Toowoomba Region Bicycle Users Group Inc. | Community organisation

Toowoomba Region Bicycle Users Group Inc.

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25.01.2022 Seven riders enjoyed a 50km BUG ride this morning -Hugh, Murray, Geoff, Mark, Fiona, Grant and Margaret. We rode the newly sealed Mt Rascal Road, then on to highway near Vale View School and onto Wyreema with a new turning lane at Newman Road. After a short break at park we continued on past dairy farms and green oat crops. We then crossed highway again and rode on quiet country roads again to Wellcamp School. There Fiona discovered she had not charged her bike properly and as she only had 7% battery left she and Grant rang the family for help. The rest of us continued up Taylor Street where we thoroughly enjoyed a well earned coffee at Pump- well especially the true riders Geoff and Mark.

24.01.2022 Wednesday 30 September The Scorch is on... 5.30 am depart from Art Gallery Garden. One hour ride at approx 22-24 kph, coffee at Urth.

24.01.2022 Today’s mid-morning group ride enjoyed a colourful stop at Picnic Point with flower beds in full bloom. The bike tunnel at West Creek appears to be in place, before the culverts are installed, with ramps under construction either side. Looks like this bike way will be connected ideally. TRBUG received acknowledgement last week from TMR that the reconstructed culverts at East Creek have a less than ideal pedestrian/cyclist crossing rebuild, due to ‘underground services’. Let’s just call out fibs: that was a complete excavation with every opportunity to do an ‘ideal’ rebuild at the crossing. Let’s hope they get it right at West Creek.

24.01.2022 not much has changed today

24.01.2022 Mt Peel Bushland Park, between Drayton and Westbrook, is getting additional mountain bike trails with trail building contractors on site and two new trails now open. Continuing the First Nations’ naming, the new trails are the Gumbi Gumbi Trail (3040m) and the Darla Trail (2755m) which connect to the existing trails via the Wakka Bunda Connection Trail. The new trails circuit the northern flank of Mt Peel North providing scenic views north towards Gowrie Mountain. The Darla ...Trail provides a smooth, easy climbing ascent to the the start of the Gumbi Gumbi Trail which then provides a fast flow track with excellent berms (banked switchbacks) that take riders back to the start of the Darla Trail. Additional trails are under construction. This is a Toowoomba Regional Council project and TRC is responsible for maintaining the trails. Existing trails have recently been tidied up by a brush-cutter team. All the trails are rated ‘Green’ which indicates that they are easy to ride skills-wise, with a decent mountain bike, but expect to get a good work-out as the trails are physically demanding. Unless you are on an e-MTB in which case it is all fun, fun and a bit more fun.

23.01.2022 "....you create space for walking, you create space for cycling, make it convenient, pleasant and easy, people will do it." Efficient movement of people, economic benefit to business, health benefits to individuals - why is the evidence so difficult to accept by decision makers in Toowoomba? https://www.cyclinguk.org//are-bike-lanes-best-we-took-it-

22.01.2022 Interesting document on low speed zones. https://documents1.worldbank.org//Low-Speed-Zone-Guide-Emp

22.01.2022 In the discussions with TMR and TRC about how to get riders to and from the OCR placed Goods Shed, we have yet to think of this sort of solution. Perhaps we should?

22.01.2022 More on making better use of bicycles as transport. "Public transport usage has fallen significantly as an increasing number of people choose to walk or ride bicycles to avoid crowded mass transits and follow health authorities’ advice for physical distancing. To respond to these trends, Milan, Geneva, Brussels and London have decided to invest in flexible bike lanes." Have our buses here seen less use? ... Hard to imagine they could be used any less than normal. "According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), investing in pedestrians and cyclists who often make up the majority of citizens in a city - can save lives, help protect the environment and support poverty reduction. "Meeting the needs of people who walk and cycle continues to be a critical, yet overlooked part of the mobility solution for helping cities separate population growth from increased emissions, and improve air quality and road safety." And, in the scheme of road building costs, it is cheap too.

21.01.2022 The 'Copenhagan Lane'.... we have tried discussing these with both TRC and TMR. Both refuse to consider the benefits to riders. Such lanes can be found in other cities, Brisbane and Cairns. Why are those cities able to consider them as relevant?

21.01.2022 Relatable childhood memories.

20.01.2022 "Dashing through the snow....". Hopefully not for us. All the best for Christmas - New Year to all in and following TRBUG.

19.01.2022 Snaps from last Friday's Cobb & Co ride. The new Range lookout. Opened the day before we visited. Very impressive structure and worth a visit. Makes a change from Picnic Point too.... Steep ride back up - low gear required to avoid pushing.

19.01.2022 Some TMR blurb from a cycling page. Worth a scan through. Particularly this claim:... 'Next steps' "The Queensland Government will continue to improve the communication and enforcement of the minimum passing distance laws in partnership with stakeholders." Be good if TMR contacted the 'stakeholders', about this and much more.

18.01.2022 This story seems to back up the comment from Bikeline's owner posted here too. London, and other cities, have suffered far more from Covid than we have in Toowoomba but the principle of making our city less hostile to riders and pedestrians is the same. It's a great shame London has been spurred to action from Covid but Toowoomba could give it a go anyway, and start to fulfill the promise raised in last year's TRC organised walking and cycling workshop that, so far, has produced... well... nothing.

