The Age Letters: On yer bike! – 5 October, 2006

Somewhat ironically on Ride To Work Day, Tony O’Brien (Letters, 4/10) would like to see all cyclists off the road and on the bike paths. It is a common misconception that bicycles disrupt traffic flow; the reality is that cars disrupt traffic flow — and don’t forget that bicycles are traffic too. Just think of what the road would look like if every cyclist were driving a car instead. One of the great freedoms in using a bicycle as transport is that you are presented with options rather than restrictions. I use the bicycle path when it goes where I want to go safely, and likewise use the road when appropriate.

The solution for Mr O’Brien is simpler than proposing a piece of legislation that would serve to alienate motorists and cyclists further: he can get out of his car and ride a bike!

James Pearce, Avondale Heights

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The Age Letters: Cars and bikes: ne’er the twain shall meet – 4 October, 2006

It should come as no surprise that male cyclists aged 30 to 39 are at high risk of being killed or injured in collisions with motor vehicles on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm ( The Age, 2/10), given the increased numbers on our roads and the fact that a great many choose not to ride on the bike paths provided at great cost for the use of cyclists. Instead, they prefer to ride on the roads.

Now I am aware that bike paths are for wimps and children, and that no real cyclist would be seen dead on one, but roads are dangerous places. There is also the issue of the disruption to traffic flow that even a single cyclist can cause, given that a cyclist is not much different from a parked car that every motorist in the inside lane must pull out and pass.

I propose that where bike paths are provided alongside roads, cyclists should be banned from riding on those roads. Perhaps then we could have some dedicated “car paths” with smoother traffic flows and fewer dead or injured cyclists.

Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne

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The Age Letters: Maybe it’s all in the public interest – 3 October, 2006

I was bicycling home from work late one afternoon and I got a flat tyre in Brunswick. I live in Northcote. I pondered catching the train but didn’t fancy my chances trying to squeeze a bike onto one in peak hour. I resigned myself to a long walk home. As I wandered, an evil thought assailed me.

Why not ring my partner and ask him to pick me up in his car, saving me a 30 minute walk? Initially I resisted this temptation — after all, I’m trying to save the planet by avoiding the use of fossil fuels — but the dreary, cold trudge overcame my resolve. My ideals collapsed.

However, I was saved from this descent into self-indulgence by that noble organisation, Telstra. There was not a public phone to be seen, even though I stuck to main roads. Could it be that Telstra is not self-seeking but instead is striving for our welfare, and it is merely our ignorance that prevents us from seeing this?

Julie Brennan, Northcote

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Two wheels bad

I live in Canning Street and love the fact that it’s the main cycle route through the City of Yarra to the city. It’s the perfect street for it, wide and mostly quiet. But it’s not just the roundabout at the Pigdon Street intersection that is the “black spot” ( The Age, 2/10). Some cyclists’ attitudes are equally as black. Swearing, spitting and abusing people who dare stray into the bike lane as the odd “Lycra loon” bears down upon them is not acceptable for anyone, regardless of the form of transport. A bike lane is not ownership or a right.

Warren Day, Carlton North

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Four wheels even worse

I am a motorist, cyclist, jogger and pedestrian. I sometimes see cyclists breaking the law, ignoring red lights or riding dangerously. But the sheer number of motorists putting themselves and others, especially cyclists and pedestrians, at risk is staggering. Speeding, driving through red lights, talking on mobiles and not looking before pulling out or changing lanes is common.

The winner last week was a young person turning right at traffic lights, driving an older-model manual car, talking on a phone, smoking and changing gears while pedestrians crossed in front.

Malcolm I. Fraser, Oakleigh South