Should bikes be allowed on the Sydney Metro?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Freewheelin' Franklin on July 5, 2009 at 11:04pm

"In conjunction with future extensions, the CBD Metro will:

* provide metro access to Sydney’s key economic corridors, greatly reducing travel times and relieving congestion on Sydney’s road and rail networks"

maybe when the metro releives all that congestion cyclists would find it easier to ride, & wouldn't need to take their bikes on the train.
(am I living in dreamland?)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brian McMartin on July 6, 2009 at 4:27am

I think that does sound like Dreamland to me. Of course I would like to beleive the entire metro's implementation is a matter of dreamland but then again I've learned to never underestimate NSW state governments ability to do stupid things.
I don't see the metro if it ever comes into being actually doing anything useful. It's really just a publicity stunt by proposing a bandaid for a failing system to make it look like we have an infrastructure building government. The very same infrastructure building government that refuses to give 'heavy rail' the previosuly planned and currently desperately needed expansions. The same infrastructure building government that opened new suburbs along 'rail transport corridoors' to entice developers and people to move in while there are no actual plans to ever put in train lines. I'm seeing a bit of a trend here.
But in response to the original post I am not at all surprised by them not wanting bikes on the metro. We are the antichrist to every god fearing sardine on our public transport system. Our rail system is far from cycle friendly and expecting a new 'metro' to be cycle friendly is a bit of a stretch.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim on July 6, 2009 at 6:23am

You can take a bike on the Istanbul metro. You just can't take it on during peak hour. However, having travelled on the Istanbul metro many times sans bike it always seems like peak hour. Despite it being busy all the time no one bats an eyelid when someone gets on with a large item eg the shoe shiners with their big boxs or gypsies with bags and boxes of stuff.

If you do want to take your bike you have to buy an extra jeton which is only 1.50lira (about $1.30) which is the standard cost of a ticket for the metro regardless of what stop you get off on the one line. The metro is very efficient and cheap so it gets used all the time.

On the point about bikes on the Sydney metro - perhaps parents with those HUGE prams should consider how much space they take up and perhaps they should buy an extra ticket in peak hour just like bikes.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Paul on July 6, 2009 at 2:00pm

It is ironic that. Out pram takes up at least twice as much space as my bicycle. However, at least where buses are concerned, I know that some mothers have gotten quite a shock when the bus driver has refused to let them on the bus because there is nowhere to store the pram. On the "disabled access" buses, they also will not let you on unless you have booked a space!
Personally, if we have to travel on public transport with the little munchkin then we will probably go and get a smaller travel stroller or something. For now we use the baby bjorn, which he will outgrow before the end of the year!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark Lambert on February 28, 2010 at 4:29pm

I stopped using the Baby Bjorn once my boy was big enough to constantly kick me in the nuts when he was strapped in. That was when he was about seven months old. Now I cart him around in a MacPac baby carrier. No more kicking me in the nuts, but he does like to grab sticks off branches and whack me in the head with them.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MadameBike on February 28, 2010 at 4:49pm

We used a Macpac Possum baby backpack until our kids were about 4 years old. Depends on the size of the child and the strength of the parent's back ;-)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by back street boy on March 1, 2010 at 8:34am

looks like your getting ready for a base jump!
Oh and to keep it relevant, yes bikes should be allowed on the metro, if there was a designated area for them then the grease on clothing etc. argument becomes redundant. Access should not be a problem either since it should be designed to be wheel chair accessible.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dabba on March 1, 2010 at 8:56am

Should bikes be allowed on base jumps too?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Paul on March 1, 2010 at 11:28am

Well, my little one, who outgrew the Baby Bjorn at about 6 months, is now almost 11kg and 80cm tall (he turned 1 a couple of week ago).
What size child does the MacPac carrier take? The way my little one is growing, I don't know how much use I would get out of it! He's is 97th percentile for height at his age.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by baa baa on March 1, 2010 at 11:35am

These guys make good stuff.

Looks like your bloke would fit
I just cannot kill my packs and panniers

http://www.wildequipment.com.au/backpack_detail.php?Code=WEWCS

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Andrew on July 6, 2009 at 8:45am

Of course bikes should be allowed onto the metro

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Richard (Poncho) on July 6, 2009 at 8:47am

I'm dead against taking bikes on trains.
No cyclist should have to suffer the inevitable "Nice bike mate, how much did you pay for it?" followed (if answered) by shock horror & more probing questions.

Greasing the offending inquirer would be such sweet revenge. Sadly this only happens in articles attacking the prospect of sharing transport with cyclists.

Can anyone offer some useful retorts?
"How much do you earn in a year? I'll let you know if you can afford one"

▶ Reply to This

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page