Bicycle Route Directions anyone?

Here is something I wish to share with you that you may have been wanting for a long time. There has long been a push for Google to provide cycling directions to complement it's vehicle, walking and public transport directions. Even though, the Google attempt at the walking directions is kind of simple to do (it's simply the same coding as vehicle directions, but lets you walk down one way roads and not freeways).

Now a UK company called CouldMade, which acts as a commercial application front for OpenStreetMap, which features frequently in my posts on this site, has developed cycling directions for OpenStreetMap data.

Simply select the crosshair button (the address system doesn't really work so I don't recommend using it) and place the crosshairs for your original location and your destinations (you can have more than one). Make sure you select the cycling button and this will give you a suitable cycling route to your destination(s). The routing algorithms are not perfect and CloudMade are still trying to make them more accurate, but it is a start.

Have a look at an example I have created of cycling route directions from Ringwood to Frankston. Remember that this is OpenStreetMap data, which means it is a work in progress and not all data exists yet, but it is getting there. So be forgiving if your street is not yet there or it is there but has no name. You can even add the info yourself by visiting OpenStreetMap if you wish! Have fun and tell me of your cycle route directions which have been made using this site!

Knox Festival 2009: Knox Bicycle Plan Public Release

Sorry it took a little while to report this, but on Saturday March 3, I visited the annual Knox Festival, which is held at the Ferntree Gully Recreation Reserve on the first weekend of every March. This reserve is in an excellent location, as the Ferny Creek Trail runs right through the north of the reserve.

I arrived from the west and did not encounter any controlled entry points along the path in this direction (but it didn't matter, because if you rode a bike to the festival, you got in for free). I parked my bike and locked it up to the unusual bicycle parking (which I forgot to take a picture of). The parking was right next to the Bicycle Plan stand, but it wasn't just a stand. I saw something that did quite impress me. A giant Melway cycle map, which is featured in the newly created Knox City Council Cycling in Knox TravelSmart map. (This new map is currently not available online, but should soon. If you pop into the Civic Centre in Wantirna South, they should be able to give you one)

This reminds me that I really should follow up on my no-response email to Melissa Sparrow of Knox City Council. This time, I shall send my concerns about the Knox Bike Network to the generic council email address and see if this gets a response.

Here are a couple of photos of the giant map!

Darebin Road Underpass and gap closer opened!

OK, this might not be as exciting as for example, news that the Darebin Creek Trail extension to the Main Yarra Trail being given the green light (this decision to this problem is currently being made by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)) but it is still fantastic news for Darebin Creek Trail users.

The trail is now continuous from just north of the Heidelberg Road bridge in Alphington right up to Darebin Creek Reserve in Reservoir. This photo from the Bicycle Victoria website was taken looking south towards the bridge in October 2008, when the underpass was nearing completion, but the gap closer path was still under construction. Before the works, you would have to exit the trail at Darebin Road, cross the road, then travel down Ford Crescent for a few hundred metres to rejoin the trail. Now you can just go under the bridge and behind the back of the factories, all on the new expected standard for all major Melbourne trails, 3 metre wide concrete.

I have yet to have ride the Darebin Creek Trail, but a plan of action to ride it all myself would maybe consist of a train trip to East Camberwell Station. Yes it is a crappy station, but it is right next to the Outer Circle Trail, which I will then travel up north on to Chandler Highway, cross the shockingly narrow bridge (it used to be a rail bridge before it was converted to a vehicle bridge), travel east along Heidelberg Road, then somehow reach the start of the trail and zip up it, somehow bridge the gap in Bundoora, then travel right to the end at Epping North, then returning by train. If I do take this ride sometime, I will report it on this blog.

More information on the opening of the underpass and gap closing path can be found in the Victorian Government Media Release.

