BikeNorth runs Wednesday lunchtime rides

Over the next few weeks BikeNorth will be running some Wednesday lunchtime rides around campus starting at 12:30pm and going for about an hour. The rides begin just outside the cafe near the gym, and are run at a moderate pace for fitness. You don’t need to wear lycra or have a road bike, but its expected that you are confident riding a distance of up to 13km with some hills.

If your not able to commute to Uni by bike, you can always bring your bike in on the train on in the car. Its a great opportunity to get some fitness into your week.

Wednesday 24 June : Shrimptons Creek Cruise
Starts: 12:30 pm Macquarie University Sports and Aquatic Centre
Distance: 13km
Pace: Moderate
Suitability: For those who want to make use of the lunch break to
improve fitness and skills.
Description: Exit the University at Herring Rd, then follow the
Shrimpton’s Creek cycleway and backstreets to Ryde Hospital and
Eastwood station. Return along Vimiera Rd.

Wednesday 8 July: Sth Turramurra Circuit
Starts: 12:30 pm Macquarie University Sports and Aquatic Centre
Distance: 12km
Pace: Moderate
Suitability: For those who want to make use of the lunch break to
improve fitness and skills.
Description: Take the cycle path behind Trafalgar Square to Brown’s Waterhole, leading to South Turramurra, followed by a variety of loops around the back streets, with options for faster riders to get a good workout by lapping the other riders.

Wednesday 15 July: Shrimptons Creek Cruise
Starts: 12:30 pm Macquarie University Sports and Aquatic Centre
Distance: 13km
Pace: Moderate
Suitability: For those who want to make use of the lunch break to
improve fitness and skills.
Description: Exit the University at Herring Rd, then follow the
Shrimpton’s Creek cycleway and backstreets to Ryde Hospital and
Eastwood station. Return along Vimiera Rd.

For a list of all upcoming BikeNorth rides check out:
From: http://www.bikenorth.org.au/calendar/

EcoInterventions forum: “Green Activism”, May 26

Hi everyone,

There is an EcoInterventions public forum on next Tuesday and it includes our very own Elaena Gardner from BikeSydney (http://bikesydney.org/).

The discussion topic is:

“Green Activism: Fighting for the future, fighting for the environment”

Speakers: Simon Sheik (Get Up!), Elaena Gardner (BikeSydney) and Nick Mueller (MQ Student Rep)

Date: Tuesday May 26th
Venue: Staff Club
Time: 5pm for 5:30pm—7:30pm
Drinks & Light refreshments provided.
Please RSVP to Lisa Cuffe: 9850 6808, lisa.cuffe@humn.mq.edu.au

Hope to see you there.

Tuesday bike lunches

Every Tuesday at 12pm, bike riders are meeting up for lunch under the big tree between E7B and the central courtyard. Come along and chat with other cyclists.

We have a range of tools available if you need to fix anything or want advice on how to fix your bike.

We also have ‘rider packs’ that include all you need to know about cycling.

Free Bike Training Course – Intermediate level

Cyclist’s Action Movement West (CAMWEST http://camwest.pps.com.au) is organising a free intermediate cycle training course in the Parramatta area. AustCycle Level 2 (Intermediate) aims to develop road safety skills and traffic awareness. It can be delivered to adults and seniors of intermediate skill. Riders participate in a range of cycling skill sessions and specific traffic safety sessions. Level 2 teaches skills in an off-road environment, to enable participants to ride on-road. Some activities are conducted on quiet roads.
More information on the course is available at http://www.austcycle.com.au/

The dates and locations of the course are not specified but to register your interest contact John Holstein at jonhol2(at)netscape.net or by phone on 0410662390. The course will have a maximum of 12 people.

After this course, expect to be dancing on your ride into uni:

Lane Cove National Park Ride

Thanks to all those who attended our first ride to the Lane Cove National Park last Friday. Here are some pics.

If you havn’t ridden to Lane Cove National Park, there is a cycleway just off Lane Cove Road 50m north of the intersection with Fontenoy Road. The cycleway ducks under the road then down onto Riverside Drive where you can enjoy several kms of scenic traffic-free riding along river to Delhi Road.

Upcoming Ride: Discover Lane Cove National Park – 3 April

Take from: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/sportfitness/large-lcr.jpg

Come and discover the wonders of Lane Cove National Park. A short ride from campus takes you into the Lane Cove National Park were can you enjoy a traffic free ride along the river.

Date: 3 April 2009
Start: 4pm outside the MQ library
Destination: The Picnic area near the entrance to the National Park at Lady Game Drive
Bring: Food and drink for a picnic and lights for the return ride.
Return: The ride will return to campus. Paul will ride to Lindfield station for North Shore train connection.

Map

BikeFleet is on its way

Bike Club is currently working to make a loaner bike fleet at Macquarie Uni. The details of the program are still to be confirmed but we’re still working to get a fleet of bikes ready.

Last weekend a number of bike club members and family got together to repaint and restore some ex-police bikes that have been donated to the Bicycle Recycling Network:

Bike parking at Macquarie Uni train station

There is currently a problem with bike parking at the new Macquarie University train station. Despite clear state government transport and planning policy supporting bicycle parking and access to generate true options for intermodal transport, the current station does not deliver for cyclists. Please see my drafted letter below and let me know if you are happy with it. I hope to bring this issue to the attention of the Minister for Transport, Ryde Council and Rail Corp.

