cycling in Burwood

[zebee]

Normally when I am going to Burwood I'm going to the train station or Burwood Plaza. So straight along Burwood Rd. On the way home I head Railway Pde, Condor St, then wriggle about to get to Liverpool Rd and then Campsie.

I have classes being held at the RSL so had a look at options. Looks like no matter what you do there are short but sharp climbs on narrow roads with a lot of traffic and parked cars.

The council website is almost hysterically useless https://www.burwood.nsw.gov.au/For-Resi ... on/Cycling in that it says we have cycle infra but not what infra is where. I have, for example, done Weldon St on the e-trike and it is steep and nasty (especially between Ethel and Fitzroy) with no obvious infra anywhere along its length.

I could take the trike to get there but I'd rather take the bike. Problem is I'm still seriously slow up hills on it and the thought of mixing with traffic up Weldon from Ethel or even the bit from Belmore to the RSL is unpleasant.

Any tips on getting to the RSL? Is that half metre wide footpath up Weldon from Ethel to Fitzroy really a shared path? Is it possible to duck through the Woodstock Community centre if you are willing to risk a right turn from Burwood to Duff or will you find there are stairs and bicycle tripped shotguns?

[find_bruce]

Is Croydon Ave too steep? The problem is the hume highway runs along the ridge line so you have to climb up from Cooks River at some stage

[zebee]

Is Croydon Ave too steep? The problem is the hume highway runs along the ridge line so you have to climb up from Cooks River at some stage

I can get up to the hume via Burwood Rd which I think is less work than Croyden as it has some slope changes so you get a bit of a rest. Croyden is a climb to Arthur then a steep drop down with a bloody speed hump at the bottom so trying to get some speed up is doomed. Then a fair slog up to Liverpool Rd that even the e-trike notices.

Because the streets on Burwood Rd don't line up, I can't come from the west and cross the road into something useful with no climb to the RSL. Only cross is Belmore and that has a climb up from the roundabout. That's probably the least worst solution unless the footpath up Weldon really is a shared path. I have sent a surprisingly restrained email to the council. Bet I get nothing.

[zebee]

I got an answer from the council which said something along the lines of "we will think about that some time in 2024 and maybe talk to people about cycling in 2025 unless there's something good on TV"

[brumby33]

Is Croydon Ave too steep? The problem is the hume highway runs along the ridge line so you have to climb up from Cooks River at some stage

I can get up to the hume via Burwood Rd which I think is less work than Croyden as it has some slope changes so you get a bit of a rest. Croyden is a climb to Arthur then a steep drop down with a bloody speed hump at the bottom so trying to get some speed up is doomed. Then a fair slog up to Liverpool Rd that even the e-trike notices.

Because the streets on Burwood Rd don't line up, I can't come from the west and cross the road into something useful with no climb to the RSL. Only cross is Belmore and that has a climb up from the roundabout. That's probably the least worst solution unless the footpath up Weldon really is a shared path. I have sent a surprisingly restrained email to the council. Bet I get nothing.

Zebee, there's simply no real easy way, coming up from Campsie you've got to cross the busy Georges River Road as well as Liverpool Rd which in my opinion are 2 roads I would not like to cross without the safety of traffic control lights so I think Burwood road may be your best bet.
While Burwood road has that long climb and a couple of dicey roundabouts between GRR and LR once you're over that, turn right into Clarence street.

The speed that traffic travels along those 2 major cross roads, I'd be reluctant to attempt it on a Motorbike let alone a pushie.....I know, I used to drive a Bus along there and was glad every time to have cleared that area.

I'd take the safety of traffic lights any day.

Cheers

brumby33

[zebee]

Zebee, there's simply no real easy way, coming up from Campsie you've got to cross the busy Georges River Road as well as Liverpool Rd which in my opinion are 2 roads I would not like to cross without the safety of traffic control lights so I think Burwood road may be your best bet.
While Burwood road has that long climb and a couple of dicey roundabouts between GRR and LR once you're over that, turn right into Clarence street.

I go up Burwood Rd a lot, used to be my commute route to Burwood Station.

Can't turn right on Clarence - no right turn. To go there have to dismount, cross at the zebra before Clarence, walk to Clarence, then get on and ride down Clarence. Which might be the best solution.

Zebee

[find_bruce]

It's usually easy to get around no right turn signs because a little known road rule is 35 - Optional hook turn by bicycle. It is defined as being an alternative to a right turn that a cyclist can choose to use turn unless there is this sign

I've never seen the sign in NSW but perhaps they exist somewhere.