Route Improvement Update: Mullum Mullum Creek Trail - Tindals Road to Park Road

The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail has the potiental to become a major trail in the near future. It is currently split into two sections, with difficult terrain and land to conquer in the middle gap area. At the moment you can ride from Croydon North through Ringwood and to the Mullum Mullum Park to connect with the Koonung Creek Trail which takes you along the Eastern Freeway to the city. There is also the forgotten section. This section of the trail gets minimum usage due to lack of access, especially from the southern end, although alot of Templestowe residents use it to get to the Main Yarra Trail, which leads to the Diamond Creek Trail and Westerfolds Park. I have tried three alternatives to reach the trail from the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail from Mullum Mullum Park, which I will detail below.

The first option had me leaving the Koonung Creek Trail at Mitcham Road and travelling on the shared path north west to Springvale Road, which I then went north up, before taking a right turn down Old Warrandyte Road (which had fairly recently been reconstructed with bike lanes :) ) to the trail entrance. This was the easiest way by far but the Springvale Road section was annoying since the two lane road with no proper shoulders forced me to follow the rough gravel path alongside the road and on some grass at some points.

The second option I will NEVER do again. I left the Koonung Creek Trail at Park Road, soon after leaving the Mullum Mullum Park and headed north. Park road is wider and has much less traffic which meant I could actually ride on the road here and I enjoyed the downhill to the tight corner, which just before this corner you will notice a short section of bike track and a car park. This is where the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail will eventually cross Park Road. I continued north through the corner and then turned left down McIntyres Road (Melways Ref 35 A12) and headed north. I spotted this route on the Melway and although it had "Steep" written next to the road, because it seemed to be a direct route to the trail entrance, I decided to give it a crack. I'm not the fittest cyclist (I also ride a MTB and don't wear lycra!) so it was abit of a struggle, even in low gear. There was a nice downhill in the middle, but the road surface changed from asphalt to gravel half way down the hill so I had to slow down :( . Then, when I thought I had reached Tindals Road, I had another steep hill ahead of me. I eventually got there, but then I had to turn left and travel west past Donvale Christian College. I got to the trail after all that.

Then there was the third option, which I took before taking the above second option. I decided to go down the incomplete Mullum Mullum Creek Trail section which started from the car park I talked about above on Park Road. The Manningham Council had a sign erected saying that there was no access to Tindals Road via the incomplete trail, but I naturally ignored it! The path was formed and gravel had been laid ready for asphalt to go on the top, a completed bridge allowed me to cross the creek once, and a small section already had been asphalted which was heaven to ride upon. The path then quickly turned back to grave and I approached a dilapidated wire fence with a "Private Property" sign as well as another Manningham Council sign, the same one as at the car park. I climbed my bike over the somewhat broken wire fence to have a peek. I got about 100m on natural earth before I had to stop. There was a roughly 3 metre cliff drop to the creek below. A footbridge is going to be constructed here. When I visited, the path supports on both sides of the creek had been constructed but that was it. I assessed possible options for me to cross the creek. I could have possibly done it by leaving my bike behind, but I decided against it. It would have been impossible with a bike so I had to abandon my curiosity trip and turn back. There was an adjoining natural earth trail which went up a hill between the wire fence and the cliff, but since I was on private property, it probably went to a residence so it would not be the right thing to do.


View Larger Map

Note: Map may be buggy. Pressing the zoom out (minus) button three times should fix it.

So that concludes my little trip out to Park Orchards / Donvale way. The section of path should be completed by the end of 2009. After that, only the section from Park Road to the Mullum Mullum Park to go, then we will have a handy link to the Yarra River from Ringwood!

Parts of the new "Victorian Bicycle Plan" are dripping through

This is exciting. The government is currently completing it's first major bicycle infrastructure review in over two decades. It was meant to be released this month but because of the tragic bushfires, this has now been pushed to March. Luckily, The Age has some leaked details which include

• Bicycle lanes on William and La Trobe Streets
• CBD blanket speed limit of 40 km/h to increase safety for cyclists
• Bicycle infrastructure to become mandatory for ALL new road projects.

