PO Box 1568 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012.
Email: cyclecentennial@hotmail.com

Working with Trust

CYCLE CENTENNIAL WORKING WITH THE TRUST

FIRST MEETING

2nd MEETING

3rd MEETING

FIRST MEETING 19 SEPTEMBER 2001

NEWS RELEASE

Cycle Centennial meets with Park Administration and Traffic/Access Plan Consultants

On Wednesday 19^th September the four elected representatives of Cycle Centennial (Robert Barnes, John Buckton, Fergus Neilson and Sam Reuben) met with officers of Centennial Parklands and consultants from Sinclair Knight Merz.

This highly productive workshop focused on “seeking solutions in multi-user environment”. Discussion covered a full range of issues as detailed in the attached Workshop Resources Pack. Agreement was reached on a number of steps designed to ensure that cyclists would be continue to be fully involved in the on-going planning process.

Cycle Centennial sought to emphasise its concern with the possible implementation of pedestrian crossings, traffic calming devices and a contra-flow cycle/skater lane on Grand Drive.

Cycle Centennial focused on four key arguments for maintaining a cycle-lane on the outer perimeter, and for introducing parallel parking on the inside perimeter, of Grand Drive:

· the 2/2.5 meter space between the existing white line and the inside edge of bitumen is already alienated to passing traffic by current angle parking practice (photographic evidence provided - Page 13 of attached document);

· driver and rear seat passengers can exit parked car away from traffic flow;

· the majority of park user attractions (walking/jogging tracks, playing fields, lakes, kiosks, etc) are inside the Grand Drive loop and would be more safely accessed from parking on the inside perimeter of Grand Drive;

· current custom and practice is for cyclists to travel on the left shoulder of any road with passing traffic on the right - parallel parking on inside perimeter and retention of current cycle/car lane arrangement would allow this standard practice to continue in safety.

Cycle Centennial proposed that cyclist safety at nine key junctions where cars turn left off Grand Drive (eg Parkes Drive north, turning to exit Park at York Road Gates, exiting at Randwick Gates) could be addressed by clear and unequivocal signage and/or junction markings on the bitumen roadbed.

Cycle Centennial proposed that pedestrian access to a Children’s Cycleway could be enhanced, in the longer-term, by moving the Cycleway to level ground at the junction of Parkes Drive (south) and Grand Drive (NW quadrant of the junction). This would:

· transfer a key user activity into the Park's 'low use zone' (SE quadrant of the Park);

· allow safe pedestrian access to an important user activity site from cars parked both on the inside perimeter of Grand Drive and on the west side of Parkes Drive (south); and

· resolve the issue of pedestrian access across Grand Drive to the current Cycleway from parked cars on the inside perimeter.

Cycle Centennial proposed that bunch training be subject to a Code of Conduct. Concepts of both education and bunch marshalling could be introduced into any Code of Conduct.

Peter Duncan, Director of Centennial Parklands, indicated that a further meeting involving Park Administration, Sinclair Knight Merz and Cycle Centennial should take place within six weeks. Peter also indicated that the emphasis should remain on achieving a positive set of solutions for all users.

Peter Duncan also congratulated Cycle Centennial on what he considered to be the best submission received thus far through the Traffic/Access planning process. “seeking solutions in multi-user environment”, was tabled. . . .

The meeting was very productive. The consultants had prepared 4 options which are now being considered for the layout of the Grand Drive. Click Here for minutes of the meeting prepared by Sinclair Knight Merz.

Option 1

Existing Layout

Option 2

Contra-flow lane

Option 3

Cycle lane inside of Grand Drive. Parallel parking on outer perimeter

Option 4

Cycle lane outside of Grand Drive (current location). Parallel parking on inside perimeter.

Click here for picture

Cycle Centennial has submitted another submission to the Trust which was lodged on 3 October 2001. The document advises the Trust and the consultants that Cycle Centennial, given that we are assured that the solution will only be considered out of Option 3 or Option 4, is very much in favour of Option 4 and sets out reasons as to why option 4 should be selected and option 3 discarded. Click here to view the document.

We were informed that the favoured option will be selected from Option 3 or 4. We were also informed that the consultants will be preparing minutes of the meeting and that those minutes will be available on the Centennial Parklands Web Site very soon. http://www.cp.nsw.gov.au/. Minutes however never appeared on the website. Minutes were however provided to Cycle Centennial as follows:

Workshop Minutes from 19 September 2001 as prepared by Sinclair Knight Merz.

PD (Peter Duncan) emphasised that the Trust acknowledged cyclists as a legitimate and important user group of the parklands and that the Cycle Centennial group was to be commended for the quality of its submission and for providing a unifying voice for cyclists using the Parklands

It was also clarified that "pack" cyclists would be referred to as "bunch" cyclists in the future.

SECOND MEETING MARCH 6, 2002

Cycle Centennial met with Centennial Park Administration in a Workshop style meeting on March 6,2002. Present at that meeting were: Andrew Ferris - Manager Operations, Vaughan Macdonald - Coordinator Transport and Access, Colin Cheshire Ranger, Cycle Centennial: Robert Barnes (St George CC), John Buckton (Randwick Botany CC), Steve Hobart (Sydney CC), Fergus Neilson (Eastern Suburbs CC). To review the minutes of that meeting, Click here.

PREMIER OF NSW MAKES STATEMENT

Click Here for press statements made by the Premier of New South Wales in respect of the Centennial Park Traffic & Transport Plan on 7December 2001. The Premier rules out the Contra-flow bicycle lane and implementation of parking meters. The final plan will be unveiled in February 2002.

CYCLE CENTENNIAL WORKING WITH THE TRUST TO SEEK SOLUTION

The Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust recently put on public exhibition their Summary Action Plan of the Transport Access and Parking Plan. Submissions in relation to the Summary Action Plan closed on 30 Nov 2002. The part of this plan which most affected cyclists was, as has been the case from the beginning, the debate as to whether to abandon the Cycle track in its current position and move it to the inside of the Grand Drive (Option 4) or retain the Cycle Lane in its current location (Option 3).


OPTION 4	OPTION 3

It is our understanding that the Trust is very much in favour of trialing Option 4. Cycle Centennial has been strongly opposed to Option 4 from the moment of its suggestion as we believe that it is a recipe for tradgedy. Even though we have lodged several documents in the past advising the Trust of this fact, we once again reiterated our position and lodged a 12 page submission detailing our strong objection to any form of implementation of Option 4. Click here to view the document.

THIRD MEETING 26 JUNE 2003

On Thursday 26 June 2003, Cycling Centennial delegates met with Trust Administration including the Operations Manager, Andrew Ferris and the Co-ordinator of Access and Safety, Mark Pilledge. After 2 years of negotiations with the Administration of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trusts, they informed delegates of Cycle Centennial that big bunches of cyclists are intimidating to other park users and informed Cycle Centennial that they had no intention of honouring previous promises such as repealing Regulation Reg 21 (1) (a) which prohibits more than 15 riders in a bunch. Further Mark Pilledge went on to say that he was prepared to instruct rangers to start enforcing the 15 rider rule. Shortly after this meeting several newspaper articles were published in relation to this topic.

In fact they suggested that training cyclists do so other than in Centennial Park and even offered an alternate venue.