Director, Peter Duncan,
Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust

Dear Mr Duncan,

I wish to lodge a complaint about the actions of one of the park rangers
this morning (Thursday, 7th August 2003). At approximately 6:15am when it
was still quite dark, the ranger decided to stand in the middle of the
roadway on Grand Drive and attempt to direct traffic. He was pointing to the
left side of the roadway hoping that cyclists would react to him standing
there by swerving to the left around him. There are several reasons why I am
very upset about the actions of this ranger.

First, it was dark and he was standing in the middle of an unlit road at a
time when a very large proportion of the road users are cyclists. He was a
danger to them and himself and could have caused a horrific accident when
people saw him at the last second.

Second, the logical and safe thing for any cyclist, especially on a oneway
road, is to avoid slower riders, bladers, or wheelcahirs by riding to the
right of the person. Overtaking to the left as most people would know is
more dangerous in almost all situations. By pointing to the left side of the
road the ranger was causing confusion to those who saw him and would
instinctively want to move around him to the right.

Third, there are many individual cyclists, bladers and wheelchairs in
Centennial Park at that time in the morning, all going at varying speeds.
Those going slower are protected by the cycle lane in Centennial Park,
others going faster must overtake to the right and this can sometimes mean
moving onto the roadway, as they do on all NSW roads and all the other roads
in Centennial Park that do not have cycle lanes. There is no reason why
cyclists cannot use the roadway and it is dangerous not to do so when there
are so many bladers and slower cyclists using the safety of the cycle lane.
The cycle lane is essential to allow people to safely enjoy their sport away
from cars, but that does not mean it is safer for all cyclists to stay
exclusively in that lane, they must overtake on the right! 

Forth, I presume that the Centennial Park rangers have no formal training
for the control of traffic, particularly in complex situations like that in
Centennial Park where there are many types of road-users travelling at many
different speeds. After hearing of the conduct of the ranger this morning I
suggest that any traffic control be left to the police until the Trust
provides police training to the rangers in the control of complex traffic
situations. One of our club squads experienced this ranger this morning, the
squad scrambled to avoid the ranger standing in the dark. The squad leader
is formally trained, an accredited triathlon and cycling coach, who is
trying to instil cycling and particularly road safety skills into her squad.
How to react safely to the unleashed dogs, pedestrians and motorists who do
not look before they cross the roadway, are part of the skills we hope our
cyclists would learn. It does not help when a ranger endangers the safety of
everyone on the road with such foolish actions. By the way, there were 13 or
14 in the squad travelling less than 30 km/h, 2 abreast, but even if they
weren't following these regulations there is no excuse for the ranger
standing on the roadway in the dark.

Fifth, this appears to be an attempt by the park administration to get
cyclists out of the park. What other reason could you think of for so
blatantly scaring and endangering the safety of cyclists. Scare them enough
with loose dogs and rangers in the dark and they will leave - Anzac Parade
will look much safer to them then. This ranger was not trying to protect the
safety of cyclists - there are rarely more than 3 or 4 cars on the roadway
at that time of the morning, so what was he protecting them from? I have
noticed a number of actions of rangers recently that show they obviously
have little regard for the safety of anyone let alone cyclists - I have seen
one drive for a couple of hundred metres the wrong way on Grand Parade, I
have seen one drive on the cycleway line next to a bunch of cyclists
attempting to force them to stay in the cycleway despite the fact that there
were several much slower riders blocking the whole of the cycleway, and I
have seen the rangers allow some of the film crews to drive across the
cycleway in front of cyclists.

I think that this incident is a very serious matter as it shows a lack of
regard to the safety of a major user group of the park roadway. I would
appreciate receiving a considered response to my comments.

Thank you,

Robert Gorman
STEAM Sports
(Contact details supplied)

This morning I saw a lady running in the cycle lane at around 6.15am. She had a white top and blue pants on, and was running on the right edge of the cycle lane about 2.5 metres in from the edge of the roadway.  She was running in a clockwise direction in the Grand Drive so she had no view of cyclists as they approached her from behind.  She was hard to see and posed a real risk to cyclists. 

Ben Still

Randwick Botany Cycling Club

CYCLE CENTENNIAL

Box 154 Kensington NSW 1465

Email: cyclecentennial@hotmail.com

Web page: http://www.randwickbotanycc.com/Cycle%20Centennial

Marlene Krasovitsky

Acting Director

Centennial Parklands

Locked Bag 15

Paddington NSW 2021

15^th August 2003

Dear Madam,

On behalf of a group of members of Cycle Centennial, I would like to report a dangerous incident which was reported to Cycle Centennial and which occurred on Friday morning 15 Aug 2003. Mr Christopher White of the Randwick Botany Cycling Club reports:

“I would like to bring to your attention a dangerous incident which occurred approximately 6.50am on Friday 15 August 2002.  I was cycling with the Randwick Botany bunch of approximately 13 riders on our Friday ‘coffee ride’.  This ride is traditionally a recovery ride after a week of hard training sessions and accordingly, the Friday bunch travels at a very steady pace generally around 25kph average speed.