While these leaked details are great, we need bicycle lanes on more inner city streets, plus a double bicycle lane (2 bike lanes side by side in one direction like a two lane carriageway) between St. Kilda and the Capital City Trail in North Fitzroy. We also need the Capital City Trail to be upgraded so the entire length is free of stairs (the ones near CityLink are being bypassed as we speak) and is 3 metres wide at all points except where it is unfeasible to do so. And every major break in the currently constructed off-road network needs the gaps removed.

Keep an eye on my blog in the near future for more updates as the release of the plan gets closer.

Source: Melbourne to get more bike lanes from The Age.

Sorry for the hold up!

Just a quick note to say that I have now started full time study and unfortunately, I now have less time to go bike riding and report on news and views. While I will still be active with this website, expect a lower amount of posts then usual. As much as I love blogging about our cycling network, I have to put my studies and my job ahead of this. Thank you for your consideration and for reading my blog.

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

This week in Melbourne has been increadible weather wise! Unfortunately, this extreme heat wave has forced me to not go riding (for those who don't know, I currently only ride a bike for recreation/fitness). Hopefully I will get to go out next week when it's abit cooler (even though it's only going to get to the low 30s). In the meantime, I will write a post on something which I happened to compile before the heat wave. Stay tuned for that post.

Poll Results: With on-road cycling, how far are you willing to go?

Alright, my third poll has now closed. Thanks to the eight people who had their say. Due to the nature of this poll, there is not too much I can comment on unlike my previous polls. The results are shown to the right:

It shows that visitors to my blog are cycling enthusiasts so to speak, which means people who are serious about cycling as well as the casual rider is also interested. It sometimes amazes me how many people are willing to participate in the "man vs. machine" fight for road space in a regular traffic lane. Personally, I would stick to nothing more than a marked bicycle lane but I have been on roads with a wide left lane before.

A new poll is now up. As always, feel free to have your say by choosing the option most applicable to you.

Gallery: Burwood Highway Pedestrian Bridge

Sorry I didn't post these up on Friday as I previously stated. I simply didn't have the time, but I do now. Here is a few quick snaps I have taken of the current state of the construction of the Burwood Highway Pedestrian bridge. Riders who do not reside around the area and only cycle around this area occasionally should find the following images useful.

Approach to Burwood Highway on the north side.

Closer shot of the approach to Burwood Highway on the north side.

Burwood Highway northern ramp.

Damaged EastLink Trail sign which has been tossed aside as construction continues.

Burwood Highway northern ramp as seen from southern side.

New bridge spans which were delivered to the site on Wednesday.

Another obscured view of the two spans.

Close-up view of one span. Notice the handrails.

Where the southern side ramp joins the existing trail.

The southern approach ramp.

I simply cannot wait until this bridge is finished, along with the Maroondah Highway bridge later this year (hopefully).

What trail am I riding on?

Although not a common issue on Melbourne's bicycle network, in the eastern suburbs, there is an emerging problem with the newly implemented trails which have recently been constructed. It is hard to know what trail you are actually riding on!

Take the example of these four trails: The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail, Koonung Creek Trail, EastLink Trail and Dandenong Creek Trail all intertwine and link and it has only been since June this year that the problem has been created. The simple question of "What trail am I riding on" needs to be answered. I will explain it as easily as I can here.

There are 2 parts to this post. The first is actually finding out what each stretch of trail is named. The second is an analysis of the intersection signage and why this confuses so many people! I will go through the first part initially. Please click the map below to view the full size.

ORANGE: Mullum Mullum Creek Trail
GREEN: Koonung Creek Trail
RED: EastLink Trail
BLUE: Dandenong Creek Trail
GREY: Other major trails
Dotted lines: Proposed trail / trail under construction
I will go through the intersections at a future date.

In quick site news, I have also updated the top banner. I will change the banner on a regular basis to show the site is still active as well as places along Melbourne's network which I believe are perfect for placement in the top banner.