Page 2499 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 14 November 1989
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their bikes in storage - paying for the privilege, of course - and then catch the fast bus into the city. That was the purpose of the question and I understand that that was the reason why the organisation, Pedal Power, raised it with the Minister's office. I am pleased to say, Mr Speaker, that there seems to be considerable contact between organisations like Pedal Power and the Minister's office and other cyclists' groups, and I trust that that particular arrangement will continue.
The majority of the existing paths are really only designed, so I have been informed, for speeds of up to 25 kilometres an hour. However, these days, with modern cycles, with bike frames and various equipment, they reach speeds almost twice that; in fact, up to 40 kilometres an hour. They are not only a danger to themselves on some of the existing bike paths but also a danger to those others, like myself, who are using them for recreational or slower commuting purposes. I am still working on that. I have yet to take the plunge into the right sort of gear and the right sort of bike to give it a whirl.
It is a long way from Tuggeranong to town, but I have certainly been given an offer. One of the commuters who regularly commutes from Tuggeranong to the city - he is quite a senior member of the public service - offered me the opportunity to come along and have a look at some of the problem areas that appear after weekends, particularly underneath overpasses, where certain of our less public spirited citizens rain large quantities of glass and bottles and other things into these areas. This causes a considerable problem to commuters.
Mr Kaine: We need a move-on powers Bill, Norm.
MR JENSEN: We will not get into that, Mr Kaine, that is another area. I received the letter with interest and indicated to him that there were two major problems that would stop me from accompanying him on a ride from Tuggeranong to town: one was my current level of fitness, which has gone down quite considerably, and the second one was the fact that I do not own a suitable machine for that sort of travel. I did offer to meet him at one of the locations and take a short trip until I got my true level of fitness back again. Maybe you will see me flashing into the Assembly, suitably attired, on a bike.
However, there are some major problems if I am to do that; if I am to use the existing major traffic way from the southern part of Canberra into the city. I refer to the major road from Woden and also the major road from Tuggeranong. In a lot of areas there are facilities for the bike riders to use the breakdown lane as a means of operating. However, as I observed this morning as I came to work, there are some major problems from Phillip through to the city where the breakdown lane disappears. Fast commuter cyclists would be quite happy to use the breakdown lane provided it had an appropriate hot mix surface - a fast surface.
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