About 6.50am, the bunch was cycling in a easterly direction in the Grand Drive, had just passed the Jervois Road exit and was within 20 metres of the intersection of Parkes Drive.  My attention was drawn to a vehicle which suddenly flashed up on the right hand side of the bunch.  As the vehicle was passing the bunch at a speed well in excess of the 30kph speed limit, the male driver who looked to be about 50 years of age began to abuse the cyclists through the passenger side window, singing out in a loud voice to get off the road.  At the time I noticed that the bunch was doing approximately 25 kph and we were wholly within the cycle lane.  As the vehicle, a late model silver Toyota Rav 4, drew level with the front two cyclists of the bunch the driver broke heavily and turned from the centre of the carriageway of the Grand Drive across the path of the cyclists to turn left at Parkes Drive.  The Cyclist had to brake harshly and take evasive action to avoid a collision.  As soon as the driver had turned into Parkes Drive he immediately came to halt and again in a loud voice let loose a string of expletives and told the cyclists to "Get out of the park". 

There was no need for the driver of the Toyota to act in this fashion.  He was the first motor vehicle that we had seen in the park since we started at 6am and looked clearly to be a "rat runner" taking a high speed short cut through the park.  The cyclists did not provoke him in any way shape or form.  It was clear that he harbored much animosity towards cyclists and put the cyclists at considerable danger in his childish show of animosity towards us. He could easily have sat behind us at 25kph for all of 30 metres then made the left turn into Parkes drive behind the training bunch however he elected to overtake us so that he could abuse the cyclists then scare them by performing a particularly dangerous manoeuvre across their path.

I am very concerned at the current level of animosity which seems to be directed towards training cyclists.”

Cycle Centennial would like to bring this matter to the attention of Centennial Parklands.  We would like the incident officially recorded.  Unfortunately the vehicle’s registered number was not obtained, however all members of the training bunch (approximately 13) were witness and can verify this incident.

Yours faithfully

John Buckton

Cycle Centennial

CYCLE CENTENNIAL

Box 154 Kensington NSW 1465

Email: cyclecentennial@hotmail.com

Web page: http://www.randwickbotanycc.com/Cycle%20Centennial

Marlene Krasovitsky

Acting Director

Centennial Parklands

Locked Bag 15

Paddington NSW 2021

22 August 2003

Dear Madam,

Cycle Centennial has received an email detailing a dangerous incident in Centennial Park from one of our members, Mr Michael Murdoch.  The incident report is detailed in the email which follows.

----- Original Message -----

From: chillicow@hotmail.com

To: cyclecentennial@hotmail.com

Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 10:21 AM

Subject: Car endangers cyclists

Dear Sir/Madam,

I wish to report a dangerous incident which happened approximately 4.30pm in Centennial Park, yesterday afternoon Thursday 21 August 2003.  I was cycling around the Grand Drive within a bunch of training cyclists.  We had just passed Musgrave Avenue and were half way along toward the Govett Street exit when the driver of a red coloured Mazda 121, registered number (Registration details withheld), suddenly stopped in the cycle lane for no apparent reason.  The bunch of riders had to immediately take evasive action to avoid a collision with this car.  Some of the riders went to the inside of the Mazda and some went on the outside. It happened very suddenly and decisions had to be split second. Some of the riders passed very close to the car so as not to swing too far out to the right and into the carriageway and hence into the path of a following vehicle.  As I passed the driver, I observed her to be a lady possibly 50 years of age who appeared to be lost and was pointing around and having a discussion with her male passenger.  She may well have become a little frightened when her car was suddenly surrounded by approximately 14 cyclists, however this only occurred due to the riders taking evasive action to avoid a collision.  The close proximity to her vehicle was in no way shape or form a deliberate act designed to intimidate, it was a mere reflex action taken by a bunch of experienced riders to avoid a collision.  The incident would not have occurred at all had the lady not stopped suddenly and worse picked the cycle lane in which to do so.  Luckily no one was injured.  The lady was entirely to blame for this incident.   At the time the cyclists were traveling about 28 to 30 kilometres per hour and whilst there should not have been any concerns about the risk of being hit from behind, I have frequently noticed vehicles overtaking us at 10 to 20 kilometres faster or in other words doing 50 to 60 kilometres per hour.  There were numerous witnesses to this incident.  I would like to report this matter and as I have supplied the registration number of the vehicle, I would like the driver of this vehicle spoken to in relation to her actions.

Yours faithfully

Michael Murdoch

Malabar

Cycle Centennial is pleased to report that the involved cyclists, whilst being placed in considerable danger, were non confrontational and have abided with the wishes of Centennial Parklands in reporting the matter to you.  Please advise us in regards to what action you propose to take in this matter.

Yours faithfully

John Buckton

Delegate Cycle Centennial

Dear Mr Pilldge,

Please register this report of an incident in the park last Thursday 25thSeptember 2003(possibly Tuesday 23rd Sept). At the Randwick gates a tip truck entered the park onto the roadway. It then veered left onto the
cycleway slowing to a near stop and then turned right across the roadway into the middle of the park where all the construction is going on. I don't remember any indicators going for any of these changes in directions and
there were no traffic controllers. Similar incidents have occurred to others I have talked to. Our group was able to avoid the truck, but our first inclination when the truck turned to the left and nearly stopped on the
cycleway was to pass him on the right, but luckily we went to the left probably because of experience of similar incidents at this site and because the truck started turning right before it was too late for us to change
direction. Cyclists have a lot to deal with in Centennial Park (trucks and dogs especially), but we want to work out a safe and equitable solution to problems because it is still much much safer than on the roads outside.

Thanks, Robert Gorman
Vice-President
STEAM Sports
0410 665 745