Ok, we have seen all the negative articles written about "thugs in lycra". What about a dose of reality. Centennial Parklands tells us that they are concerned for our safety and that is why they have to restrict bunches to 15 riders. If they are so concerned for our safety why do they lawfully allow dogs off leash within centimetres of the bike lane. That's correct, dogs are allowed off leash on almost the entire outer perimeter of the cycle lane. They can quite lawfully run right up to the point where the grass abuts the bitumen of the cycle lane. Is this responsible management? Is this exercising a duty of care to persons travelling in the bicycle lane? I think not. The following article is indicative of where the real danger lies. This article was published in the Wentworth Courier on July 23, 2003 entitled "Roaming Free & Dangerous" - Thanks to Andrew London for supplying details.
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Dogged pursuit No doubt stockbrokers around the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief after one of their number survived a calamitous crash at the paws of a wayward hound recently. "I was nearly killed in Centennial Pam on a recent Sunday morning," wrote Geoff Travers, the principal of Sydney broking firm Statton Securities, in a letter in the Wentworth Courier last week. Travers said he suffered two broken elbows and had numerous abrasions. The hound in question, apparently not on a leash, wandered into the pathway of the Lance Armstrong of the broking world, who was doing 25kmh on his bike. Travers said he braked sharply but "flew" over the handlebars. "Had' I not been wearing a helmet, I would have been killed," he added dramatically. The dog’s owner was far from apologetic, he said. "What really irks me about this incident is that my life could have been ended and the lives of my wife and children tragically impaired simply because of an irresponsible dog owner. So what is to be done?" His solution? “As some owners of large dogs cannot be trusted to keep dogs on leashes and to pick up their dogs' poo, it is time we banned people from owning large dogs in city suburbs." And not only that, warned the big fellow; rangers "had better start enforcing the rules about keeping dogs on leashes, otherwise Centennial Park is going to be on the wrong end of a very big writ". |
Well I think that Mr Travers's solution might be a little drastic. A simpler solution might be for Centennial Parklands
to ensure via an enforcement and/or engineering solution that the dogs cannot run into the bike lane in the first place.
Andrew London of the Wentworth Courier published this article on Wednesday 13 Aug 2003. The picture of the article may be a little difficult to read. Click here to read the text of the article and responses by Cycle Centennial.
Andrew London of the Wentworth Courier published this article on Wednesday 30 July 2003. The picture of the article may be a little difficult to read. Click here to read the text of the article and responses by Cycle Centennial.
Then Alex Mitchell of the Sun Herald wrote this very biased piece without speaking to any cycling representatives in the Sun Herald on August 3, 2003. The picture of the article may be a little difficult to read. Click here to read the text of the article and responses by Cycle Centennial.
