Merri-bek BUG

VicRoads is organising seven community forums from 8 May to 17 May 2007, to discuss road safety issues with the community. There are two in Melbourne and five in regional centres. These centres are listed below.

Date: Wednesday 16 May 2007.

Location: Box Hill
Venue: Best Western The Tudor
1101 Whitehorse Road
Box Hill
Phone: 03 9881 8895

Date: Thursday 17 May 2007.

Location: Flemington
Venue: Flemington – The Event Centre
Skyline Room
448 Epsom Road
Flemington
Phone: 03 9313 1367

See the Arrive Alive site for more information.

The Melbourne Ride of Silence is a simple memorial to honour the memory of all bicycle riders injured or killed while riding. All fellow bicycle riders, family, friends and non-riding supporters are most welcome to attend.

Meet: 10am Saturday May 19, 2007 at Federation Square, corner Flinders Street and St Kilda Rd, facing Flinders Street Station.

Destination: Parliament House Steps, Spring Street. There will be an opportunity for riders to speak at the conclusion.

Protocol: Please, no speaking during the ride unless absolutely necessary. Ride maximum two abreast and stop at red lights. Please follow all road rules, no blocking of traffic or pedestrians. Be polite and respectful of other road users. Remain neutral if the ride encounters any aggressive motorists. Ride slowly at 15km. Black armbands are optional. Please ensure your mobile is off or on discreet. There will be Ride of Silence signage and leaflets distributed on the day.

More information at Wheels of Justice.

We had ten riders on Sunday for the April Moreland BUG ride exploring Moreland.

Read more

The next Moreland BUG ride is on Sunday, April 22.

The plan is to explore some of the more interesting parts of Moreland; everyone will name their favourite place in Moreland and we will try to do a ride that visits all of them – pubs, cafes, parks, laneways, groovy shops: anything goes!

We will be meeting at 2pm at Clifton Park, near the corner of Gardiner St & Victoria St, Brunswick West.

As of April 10, we are now the Moreland Bicycle Users Group Inc.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with the process of incorporation.

April 26, 7.30pm at the Pascoe Vale Hotel.

In line with the BUG's plans to put more energy into the north of Moreland, and create opportunities for people from all over Moreland to get involved, the next meeting will be held at the Pascoe Vale Hotel on Thursday 26th April. The meeting itself will start at 7:30pm, but those who would like to come for a bite to eat beforehand can meet me there in the bistro from 7pm.

The Pascoe Vale Hotel is located at 12 Railway Parade, just near the Pascoe Vale Station on the Broadmeadows line, and isn't far from the Moonee Ponds Creek Path.

Those Brunswickians who would like to ride up together can send me an email and we'll arrange a meeting point.

Please RSVP by Tuesday 24th April so I can confirm numbers with the pub.

In 2006, Moreland BUG and Yarra BUG lobbied Moreland Council to realign the Capital City rail trail at the corner of Park St and Nicholson St, as that dog-leg on the bike path has proven to be a dangerous bottleneck and the expiration of the lease of the VideoEzy business on the site provided an ideal opportunity for path realignment to occur.

At the Moreland BUG meeting last week, Nicholas Elliot from council showed draft plans for the path to be realigned through what is currently the carpark at the front of the VideoEzy store and raised the possibility of a bike-friendly cafe/bikeshop.

Read more

At last week's BUG meeting, we had a stimulating, humbling and inspiring presentation from Paul McKay, co-founder of the Great Event Company which runs rides and cycling projects in South Africa.

Paul told us about one particular project in Calitzdorp, which helps rural farm workers living in poverty to access bicycles for transportation and empowerment. It was fantastic stuff. Paul also told us about the ride Great Event company recently ran in South Africa, which had more than 1000 people.

If you missed the presentation, here is a video about the Calitzdorp Project and Paul's presentation on The Calitzdorp Project.

The next Moreland BUG ride is on Sunday, March 25.

This will be an easy family ride, and the plan is to ride along the Merri Creek shared path, from the start at Dights Falls in Collingwood to the end in Fawkner.

We're meeting at 2pm at Dights Falls, Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford.

And please note that there are plenty of train stations along the way if people want to “opt out” part-way.

Hope to see you there!

MBTC MAD ride

The Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club hosts the 2007 Melbourne Autumn Day Tour!
This is a day tour – not a race! Early entries have closed but you can still enter online to save the hassle of doing it on the day. You will need to collect your rider information sheet from the Buffalo Sports Stadium in Woodend before you leave on the ride. Why not come along and join the fun? Choose one of 3 delightful routes. All are within the Macedon Ranges region, an easy hour’s drive from Melbourne.
Where do you start? Buffalo Sports Stadium, Tylden Rd, Woodend (Melway 509, G 9) strictly from 8:30am – 10am.
For more details, visit the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club website.

Palm Sunday ride

From Jessica Morrison ICAN Director – Australia: Palm Sunday is the traditional day for peace and anti-nuclear events, and this year ICAN is inviting people and groups to ride to the events. This year Palm Sunday falls on April Fools Day – Sunday 1st April – so we are using the theme “Nuclear Fool Cycle”. We invite your group to join and support us by meeting and cycling together to the Treasury Gardens. You may consider decorating your bikes with “nuclear fool cycle” themes. For more information.