Cycling in Sydney Australia
RTA Sensor Checks
Anyone noticed all the efforts from the RTA with the sensors over the last week or so?
All down Kent st and on King St there were people in RTA PPE equipment checking the signals boxes every time i'd hit a sensor, jot something down on the notepad, look at me again (check if i'm still on the sensor) and then look at the signals box & jot down something again.
There were also chalk scribblings all down bourke st over the sensor areas too.
Seems the RTA is putting in quite a bit of effort into the sensors & making sure they work!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nate on -
What a very telling tale...
If there's a whinge/gripe on the forum (normally about perceived incompetance), especially about the RTA & the fact it hasnt changed its entire signalling operations to suit a few cyclists then everyone jumps in & has a go. But if there's something positive and a mention that they're putting a lot of effort in, the entire forum is silent.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Heydon on -
Yeah, RTA does (a small part of) the job they're paid to do.
Woo hoo, aint they good?
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Permalink Reply by MadameBike on -
Sorry Nate, I'll respond - I must have missed it. I am certainly not averse to sticking up for the RTA when they deserve it.
My personal view is that I am not antagonistic to the RTA per se anyway. IMO they are only following policy which is set down by the Minister for Transport of the day and they are therefore as good or as evil as government policy allows.
Glad to hear they actually have permission to spend some time doing something that might improve cycling conditions. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Robbiejuve on -
I THANK the RTA because their rubbish signalling on Kent / King has made me a fantastic uphill 20 metre sprinter.
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Permalink Reply by Colin on -
The problem with the sensors isn't that they don't sense, it's that once sensed, the lights do not give enough green time to cyclists. In some cases the problem with the sensors is their location - they should be placed further back from the intersection to allow the lights to turn (or remain) green so that cyclists do not have to stop.
It's all part of giving cyclists a better experience than they would get if driving - something that's necessary to achieve a mass cycling culture.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on -
I think that's about it, even if the sensors function it is no good to have to stop-and-wait at every intersection.
You want to have a fair chance of a green without a stop, just like the cars get.
So although fixing the sensors is a small improvement, the fundamental treat-bikes-as-peds-no-vehicles approach is rubbish.
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Permalink Reply by Nate on
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ummm its probably their job to manage the flow of traffic through Sydney CBD, rather than "create a cycling culture"
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Permalink Reply by Martin Geliot on
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The first is in part achieved by the second.
There's a shakeout of RTA in the offing, with a new structure/hierarchy. The Minister for Transport is trying to arrange access to the right people in the food chain who have the decision authority AND the budget. This means access to empowered people, rather than unempowered ones then no-one all the way up to the elected Govt.
Additionally I hear whispers to the effect that Gay has been told to pull his head in, since he is now Minister in Govt not opposition. Thus he must come from a position of fact, and must also operate with the acceptance that RTA approved the cycleways.
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Permalink Reply by Bernard on -
I ride along Kent St everyday, most of the time when the lights are green (in parallel to the cycleway) there is no car traffic going through (hmm should I rant on about un-used roads?).
What would be fair is a flashing arrow for cars turning off Kent St, so that cyclist aren't forced to wait at every single light even though cars are allowed to go.
I'm sure as a motorist you understand how frustrating it is to drive to an intersection only to stop at a red light, wait for it to change and then do this again at the next intersection especially when there is no traffic going through the intersection.
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