CONVINCING 76 per cent of the population to remove cars from their daily commute is a tall order and Orange City Council has certainly considered a controversial way of making it more attractive.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Those of us who remember the change from 60km/h zones to 50km/h would remember the outcry, but then we all got over it and there’s no reason why a further reduction to 40km/h in the CBD would be any different.
The benefits are clearly there, with the reduction around school zones making a significant difference to the number of collisions between cars, bikes and pedestrians and potentially millions of dollars to be saved in petrol and the effects of pollution.
With many of us living so close to work and Orange being as flat as it is, the only excuse a prospective cyclist can use is safety.
For a cyclist, the CBD can be a frightening prospect at the moment because bike lanes are not marked in the main CBD grid between Byng and Kite streets.
Negotiating two lanes on Summer Street is too much for some cyclists, who opt to illegally ride on the footpaths to avoid cars weaving in and out of parking spaces. Adding bike lanes would make a huge difference in these areas, but at least slowing the traffic as an interim option would afford cyclists more protection.
But bike lanes will not serve their full potential unless the underlying road surface is brought up to scratch. Many of the bike lanes already marked are on pieces of rocky or crumbling pavement, interspersed with tree roots in some areas, leaving the cyclist no option but to ride on the road.
If road resurfacing can include the bike lanes as well as the area for cars, the council’s other measures to encourage cyclists will be a worthwhile investment.
To have your say on the council's Active Travel Plan, visit yoursay.orange.nsw.gov.au/walk-and-ride-orange.