Why QLD New Cycling Laws, from April 7, will Fail....

[csv8]

I know the thread was closed but here's another perspective on it.
Laws are usually made with good intentions and fall down in practice.

And Monday’s new road rules - where you have to provide a minimum distance for passing cyclists - is likely to provide a spectacular example of that.

It sounds workable, in theory. You need to give a minimum of one metre when passing a cyclist, and boost that to a 1.5 metres where the speed limit is over 60km/h.

So how is that going to work really?

Let’s take Cavendish Road, Coorparoo, as an example. A busy road, with one lane each way, a 60km/h speed zone, and heavy school traffic.

Now maths wasn’t my favourite subject, but the lane is 2.79m wide (yes I measured it). My car, including the rear-vision mirrors, sits at 2.21m wide, which leaves only 58 centimetres for a single cyclist riding along the gutter now.

That’s why there are so many spats even before the laws commence; sharing the road already requires motorists to cross the middle lane, to safely pass a cyclist.

But despite the law being introduced to try and diffuse arguments, it’s only going to escalate tensions.

This is why: two cyclists are still allowed to ride abreast (I’m not sure why). My handle-bars are 59 centimetres wide, so let’s say two cyclists, riding together, take up at least 1.5 metres.

Then, a motorist is required to leave a another 1.5-metre space between the closest cycles and his or her car, which means a 2.79 metre wide lane all of a sudden has to fit two cyclists, a car and a mandated space - amounting to 5.79 metres!

And in the case of Cavendish Road, you can’t just swap lanes. Oncoming traffic is travelling at 60km/h. And that’s not going to increase road rage?

It’s not an isolated case. Let’s take the example of Stanley Street East in East Brisbane, where the traffic builds around Churchie. Three lanes disappear into two, and they are only 2.63 metres wide each. Add a cyclist, or two, and another 1.5 metres.

It’s a recipe for anger and accidents.

And that’s the case also when the street is one-way, as it is outside the Gabba where three lanes of traffic can travel at 60km/h. How wide are those lanes? Only 2.69 metres.

Add into the mix a traffic island, that you can’t readily mount at 60km/h, or a car in the lane alongside you.

It just doesn’t make practical sense, and its only chance of success is making cyclists (and I am one of them too) ride single file and to encourage enormous good will on the part of both cyclists and motorists.

That’s fairly unlikely, though, given how these new laws will be policed. How do you prove a car provided the mandated metre or a 1.5 metre gap?

Already cyclists – who don’t carry much onus here because it’s up to the motorist to stay clear – are talking about wearing cameras, tracking cars, lodging complaints, and having police investigate. Now isn’t that a wonderful use of our limited police resources!

Transport Minister Scott Emerson is a cyclist, a motorist and a pretty good strategist, given he’s turned the three-lane Gold Coast Highway into four, and made our trains run every 15 minutes.

But he’s worried enough about how Monday’s law will work in practice that he’s giving it a two-year trial.

And it’s during that time that the irony of introducing a hostile and unworkable law to mend broken road relationships will become truly obvious.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comm...#ixzz2xmHSbyoi

[Franco Cozzo]

Poor planning and implementation, the guy running the show gave himself a $70k pay rise too.

I wish I got paid for my incompetence and poor judgement, I'd be richer than Bill Gates.

Its not about actually doing something its about making it look like you're doing something which is the name of the game these days for everything.

[blueoval]

I can see this thread ending the same way as the last one despite your attempt at keeping it civil.

I remember when the law in SA changed for public transport buses to MUST give way to them if they are merging. It really annoyed a lot of motorists who said some bus drivers are a law unto themselves and fail to provide common courtesy at the best of times as well as other complaints.
Fast forward 10yrs since this implementation. It's still annoying somewhat, but we have learned to get around the increased fact that a bus will slow us down by 5-10 seconds on our commute and we may lose 5-10 spots in the traffic because of it. But today, its a part of life and everyone seems to accept it and move on.

My point is I am hoping motorists learn to accept these new cycling rules after the initial annoyance and eventually learn to show some respect in return and move on. Could be wishful thinking based on the last thread.

As for the logistics of passing a cyclist by 1-1.5m, to me that isnt that hard if it means having to wait for a gap to safely do so. The issue I see is people being forced unwillingly to slow down to safely negotiate the pass and it adding precious seconds to their commute. Yes, sadly, this will take more patience.

[DBourne]

Mate, we get it. The rule is silly. Drivers think it, cyclists think it.

We also get that some of you are unable to tolerate other people on the road, doesn't change the fact that they'll be there.

Just chill!!

[AU1XLS]

And just like the other one CLOSED!