I often use it to cross busy intersections such as Victoria Rd with traffic lights, but it can be a bit dicey if there is traffic at an intersection without lights as you are required to give way to all vehicles on the road you are leaving. I suspect it's probably not practical for that intersection on Burwood Rd, better to dismount & use the ped crossing as you suggest

[brumby33]

Zebee, there's simply no real easy way, coming up from Campsie you've got to cross the busy Georges River Road as well as Liverpool Rd which in my opinion are 2 roads I would not like to cross without the safety of traffic control lights so I think Burwood road may be your best bet.
While Burwood road has that long climb and a couple of dicey roundabouts between GRR and LR once you're over that, turn right into Clarence street.

I go up Burwood Rd a lot, used to be my commute route to Burwood Station.

Can't turn right on Clarence - no right turn. To go there have to dismount, cross at the zebra before Clarence, walk to Clarence, then get on and ride down Clarence. Which might be the best solution.

Zebee

Ahh Sorry Zebee, I wasn't aware that there's no right turn into Clarence anymore. I've been out of the Bus Game in Sydney for 2 years now since retiring from it (for 1 year) and you could turn right then so they must've changed that since. I think it was that any vehicle turning into Clarence from the South created a bit of traffic chaos with vehicles building up behind.
My only other suggestion is to kind of follow the 492/490 bus route into Devanshire street, left into Murray st, right Tahlee, left Fitzroy st and right Welbon to the Rissole...the hardest part is getting access from busy Liverpool st into Devanshire street....it's a toughie...

[zebee]

It's usually easy to get around no right turn signs because a little known road rule is 35 - Optional hook turn by bicycle. It is defined as being an alternative to a right turn that a cyclist can choose to use turn unless there is this sign

I've never seen the sign in NSW but perhaps they exist somewhere.

Problem is that there are no cross streets. All the streets joining Burwood Rd in that area from Ethel to Belmore are offset so you can't hook turn. And yeah no traffic lights until you get to Belmore.

As it happened today I had something on before the class so I took the E-trike which had no issues. I might try the up from Ethel to Fitzroy on the unpowered 'bent some time this week taking the lane in the correct and infuriating style!

[hunch]

Rode up and down Weldon a few times late last year.

May be different in peak hour, but it didn't strike me as particularly intimidating or steep. The roundabouts, narrowing of lane width with parking seemed to have a moderating effect on crazy driver behaviour. I'd came up Punchbowl, Coronation and the Hume from Peakhurst and maybe that inured me a little - the other side of the line down towards the shopping centre car park, seemed to be where the must get in front nutters might do their worst.

[zebee]

I went up Weldon and noticed two things.

one - cars are slow as anything on the downhill because of the speedhumps and the roundabout. So you can't get any speed up to help the uphill bit.

The up hill from Ethel is OK but I did get one aggro driver. I took the lane and ignored the horn honking. It is steep for me (one person's not particularly steep is another person's ouch) but not too long so as long as you are willing to take the lane and ignore idiots you are OK.

Which is Sydney riding in a nutshell really.

Zebee

[peter]

Which RSL? Campsie RSL?

I would take Burwood Road, cross Liverpool Road at Baker Street (there's a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing). Then make my way to Portland Street, it has traffic light to cross Georges River Road.

Or did you mean from Campsie to Burwood RSL? Then it would just be the reverse: take Second Ave to cross Georges River Road, ride up Portland Street, Baker Street, then the back streets to the RSL.

[zebee]

umm.. Baker St is just about vertical. And you are still on the west side of Burwood Rd so still have the problem I was talking about.

I used Weldon St and in doing so realised what my problem was.

It is not really as steep as Burwood Rd from Georges River Rd to Mitchell, but I am happier riding that because it is wide.

Weldon feels narrow and so more dangerous and so steeper. It isn't rational but I think that is what was going on in my head. A few rides up it have dealt with that more or less. Take the lane and grind up.

It isn't the problem in other places. I haven't yet got the courage to go North on Croyden to Liverpool Rd for example. Which is sorta odd because I don't think that's any steeper than Palace in Ashfield and I have done that OK. I seem to be irrational about hills.

[peter]

I know what you mean, that's why I ride the ebike more regularly than the gravel bike. Cycling is a lot more enjoyable without thinking about the upcoming hills in the back of my mind.