Bike Paths - Love them or Loathe them?

It’s time to turn my attention to pike paths.  After recently moving house only about 1.5km east of our old home, I was suddenly faced with a decision to continue riding the same way to work sticking to the roads or take an alternate route on the Main Yarra Trail and Koonung Trail which runs alongside the Eastern Freeway from the Chandler Hwy in Kew all the way through to Blackburn Rd.  I'd ridden and run this trail intermittently in the past.  After the first time riding with a mate one Sunday morning I loathed it.  With high pressure tyres and lines in the concrete every 5-6 metres along the river flats providing an endless bump, bump bump, I found the "road shock" through the body was too much to bear. My neck and shoulder muscles ached from the experience and that was enough to put me off entirely.  Admittedly I was just getting back into riding and my body had not adjusted.  I'd been back a few more times leading the way for a work colleague having a go at cycling to work but nothing more.  Fast forward 3 years later and it was time to have another crack.

This particular shared bike and pedestrian path has some very redeeming features when compared with the alternative trip on the road.  Here are a few the reasons I love it so much

·         there are no cars, which is a great thing when you are on the bike

·         once I'm on the trail, I've got 15km of bike path riding out of my 22km commute (70%) with only one set of traffic lights in between, so I'm consistently on the pedals and very few excuses for stopping

·         it's a visually stimulating ride for the visual and olfactory senses going with river flats, open spaces, lightly wooded bush land, trickling creeks, less pollution and the occasional smell of freshly cut grass

·         the hills are short and sharp compared to long and drawn out on the road

·         the 4 or 5 tunnels along the way provide an ideal stopping point when you find yourself needing urgent shelter in a rare torrential downpour or thunderstorm.  As I've always said about Melbourne if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes and it will change.

·         the tracks are consistently clear of the broken glass and debris often found on the road

·         the path has a lot of shade along way, which is a pleasant change from riding into the sun to and from work on the road

·         there is protection from the often buffeting North and Westerly winds because of the meandering nature of the track and the sound barriers alongside the freeway

·         you can hear yourself think or your music without needing to have it blaring to overcome the traffic noise

·         there are plenty of taps and toilets along the way if needed, which is more useful when running, but they're well spaced out and eliminate the need to have to carry water

·         it's about 3km further than the alternative road trip and yet it takes about the same time thanks to the absence of traffic lights

·         I can average 28-30km in peak hour.  Try doing that in a car in Melbourne

·         keep going and you could end up in Frankston!

To further sing the praises of bike paths I recently took my boys on an excursion from home into the city via the Capital City Trail and home via the Canning St bike path before rejoining the CCT again for the final couple of kms.  It's a great ride which allows you to see a side of Melbourne rarely seen from the confines of public transport or a car. It's a safe and relatively flat ride save for a couple of hills where we had to get off and push our bikes up.  That day we rode about 25km on bike paths and cycle lane with only 1km on an actual road, so let's hear it for the bike paths.  Use them, promote them, enjoy them. I certainly am.  Just remember to keep relaxed on the bike and adjust your tyre pressure accordingly.

Post a response if you've got a bike path story to tell.