Warning to Cycle Tourists coming to Australia for World Championships

[Hillavoider]

If anyone from developed western countries is intending to travel to Australia and do some cycling because you think Australia will have nice open roads and little traffic and friendly people then I urge you to be extremely careful and do not expect this to be the case. Australians, especially in the cities, have no regard what so ever for the safety of cyclists. If you think its bad in North America or the UK then do not even think about bringing your bike to Australia. I am from Sydney and basically the attitude here is that we are on the same level as road kill, and the police and courts go very lightly on dangerous drivers, most never get a fine or jail time for hitting cyclists, even if on purpose. Members of the NSW Government have even openly complained about cyclists on the roads as being annoying in the past. The culture here is not a nice one if you intend to ride.

Please be extremely careful if intending to ride a bike in Australia, bike riders are not respected or catered for in any way in this country.

 

[M Sport]

I would take that warning with a grain of salt, it doesn't represent the reality of riding on the road at all. Well, not in Victoria anyway.

Melbourne caters well for cyclists in comparison to most cities I have lived in.

 

[Polyarmour]

I think that's a bit tough Hillavoider.

Like anywhere you have to pick your route and time of day to maximise your enjoyment.

And Sydney is probably one to avoid.

 

[Martin318is]

Having lived and raced in Melbourne for most of my life and also spent an extensive period in the UK (over 2 years) I would say that this is not really true.

I found that riding outside the city limits in the UK was really dangerous and at times quite scary compared to Victoria. Cars in country victoria generally give riders a massive amount of clearance. Yes there are cases when individual drivers don't but most often cars move to the other side of the road when overtaking. UK drivers squeeze you into the hedges because there is no room.

In the city in Melbourne there is beginning to be excellent infrastructure for riders on bike lanes along rivers etc that take you off the road entirely. Clearly this is not good enough for the competetive training cyclist but everyone else is reasonably well catered for.

Melbourne dirvers on most roads do give room to riders (where they can) but the exception to this is peak hours on business days. This (I beleive) is because there is so much congestion of cars at these times that the drivers are already frustrated and not necessarily concentrating enough.

London city is a dodgy place to ride. I had two friends hit by buses in seperate incidents and there were numerous cases of road rage that I and others lived through

I have been back in Aus for nearly 18months since I left and the only incident I have had with a car was a car door almost blocking me and that got a massive apology from the driver. I know people who have been hit etc in that time but it hasnt happened to me and I am on the road every day.

I have seen stories that Sydney is a completely different story and I blieve that is true - but what tourists have to keep in mind is that Sydney SUCKS anyway (speaking as a Melbournian).

 

[Greg Johnson]

And Sydney is probably one to avoid.

...and that advice isn't just for bike riding either!

Cheers
Greg Johnson

 

[oldcrank]

I think it is widely accepted that Melbourne is largely bike friendly
and that Sydney is not.

 

[durianrider]

Ive cycled perth-melbourne-byron bay-tip of cape york and think the most rednecks are here on the gold coast.

Ive cycled seattle to los angeles and only had one red neck incident.

All over europe it was just one redneck in luxemborg

All over south east asia and only one redneck, yep, he was a westerner.

There is rednecks everywhere but they never stop me from rid'n and hav'n fun. Heck even this forum has its own rednecks that will want to bring you down cos your into a health and fitness lifestyle and proud of it.

 

[Hillavoider]

it may sound a bit dramatic, but its a fair warning, especially for sydney, i see europeans arriving in sydney with thier bikes and i cringe just thinking if they will survive thier holiday.

country roads are better but not much, i have been driven off rural roads and abused many many times mainly from young males with a standard rural australian level of education - which begins and ends in year 1. Do not be surprised to have young men yelling abuse at you constantly while riding your bike. i have learnt to ignore it.

Sydney was declared the worst city in the world to ride a bike earlier this year by two social academics. melbourne may be better but the australian attitude that cyclists are road kill still remains.

But if you kill a cyclist while you are here, don't worry, you'll be in and out of court with a slap on the wrist. so you may as well drive around.

 

[Hairy Wheels]

I have to agree with the OP. I'm from North America but have lived/raced in Europe and Aus. I always had the feeling that I was hated in Australia (Sydney, Gold Coast, Canberra). I had constant run-ins with drivers there...truly scary.

Having just said that, I actually think the scariest place ever to ride a bike is in the Tampa area of Florida. Terrifying...old people cutting you off...people throwing rocks at you...cans of coke (they hurt when full)...terrible.

Heed the OP's warning though...Aussies (not all, but most) HATE cyclists.

 

[Barracuda]

" I rest my case your honour"

Thats exactly why everyone should head to South Oz in January for the TDU.... great rides and great atmosphere.

For what its worth I will be taking the bike to the worlds in Geelong this year and riding around..... so whats SYdney got to do with the Worlds at Geelong ???

 

[MCPC141]

From the outside looking in.

It appears most of the negativity on this forum, especially regarding Sydney, is from people who haven't actually ridden in Sydney.

