Hi from Australia
 

Hi

Just joined. I am a commute cyclist. I am currently commuting 12 km each way in Hobart, Tasmania. Had my first wet ride of the year this morning and arrived at work with very wet feet and clothes, and instead of cooling down like I normally do I jumped straight into a warm shower.

Had that nice glow all day.

I have only been riding for 6 weeks. I previously rode most days for 4 years when I lived in Adelaide, but that was 4 years ago. I am riding now for fitness, and it is a great way to destress after a long day teaching high school maths and science. I stopped smoking just over 2 months ago, I find hard exercise is better than patches :)

a

hey, i used to live in Burnie! now i live in adelaide!
tassie's great (but wet).

I cycled from Perth through Adelaide and Burnie on my way to Hobart in 2003 on a Bike for Bibles ride. Does that count?

Good to have another Aussie onboard.

Which school/college/uni (wait, there's only one uni), and what's your route to work? There are a couple of other Hobart members here, too.

I rode from Sandy Bay, through town, down Davey Street, over the bridge and on to Clarence High.

I am the guy in the swirly rainbow t-shirt :D

a

I'll keep an eye out for you. I'm usually downstream side on the bridge going to work in the mornings. Likely you ride right past my place in South St, too, to get to Clarence High. I did some bike training stuff there last year as part of their outdoor activity program. Decent commute you've got there. Ever considered going up over Battery Point, and away from Sandy Bay Rd? A much more amenable route in peak hour, if you can deal with the hill (Bath St is better than Napoleon St in some ways). Gets you off Macquarie St, although that can be a real buzz keeping up with the light sequences at 30-40km/h as you head down to the city!

I'm usually in a bright safety yellow jersey or jacket and dark blue shorts, with a red Fuji.

I will also keep my eye out for you. I have thought of the alternate routes but do love the Macquarie St ride, take my spot in the lane and keep up with the cars and trucks and deal with the two left turn only lanes.

I also cross on the downstream side of the bridge. Is there any rule about giving way on the bridge? It seems to me that giving way on the way down is a good sensible rule, what do you think?

a

As to Macquarie St, if you can keep up with the traffic, especially at that peak hour, take the right lane. I generally do. You can get caught up further down near Murray St, with vehicles dropping off passengers, but it avoids having to move out twice on those turn-left lanes. And there's real satisfaction knowing that driver behind you *really* badly wants to fill that gap in front of you -- all over what, all of two metres?

Despite that, drivers in Hobart aren't too bad these days. Their attitude towards cyclists has improved a lot over the past five years. Launceston is a different matter -- redneck city up there!

I've been commuting the bridge for almost eight years, and giving way to whom doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I think the regulars get to swap and change as they see each other. If someone (usually a snotty roadie) is obviously intent on getting past at speed, I just move out and make sure they won't get past. It's all a matter of co-operation, and I've had almost zero problems.

It's the darned football teams using the bridge as a running training exercise that annoy me -- they run as groups and get quite upset that you should be using it as a transport facility. Other peds are OK. All I do is say loudly: "Hi there" or "Howya going" and they're great, especially the ladies ;)

By the way, good stuff on giving up the cigarettes. They almost killed me, literally.

I leave Sandy Bay at about 6:50, so am well before rush hour, but will try the right lane. I am often in the right lane after going up the hill to Macquarie St but turning right on the red by using 10m of the footpath.

Yep, I have having a life long battle with cigarettes, bloody things :(

a

Actually, I look at it now as a life-long battle against the multinational corporations that couldn't give a stuff about anything (including you and your health) except their profits, and those @rseholes riding around in Benzes and Rolls' and stuff. Helped a lot.

Plus Nicorette gum. Truly, the last time, the gum helped for a fortnight or so, and then that was it.

1 April 2001 was the start of the rest of my life cigarette-wise.

I tend to just stop. Sometimes I am a real arsehole, cranky, short tempered and horrible. Others its not as bad. This was not too bad. My problem often occurs months afterwards when I let my guard down.....

a