Just another day on Toowoomba roads

Was this taken on West Street, or Ruthven Street?

It's time for Toowoomba to become a little more serious about cycling. We are lining up a range of meetings with individual councillors, and the MRD, as well as preparing to send the Minister of Transport some details on the poor facilities for cycling here in Toowoomba.

This year is an election year, so we will be suggesting a number of strategies to TRBUG supporters over the months ahead to try to force some 'cycle thinking' from current and would-be politicians.

Also, we will be asking supporters to start lodging both Hazard and Incident Reports with the MRD.

The process will be explained and pro-formas supplied, but we need you all to start sending them in.

Once the MRD receives a report it must be logged and acted upon.

If nothing happens when dangers are reported it opens council and others up for claims against them.

It would be better just to be able to suggest resolutions, strategies and improvements, but for some reason, Toowoomba seems to be resistant to accepting the new role of cycling.

We will be in touch via email to each TRBUG supporter shortly.

New shared pedestrian-bike paths

One of our TRBUG supporters has sent some photos in that might be of interest to people.

The State Government helps to subsidise shared footpaths, and helps our council, the TRC, with some spare change taken from our taxes.

The problem with living in a city that has been handed over to the motorists is that developers have not been encouraged to provide proper footpaths, and clearly past councils, over many years, have failed to provide the most basic of community facilities.... appropriate footpaths.

How hard would it have been to put a footpath in as the Tor and Prosser Street area, and many others, were being established?

Quite apart from the car owners that feel they are entitled to park on footpaths (all over Toowoomba), these shots hardly represent 'high order' thinking and planning.

But how many more such 'pole dancing' bike paths will Toowoomba ratepayers be funding?

2009 action plan

The February 1st 2009 meeting of TBUG supporters agreed to endorse the 2009 draft action plan.

As well, TBUG has now become TRBUG. In line with the expanded council region, Toowoomba Bicycle Users Group has become the Toowoomba Region Bicycle Users Group, or TRBUG.

For ease of operation the email will remain the same.

The 2009 plan is now:

TRBUG fully endorses the Cycle Promotion Fund report “Getting Australia Moving”:
http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/content/view/333/150/

TRBUG supports the creation of a TRC Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) as defined by the Queensland Department of Transport:
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home/General_information/Cycling/Bike_user_guide/Bicycle_user_groups/

TRBUG will pursue the following actions throughout 2009:
1. Continue to lobby relevant groups and bodies to establish a Bicycle Advisory Committee, in line with the unanimous support from the previous Toowoomba City Council for the TBUG proposal of 2007

2. TRBUG will continue to work TRC /Queensland Transport/Main Roads Department works to establish a full system of on-road cycle ways on the major roads in the city of Toowoomba and towns within the TRC area

2a) in particular, TRBUG will endeavour to gain support from and persuade all relevant actors that priority be given to an on-road cycle way from Hodgson Vale to Highfields

2b) TRBUG will continue to monitor and support the implementation of the designated SEQ principal cycle network to/within this region

3. TRBUG will explore the ways and means to establish the appropriate speeds and continue to lobby for the most appropriate road speeds for roads within the TRC region

4. TRBUG will continue to lobby TRC, major government agencies in the region and local employers/employer bodies to start planning for community and workplace end-of-journey facilities

5. TRBUG supports the 2009 Ride to Work campaign and will continue to encourage TRC, major government agencies and employers/employer bodies to commit their support for the 2009 national Ride to Work Day on Wednesday 14th October: http://www.ride2work.com.au/30228