I live in Rozelle. (Inner City). I work in Parramatta (~20km away, in outer Sydney). I cycle commute about three days a week and have done for years.

I've ridden to Melbourne, to Bathurst and beyond and all round Sydney for beach trips, shops, pubs, gigs etc.

Yet I haven't encountered all these homicidal, abusive maniacs that seem to plague the lives of other people. Who don't actually live here.

In any walk of life, you must give respect to gain respect, and cycling is no different. I try my best not to hold up traffic, and I don't do stupid things. I ride with caution but confidence.

Avoidhills, your name says it all. If you are avoiding hills perhaps you don't have the mindset of a bike rider?

 

[dsut4392]

It appears most of the negativity on this forum, especially regarding Sydney, is from people who haven't actually ridden in Sydney.

I live in Rozelle. (Inner City). I work in Parramatta (~20km away, in outer Sydney). I cycle commute about three days a week and have done for years.

I've ridden to Melbourne, to Bathurst and beyond and all round Sydney for beach trips, shops, pubs, gigs etc.

Yet I haven't encountered all these homicidal, abusive maniacs that seem to plague the lives of other people. Who don't actually live here.

In any walk of life, you must give respect to gain respect, and cycling is no different. I try my best not to hold up traffic, and I don't do stupid things. I ride with caution but confidence.

Avoidhills, your name says it all. If you are avoiding hills perhaps you don't have the mindset of a bike rider?

I lived in Sydney for 21 years until 2004, and for the last 16 years regularly commuted by bike between the North Shore, city and inner West. Sydney Morning Herald articles, polls and letters don't give any indication things have improved markedly sice I left, though you do have a few more city bike paths which are hated by experienced cyclists and motorists alike
There are few places I have been where cyclists are treated with as much contempt as Sydney (in fact I can't honestly think of one, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa).

While I don't think it's quite as bad as hillavoider makes out, on the whole I agree that Sydney drivers are intolerant, agressive and abusive towards cyclists. Buses and taxis (the so called "professional" drivers) are the worst offenders, but many drivers seem to consider cyclists as fair game to cut off and run off the road. But I suppose many of them behave the same way towards other drivers, if that's any consolation...

I have also lived and ridden in England, and now live in Tassie, and the riding experience is much more pleasant most of the time (there are rednecks in all parts of the world, some of them are dumb enough to throw full tinnies of beer, the waste!)

So cycle tourists, by all means come, but I would suggest you start your tour outside of the Sydney greater metro area (bounded by Hornsby in the North, Sutherland in the South (duh) and the semicircle joining them to the West) and hop on the train instead to get in and out of the city centre (avoiding peak hours of course!). Whatever you do, don't fly into Sydney and assemble your bike in the terminal then ride in to your hotel at the Cross, trying to negotiate that maze in a jetlagged state would be tantamount to suicide...

 

[brianf7]

You have been warned motorists in Geelong are as bad as anywhere else always make eye contact with drivers at rounderbouts and intersections and ride defencive but also dont be put off by the sugestion that we are any worse than anywhere else .
there are idiots everywhere just enjoy your riding in outer Geelong you can ride for two hours on quiet roads and not see any cars. If you look for trouble you will find it.

Support local business Coffee shops etc that have lost 4 days trading because of road colsed for the race.

Stay clear of that woman who claims to be a which from another world.

Cyclist can ride two abreast Must wear helmets and dont hog the road the cops will be out in force

 

[ProfTournesol]

I think that it's the same problem in Australia as there is anywhere else: it's always helpful to have access to local knowledge. There are times and places in Melbourne when I would be very reluctant to ride, so if you are planning a trip here, just ask

 

[NickBVK]

It's fine in the suburbs or whatever, pretty stupid to try riding down the middle of the CBD in any city...

 

[Archibald]

I've lived and ridden in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and now London.

Simply put, from experience, Sydney is somewhere I have absolutely no desire to return to. It truly earns its monica as the worst city to ride a bike in. It's the only time I seriously considered purchasing downhill mtb armour to ride in.

Melbourne isn't a whole lot better, but I didn't have too many problems there, but drivers have no qualms about running you off the road or throwing stuff at you (same for sydney).

Adelaide is far better, but for some reason there is a massive amount of road rage in all three cities. I'm not sure I fully comprehend why that is the case and why car drivers get so wound up and aggresive when sitting behind the wheel of their car.

London is far better and far safer - however, as the number of cyclists here is increasing, so is the number of nitwit riders going through red lights and doing dumb sh*t that p*sses off motorists. If things continue in this manner it won't be long before the motorists will start treating ALL cyclists with the contempt they feel for the idiots...

That's my experience for what it's worth...

 

[craig1985]

Ive cycled perth-melbourne-byron bay-tip of cape york and think the most rednecks are here on the gold coast.

Ive cycled seattle to los angeles and only had one red neck incident.

All over europe it was just one redneck in luxemborg

All over south east asia and only one redneck, yep, he was a westerner.

