Cycling in Brisbane Australia
A "short" summary on my first (metric) "century"
Went to Redcliffe, Airport DFO and returned home via Kedron Brook Rd / Aberleigh Rd (Herston) today.
Herston: Noticed quite a bit of new paint (compare the two most recent imagery sets). I like the placement of some of the BAZ symbols - some are actually in the middle of the lane rather than parking lane. I was still content to go off to the side whenever I spotted an approaching car in my mirror and I think all the drivers were happy to share the road with me. I just think this has less of a potential to cause angst all round.
Redcliffe: Pretty big place! I'm not sure if it was because of the time of the day, my mirror, or it not being a part of the BCC, but the on road bike lanes and roads in general seem to be in better condition, wider and more consistent. I didn't go through Shorncliffe / Sandgate / Brighton today (last time was sans mirror), but I have a hunch that Redcliffe is nicer to cycle around than the southern end of the Ted Smout Bridge. Even the shared paths in Redcliffe seemed to work better - I think I like the "priority to pedestrians, ring bell" markings on the path; it appears less forceful and rude than the conflicted "keep left / give way to pedestrians / ring bell" message. Maybe not a huge difference or I just had a good day, but the symbols looked a little more friendly in design; so maybe overall everyone might be more willing to be more generous. Edit: I should add that the peloton closing in behind and then overtaking made me more nervous than any 4WD today!
Airport DFO: Like the Brisbane/Boondall Entertainment Centre; oh my it has a lot of car parking... Getting there wasn't too intimidating - probably easier than heading away from the city along Annerley Rd up the slope to Dutton Park. The shoulders do seem decent enough but I was of course tricked out with a mirror and some prior experience with "sharing the road". Nudgee Rd on the other hand looked terrible (and too fast!) so I stuck to the footpath and carefully watched every driveway & crossing.
Didn't actually get to head to the other parts of the airport as intended - well, that was going to happen on a separate day anyway but I since I was in the area, I decided to just add a few extra k's. What I did get instead after seeing the hoards outside DFO was a phone call from a police officer informing me that someone had handed in my card wallet (it fell out of my pocket not too far from where I was) - for a moment, I thought I would have to go all the way back to Redcliffe to retrieve it! Seems like I'm always dropping stuff on my longer rides but it's fortunately so far always ended well. Might have to concentrate more on securing everything in future - particularly with a bag tied to the rack; loose pockets are probably not so useful.
So anyway, 123km today in a time I'd rather not admit (and with still not enough sunscreen despite carrying a bottle with me). But I achieved the objective of getting Fish & Chips at Redcliffe (or Clontarf). :)
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© 2012 Created by DamianM.
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