.30pm Wednesday 19th April at Richmond Town Hall. If you have agenda items or simply wish to attend, please contact Richard Smithers, Transport Coordinator, email: SmitherR@yarracity.vic.gov.au, Ph: 9205 5739
Yarra Council Schools Forum
Last Thursday I attended the Sustainable and Safe Travel to School Forum. As part of the forum, schools, parents, local community groups, police and students participated in a open forum and presentations about using sustainable transport modes to and from school. A highlight was students from Yarra Primary School singing their new hit tune “Stop, Look, Listen and Think”. Yarra Council hopes to make this forum an ongoing event. A brochure entitled “Safer Driving, Safer Children” was also launched. For more information please contact Kate Simnett , Yarra Council Sustainable Transport Officer. Email: simnettk@yarracity.vic.gov.au Ph: 9205 5057
Yarra Council - Victoria Street East Public Meeting/Workshop
Victoria Street East is undergoing extensive private sector redevelopment. The City of Yarra has developed an Urban Design Framework (UDF) to guide sustainable development in this area and is seeking approval from the Minister for Planning to implement the UDF on an interim basis with the Yarra Planning Scheme. The public meeting will be held: Date: Wednesday 12 April, Time: Commencing 7.30pm, Location: Richmond Union Bowling Club, Gleadall Street, Richmond. Please RSVP by contacting Penelope Worthington, Acting Coordinator Customer Service Planning on 9205 5373 or by email on worthinp@yarracity.vic.gov.au
Yarra Council 2006 Budget
Yarra City Council is asking all community members to have their say on the 2006/07 Council budget.
Finbar Neighbourhood House Social Ride
Sunday 9th April saw two Yarra BUGers meet with others at the Finbar Neighbourhood House for a ride along the Main Yarra & Gardiers Creek Trails. We were led on an interesting side path to our Glen Iris coffee stop close to the outer circle trail. From Deb at Finbar: Our first ride was a great success so we are doing it again! Are you interested in joining a social bike riding group? We plan to gradually explore the bike paths of Melbourne. The emphasis is on social and each ride will include a stop for a coffee. When: Sunday 21st May @10.30am. Where: Leaving from Finbar Neighbourhood House, 143 Kent Street Richmond. Contact: Any questions phone Finbar 9428 7668
Bicycle Victoria Bike Path Discovery Day
Bike Path Discovery Day on 7 May 2006 is a FREE, family fun day of exploring Melbourne’s amazing network of bike paths and parks. This year we are issuing the challenge to all bike riders: get a friend, get pedalling and get involved!
Bicycle Victoria Ride Calendar
Find rides throughout Melbourne, Victoria and across Australia with BV’s Ride calendar.
MBTC Mad Ride
Sunday 23 April 2006 - Join hundreds of other cyclists for this unique day, cycling through the hills and forests of the Macedon Ranges region. Buffalo Sports Stadium, Tylden Rd, Woodend (Melway map 609, G9 or VicRoads map 290, B8) - an easy hour’s drive from Melbourne. You may be familiar with the Stadium as the Woodend Racecourse.
Aeolian Ride update
From Jessica: The Melbourne Aeolian Ride went off sweetly. It was a perfect day. The riders were from of all different interests and everyone was super enthusiastic. We got a good response from peds and cars. Melbourne is a definitely good city for bikes. Check out the latest pictures on the site.
2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne Comedy Festival is on for 2006 and here’s a bicycle themed show for your entertainment: Bombay to Beijing by Bicycle - 12th - 30th April. Slap on your sandals and slip on your saris. Russell McGilton, the man who had Neil Mitchell gasping for the gutter, is at it again! Due to popular demand and a notorious nude cycle ride through the streets of Melbourne, Bombay to Beijing by Bicycle hits the Comedy Festival at last!
Lindsay Tanner Herald Sun article
Federal MP Lindsay wrote a excellent article supporting and promoting cycling in Melbourne. We all know there’s probably more people than he realises who are riding to work, but, hey, it’s good to have a pollie out there riding with us.
Back on yer bike! (Herald Sun, 21 March 2006)
Over the past few years I’ve got back into bike riding. I rode a bike as a kid, but once I was allowed to drive old Holdens, the bike was forgotten. It’s now making a comeback. I sometimes go riding with my kids, but mainly I ride for health and fitness reasons. You can often see me early in the morning, battling my way around the inner northern suburbs. I’m afraid I don’t cut a particularly dashing figure on my bike. People with incredibly muscly legs and bikes with really narrow tyres keep zooming past me as if I’m standing still.
Fortunately, there are all kinds of bike riders. It’s not compulsory to look like a king parrot on steroids, like the couriers you see in the city. There are heaps of daggy middle-aged pedallers like me out there. Style is not a huge issue for most cyclists. These days, you can buy a really good bike for three or four hundred dollars. There are plenty of fantastic bike trails in Melbourne, and a lot more bike lanes than there used to be. Avoiding cars can be a bit tricky, but on the whole I’ve found most drivers to be pretty considerate. If you ride cautiously, you’ve got a pretty good chance of staying alive. Bike riders need space, and they can’t accelerate like cars and motorbikes.
The State Government is slowly building the metropolitan Trail Network throughout Melbourne. The Yarra Trail and Bay Trail both carry over a million riders every year. It’s great riding alongside the Yarra through beautiful parkland, or beside the bay with the city skyline as a backdrop. Not many people ride their bikes to and from work. Many live too far away. Most don’t have the option of taking a shower when they get there. Some, like me, have to travel around a fair bit during the day and can’t afford the extra time required.
Until recently, bike riding has been largely an inner-city affair. Most of those who do ride to work travel into the city from the inner suburbs. Most of the best bike trails are in the inner-city area, although there’s a great trail heading through the outer eastern suburbs. Thankfully, new trails are going to be built next to Geelong Road and the Eastlink Freeway. There’s plenty of great places to cycle in outer Melbourne and country Victoria, but not many that are built for the purpose. A recent Newspoll found that less than half of those living in
Melbourne’s outer suburbs felt they had access to a safe place to ride a bike. While the State Government deserves credit for expanding the trail network, increasing bike lanes on major roads and requiring cycling facilities in new buildings, there’s a lot more to be done.
We’re going to be reminded this week that Australia is a great cycling nation. After the swimmers, cyclists are probably our best performers at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. We can’t all be superfit and streamlined like the professionals, but we can very easily join in. After a brisk 30-minute bike ride you’ll feel a million dollars. And while I’m not citing my own as evidence, if you want to improve your rear appearance, cycling’s perfect.
Cycling isn’t just good for your health. It’s also good for local businesses. Shops in Warburton get a lot of business from cyclists because it’s strategically located on a major trail. Petrol is getting dearer, we’re getting fatter and the planet is getting warmer. Cycling means saving money on petrol, living longer and protecting our environment. It doesn’t suit everyone, but with petrol heading back towards $1.30 per litre, and climate change threatening, it’s a great way to help yourself and help our community. So, if you’re thinking about doing something different, I’d suggest you follow the famous advice from one of Margaret Thatcher’s ministers. On yer bike!
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