17.01.2022 At our General Meeting this will be an item of discussion, so if you want to know something about Russell Street and the Speed Limit Fiasco, invest a short amount of time in watching the video. ............................................................................................................................................... An interesting exercise in how our Councillors undermine hours of consultation by their staff, hours of free community time and thinking by ci...tizens-ratepayers with an interest in this specific topic, years of well documented research within and without Australia, and on what evidence? Evidence? What's that? No, as a result of some radio station having a short segment on Russell Street, which promoted talkback calls of derision, and some anecdotal chitchats with 'some traders I know' and 'people have said to me', and other such irrelevant unsubstantiated nonsense. Full marks though do go to Councillor Bill Cahill and Councillor Carol Taylor, who spoke in support for the 30 kph limit and to Mr. Mike Brady, the senior staff member, General Manager indeed, heading the team of staff who have worked hard to achieve a better outcome, not 'for bike riders' but for the whole city, who even managed to suggest it was an opportunity for Council to show leadership and set the path the City Masterplan hopes for. If this is the standard of ill informed debate we are paying our councillors a handsome sum for, we should ask for a rebate! The footage starts at 47.17 mins and goes, for a while, to 1.16.

16.01.2022 Not 'all' cities have noticed the changes needed. https://fb.watch/6fvII5SGBP/

13.01.2022 Scorchers Wednesday 5.30 am depart Art Gallery Park CBD One hour ride 22 - 24 kph... Coffee Urth

13.01.2022 There's a lot going on in Bristol UK but not much here in the TRC area. Why is that?

13.01.2022 45 years old? If she joined us she could show those stick insects that pass us at double our speed around the Uni' Loop a clean pair of heels!

11.01.2022 Mt Peel Bushland Park (between Toowoomba and Westbrook) is getting a new mountain bike trail linking the existing Wakka Wakka Trail and Bunda Trail. TRBUG Secretary Jeff, out on his regular MTB ride at Mt Peel, happened to meet with Geoff, a local contractor with Trailworks (a national trail building company). Geoff is constructing the new trail which will be a smooth flowing downhill run. The trail is not yet finished and will need a good fall of rain to pack it down before it can be used. Great to see Toowoomba Regional Council continuing to develop MTB trails and using local contractors.

11.01.2022 Interesting to see a bike shop offering a view on local cycling infrastructure - but certainly very welcome. "A lot of cities worldwide are taking the opportunity to also invest in their infrastructure, but I'm not seeing that too much here." Indeed. ... A message TRBUG delivers to TRC while also working with them to improve their offerings. Members and readers might like to encourage Mr. Govers and back up his observation by emailing the new RAPTAC councillors to ask what they intend do to catch up with more advanced cities, even those within Australia, within this term of council. Councillors on RAPTAC (Regional Active and Public Transport Advisory Committee): Melissa Taylor Chair Carol Taylor Megan O'Hara Sullivan James O'Shea

11.01.2022 Two Ride Friday 25 September Early Ride saw five riders and two extra for coffee. Cruise Ride saw twelve riders and one for coffee. Wind started to increase by rides end. One puncture.... Sunday city ride Cobb & Co coffee. 7.30 at Art Gallery Garden - casual pace, like Friday rides.

09.01.2022 Interesting topic, and team.

08.01.2022 The kiwis aren’t sitting back waiting for post -Covid times to arrive. Another cycle trail to add to the bucket list!

08.01.2022 Our morning 35km city circuit group ride attracted 10 TRBUG riders for an enjoyable circuit from the eastern to the western boundaries of the city. The riders enjoyed excellent riding conditions and discovered a new cafe in the recently re-opened Kwong Sang Walk in the CBD. The staff at the Oak & Vine welcomed our group and we may well have found a new favourite cafe for rides that terminate in the city.

07.01.2022 Creeping along. Gradually more awareness of the priority that must be afforded to pedestrians and others, like bike riders, in our cities.

07.01.2022 Wednesday 23 September 'Bring Your Dog' Scorch 5.30 am depart Art Gallery Garden 22-24 kph average... 1 hour ride Coffee Urth See more

06.01.2022 Friday 2 October 5.30 am ride. The ride is now 6.00 am depart. All else the same.

05.01.2022 We did start the ride on Sunday but as we started, so did light rain. Going up Margaret Street and into Lindsay the mist descended on the group, so we abandoned Prince Henry and short-cutted to Jellicoe. In Mort the situation got worse, so into the city for a coffee.... Naturally enough, by the time we'd been there an hour the sky was clearing. Good to catch up with Anthea and everyone else that came. Better luck this week.

04.01.2022 Some city councils get it.

02.01.2022 Verdant countryside greeted riders on today’s group ride out to Gowrie Junction. Initially we had eight riders splitting into two pace and distance groups. The Highfields group picked up another TRBUG member who zoomed after us and caught up after fixing an unexpected flat tyre when he went to roll out this morning. Both groups rejoined on the push back into the city. This was an enjoyable morning’s ride.

01.01.2022 Sunday 27 September A quiet ride today, for the walking wounded. Hugh, Byron and Murray made up the ride. A city jaunt in pleasant but somewhat chilly weather. ... Since this was half the TRBUG executive Hugh showed Murray and Byron around some of the proposed routes from Queens Park to the Goods Shed and discussed the problems encountered in getting the Highfields route into the same Goods Shed area. Then Prince Henry, to see the latest Toowoomba vandals can manage, and off around the houses to Echo Valley, down Nelson to Mackenzie and back along Kitchener for a laugh at the TMR idea of a 'new and improved' crossing at James Street, not forgetting a guffaw at the failure to connect TMR up with TRC bike paths. Back at Cobb & Co we were given VIP treatment and ushered in at 9.20 am to avoid the bus rush massing outside. Murray nearly drowned in cream with his scones but managed to eat his way through.