There is rednecks everywhere but they never stop me from rid'n and hav'n fun. Heck even this forum has its own rednecks that will want to bring you down cos your into a health and fitness lifestyle and proud of it.

Tell me about it.

 

[durianrider]

Its crazy eh Craig, we got some good roads around here but crew just go nuts sometimes when they see cyclists. Ive kicked more car doors on the GC than anywhere. Not that thats the best solution but it sure does feel good in the moment.

Burleigh heads and Coolongatta redneck hot spots Ive found. Murbah area is pretty chill. Byron is great.

 

[craig1985]

Its crazy eh Craig, we got some good roads around here but crew just go nuts sometimes when they see cyclists. Ive kicked more car doors on the GC than anywhere. Not that thats the best solution but it sure does feel good in the moment.

Burleigh heads and Coolongatta redneck hot spots Ive found. Murbah area is pretty chill. Byron is great.

I'm sure you are aware of the Sydney to Southport (on the Gold Coast) ride (1000km for those playing at home), and some people I was talking too a few weeks ago at the local coffee shop, and they said they are zero problems when they were in NSW, but 100m over the border some slacked jawed yokel yelled abuse (and he was going the other way!). They were impressed by the immaculate timing of it all.

I rode to Byron earlier this year and it was rather busy when I rode into town, but it was Australia Day, so that explained everything). Still had no problems.

 

[Saddlesaw]

Well I have lived in Sydney and now live on the Surf Coast not far from Geelong and while I have experienced rednecks and intollerance from drivers down here (and posted a few tongue in cheek comments about them) there really is no comparison to Sydney.

I think it's OTT to suggest that visitors keep off the roads and don't ride while here. Geelong, the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsular are magnificent places to ride and generally the traffic is not too bad.

Come, bring your bikes and as always your wits and awareness and remember which side of the road to ride on........it's going to be a blast!

 

[Martin318is]

You have been warned motorists in Geelong are as bad as anywhere else

The thing is whether you are talking about the centre of town or the general area.

I lived in Geelong for a few years and used to commute to Melbourne to work before getting a job in Geelong itself and later moving back to Melbourne permanently. I raced on the track at Geelong West while there.

I used to do a loop straight after work down the peninsula to Port Arlington, across to Point Lonsdale, the back way through Colendina (sp - just realised I have never tried to spell that) and Barwon Heads, then the back way into Geelong. NEVER had an issue with a car on those roads in daytime or night.

That said, if you ride on the main street or on the North side around areas such as Corio, North Geelong, Bell Post hill then you are likely to hit less friendly traffic.

 

[waccampbell]

I've been riding around the countryside just outside of Geelong now and I recommend it to anyone who comes out here with their bikes.

I've only had one or two close encounters with drivers not giving enough room but other then that have not been yelled at or abused by anybody.

It will be great fun, I'm happy I'll be home from work during the Worlds, they go right passed my street, hell yeah!

 

[Hillavoider]

It appears most of the negativity on this forum, especially regarding Sydney, is from people who haven't actually ridden in Sydney.


In any walk of life, you must give respect to gain respect, and cycling is no different. I try my best not to hold up traffic, and I don't do stupid things. I ride with caution but confidence.

Avoidhills, your name says it all. If you are avoiding hills perhaps you don't have the mindset of a bike rider?[/QUOTE

lol are you Premier Kristina Kennealy? and were you trying to be funny or am i getting trolled...anyway you should read this, its been posted before but this is especially for you.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-the-city-that-hates-bikes-20100312-q45h.html

i was born in sydney, have lived here all my life, and used to ride 2-300k a week with bunches all over the city. That is until a car swerved into the bunch one day and took out the guy beside me. Driver found not to be at fault. Rider has broken leg and arm. Another time a ute clips a rider in front of me. rider goes to hospital and ute driver says he didn't see anything, walks away scott free.
Recently a road rager pulls in front of the bunch on the way out of sydney and slams on his brakes causing a massive pile up, numerous injuries and loss of equipment. Driver leaves scene. He gets away with with no serious charges! in Europe he would be in jail for a long time. but here....

....it is virtually legal to hit cyclists in Austrlalia. In South Australia a drunk Driver kills a cyclist and leaves the scene. He is caught and gets away with a slap on the wrist after killing someone while drink driving. there are hundreds more examples.

The goverments want cycling toursim but are doing nothing here to make the sport any safer or more accepted.

i just hope a warning to potential tourists lucky enough to live in a civilised country that sydney and australia has an extremely high proportion of rednecks to general population ratio, that permeates the highest levels of goverment and society, will save some lives.

and it sounds like i should move to london. and does anyone know why there is so much road rage in australia? its really bizarre, i don't see it as much when i travel to europe or the US.

 

[Polyarmour]

.

All over europe it was just one redneck in luxemborg

All

Luxembourg was a highlight for me, I had my worst time in Belgium... believe it or not. Narrow roads, trucks and no cycle paths to escape to.

 

[durianrider]

I raced in Belgium, France and England and found those places pretty good. Holland was great too. Heaps o bike paths. I never got any hassles in Belge.