—————————————
3 March 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

The Macquarie University Bike Club seeks clarification regarding the provision of bicycle parking at the new Macquarie University train station. From a sustainable transport perspective, it has been exciting to see the significant transformation of campus life that has been rejuvenated by the opening of the train line. However, the opportunity for a truly integrated transport interchange remains unclear particularly in relation to how the train station provides opportunities for integrated bike-rail transportation within the local area.

Bicycle parking facilities are currently located on Waterloo Road 50 metres east of the station entrance (see Photo 1). Close to the Macquarie Shopping Centre, there are 5 new bike rings and 4 bicycle lockers. The bike parking facilities are located in an area that is hidden from the view of station users (see Photo 2). Located adjacent to two walls, these bike parking facilities provide a high opportunity for bike theft due to their hidden location with significantly lower levels of passive surveillance. The lockers currently are unusable as there is no contact information on how to use them. These facilities are mostly for the benefit of short-term bike parking for persons going to the shopping centre. These facilities are inadequate for providing accessible and secure bike parking for inter-modal train station users. Strangely, the transport user map located at the train station identifies the western side of the station as the designated area for bicycle parking (see Photo 3), however no such bike parking spaces have been built at present. There are bicycles parked around light poles in this area indicating an unmet desire for bike parking (See Photo 3). The western entrance to of the train station is also are far more suitable space for inter-modal bike parking as it is a hive of activity (see Photos 3 & Photo 4). In keeping with NSW urban and transport design guidelines [1] [2], the western entrance to Macquarie University Station should be the ideal location for bicycle parking because it is the most visibly prominent and accessible. It is also area that attracts high levels of passive surveillance that is major deterrence of bike theft . The promotion of bicycle parking at this transport interchange would also be a key demonstration of the Macquarie University’s core focus on sustainability and a visible demonstration of the university’s commitment to promoting sustainability [3] amongst staff and students who live near campus as well as the broader population of residents who live in the Marsfield and North Ryde locality.

At present the provision of bicycle parking facilities on the eastern side of at the Macquarie University station are of a low capacity, poor quality and do not appear in keeping with transport and planning guidelines of the NSW State Government. Could you please inform the Macquarie University Bike Club if there are plans to upgrade the bicycle parking facilities, what are they, and when will they be installed?

Yours sincerely,

Adrian Emilsen
Macquarie University Bike Club

[1] According to The NSW Ministry for Transport’s Guidelines for the Development of Public Transport Interchange Facilities (September 2008).:
“the most prominent location should be given to the most efficient and sustainable modes of travel. For example, pedestrians and cyclists should have the most direct access to the interchange, while commuter parking (park and ride), which, based on the cost of provision and the space it consumes, should be given the lowest priority allocation of space and location.
Generally, the preferred order of priority in interchange development is: pedestrian / bicycle; bus / ferry; taxi; kiss and ride (drop off and pick up); and park and ride (commuter parking).”
(page 13)

[2] According to the NSW Department of Planning’s Planning Guidelines for Walking and Cycling:
“Design principles for bicycle parking facilities are:
1. Open and attractive facilities in easily supervised places that feel safe and nonthreatening,
with good passive surveillance to deter acts of vandalism and theft
2. As close as possible to building entrances (preferably within 25m)
3. Relates to the travel requirements of the user, e.g. lockers for commuters and racks for short-term use.
Considerations at the design phase are opportunities for casual surveillance, clearance from walls and other obstacles and weather protection. Bicycle parking facilities should look like they are an integral part of the premises and users should feel welcomed and respected.”
(Page 49)

[3]. See: http://www.mq.edu.au/sustainability/ and http://www.mq.edu.au/university/sustainability.html

O-Week success

Thanks to all those who’ve helped out at O-week (esp. Paul, David and Lisa). Its an exciting time for cycling on campus as there is a growing interest in all things bikes as well as other transport alternatives with the opening of the new train line. We’ve spoken to many exchange students this week who have expressed a difficulty in finding a cheap bikes to use while at uni. We hope to fix this problem by setting up an section on this website where students can post ads to buy and sell bikes. If you are looking to get a bike for free or one to repair for yourself, there are number of bicycle recycling projects run across Sydney. For a list of bike co-ops go to: http://www.bicyclerecycling.com/

Btw: you can now find us on facebook and remember to come to the inter-university bike clubs Bikes, Beach & BBQ ride to Bronte beach this Sunday afternoon.

Cross-Campus events

This year bike clubs at Sydney University, UNSW and Macquarie Uni will be working together to share resources and organise events. If you have friends at Sydney, or UNSW, let them know about these bike clubs on campus.

Our first cross-campus event will be a ride from Sydney Uni to Bronte Beach, where we’ll have a swim and a BBQ. Bring food, drinks and make sure you have lights for the ride home. Here are the details:

Day: Sunday 1 March
Time: 5.30pm
Where: Fischer Library, Sydney University

You can join the ride at Sydney Uni if thats easy for you or  If you live closer to Macquarie Uni meet outside the library at 4pm. We will catch the 4.29pm express train from Eastwood to Central from which we’ll head to Sydney Uni t join the ride. If your going to ride from the Uni please contact Adrian to confirm or any more information (mb 0405358253/ Adrian.Emilsen(at)psy.mq.edu.au)