Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Last time I tried the eastern/golf course side, it was rideable BUT at one point there was a huge rise between the pavers, at lest 10 cm. Rideable in a downhill direction, but not uphill. Take it easy along there, especially if it's dark.

rogan wrote:Last time I tried the eastern/golf course side, it was rideable BUT at one point there was a huge rise between the pavers, at lest 10 cm. Rideable in a downhill direction, but not uphill. Take it easy along there, especially if it's dark.

I've tried this path once heading up hill recently on an investigative mission. I don't recall anything like 10cm rises but it was much more narrow and rough then the western side. Passable (just) but if you have cyclists travelling each way and passing each other there are plenty of sections where it's too narrow.

queequeg wrote:

Boognoss wrote:I'm thinking of just taking the left lane up Pennant Hills Rd until I'm past that block, then back to the path up to Castle Hill Rd. the eastern path is pretty awful. One downside is that those cagers might hold me up .

That's also an option. It's a fine line between being stuck between two cars and being stuck between two B-Doubles though. You are right though, claim the lane to Eaton Rd then the path

You know my level of experience with the area (same as yours) so yes of course the trucks are a definite factor that I had in mind when I posted .

rogan wrote:Last time I tried the eastern/golf course side, it was rideable BUT at one point there was a huge rise between the pavers, at lest 10 cm. Rideable in a downhill direction, but not uphill. Take it easy along there, especially if it's dark.

I ride up that eastern footpath on my way home when I've taken the M2, which I'm doing frequently now since it makes it such an easy commute for me, so I had a closer look tonight.

For much of it, the footpath is significantly above the height of the road. There is the roadway, a retaining wall, then the footpath with a solid fence on one side and the golf course fence on the other. I'd guess the distance between the two fences would be between 1.5 and 2.5 metres. So not a lot of room for bikes to pass each other.

I'm happy going up there the way it is now. There is indeed a 10cm, or more, step about 1/4 of the way up, which I almost stop for. Apart from that it is OK, just very narrow with bushes jutting out and one lamppost that leaves a gap only about 6 inches wider than my handlebars. I never meet anyone coming the other way, so passing isn't an issue the way it is. If more people were to start going up and down it, that would be another story.

Although I go that way in the mornings, I seldom go down the footpath, preferring to wait at Copeland Rd for the lights to stop most of the traffic coming down Pennant Hills Rd, then riding down the road.

Just a heads up, the western footpath will be closed some time in the next 3 months



I think I will give the road lane a go up to Eaton Rd.

At a guess, it'll be closed by first week of July. Proper construction starts on Monday - they are going to take full possession very soon for site establishment. I suppose they first demolish those 4 or 5 houses, and likely they don't want that footpath open whilst they do that.

rogan wrote:At a guess, it'll be closed by first week of July. Proper construction starts on Monday - they are going to take full possession very soon for site establishment. I suppose they first demolish those 4 or 5 houses, and likely they don't want that footpath open whilst they do that.

Yep full lane, right hand wheel track for me to Eaton. Some of the houses have already been demolished with the path still open, only in the latter part of the week just gone.

Boognoss wrote:

rogan wrote:At a guess, it'll be closed by first week of July. Proper construction starts on Monday - they are going to take full possession very soon for site establishment. I suppose they first demolish those 4 or 5 houses, and likely they don't want that footpath open whilst they do that.

Yep full lane, right hand wheel track for me to Eaton. Some of the houses have already been demolished with the path still open, only in the latter part of the week just gone.

I think the only left is the newish one right on the corner, but I am expecting that gone shortly too. I'll start doing the road lane this week I think.

Maybe the closing of the western footpath explains why the step near the bottom of the eastern footpath has been smoothed off a little with some bitumen today.

shouldnobetter wrote:Maybe the closing of the western footpath explains why the step near the bottom of the eastern footpath has been smoothed off a little with some bitumen today.

Really? Interesting. Have they cut back the trees further up as well?

Boognoss & I took the road lane on Monday. No issues, except it was slower than the path. We took the road all the way to Oratava Rd before jumping back on the path, as the traffic was moving roughly our speed.

I did the same yesterday (again slower than the path) but turned off at Aiken Rd instead. Certainly up there with the highest pressure clipping in scenarios I've done but in peak hour speed differential swings in the cyclist's favour.

Offtopic, but I've ridden the Great Western Highway eastbound in heavy peak hour traffic through Wentworthville, and it's miles better than the less busy times. The human mind forgets that peak speed isn't average speed

Wise words, but the darned hill and clipping in doesn't help the stress level - even if it's 90% in my head vs the actual situation.

Oh no question, trying to clip in on Pennant Hills Road northbound in peak would be horrifying!

Edit, responding to Xplora's post 3 above.

Yeah, but... that section of road is nasty - it is uphill, peaking at 7% just before Copeland, and there is heaps of lane changing, as further up the hill it's a compulsory turnoff onto Castle Hill Rd. So you have people in that left lane who don't want to be there, and people in the other lanes trying to get into the left lane. Have a guess where it might look like there's a gap, if you're on a bike in heavy traffic... The Copeland Rd lights are also safety camera lights, so people are looking at their speedos rather than the traffic. Plus there are loads of trucks, it's the main and obvious route between western Sydney and the Central Coast/North Coast (which is why they are building the tunnel). It really is an ugly section of road for bikes. I have ridden it, but found the footpath much lower stress, so I haven't ridden the road by choice in years. There have been one or two occasions where someone parks on the footpath, but... Also, there are very few pedestrians.

At PM peak hour it is highly congested, but due to the traffic light phasing you can face the situation where after 2 minutes of standstill, the traffic is quickly doing 40 km/h up that hill. I can do that, but 600W efforts starting from stressful clip ins in heavy traffic are really not my preference.

If the golf course side footpath is rideable, I will use it. It is of course, illegal. I have said before, I will pay the fine if ever levied, and continue to ride the path. My alternative is turn left at the end of the M2 and then go Murray Farm Rd/Oakes Rd. In particular, Oakes Rd between Murray Farm Rd and Aiken Rd is not great at the PM peak, especially in dusk/dark.

I believe the golf course path is actually official shared path while the western side has never been. Of course the shared one is totally inferior to the other (while the other exists).

Edit: maybe not. Regardless that may become my default option if I decide the traffic is too hairy - I'm on the fence at the moment, trying it this week.

It's a tough call. I might try the eastern path today for comparison. If it is going to be a huge issue, I may revert to using the kandy ave detour from Beecroft and do the killer climb up Cardinal Ave again. Good training for Fitz!

I thought the western path was plausibly, arguably a shared path, because of the shared path sign (picture of bike and picture of actual human being, printed in black or blue on white background) right down on the NW corner of the M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection (it was part of the old detour). The intention was that cyclists cross Pennant Hills Rd, and follow the detour route up to Roselea, but the share path sign does not indicate that it doesn't also apply up the path.

I'm not sure if there is shared path marking near the M2 on the north eastern side of that intersection.

Eastern path tried today. The horrid slab misalignment at the start of he hold course has been patched with some bitumen which will probably get washed away when it rains, but all the vegetation has been cut back at least as far as cope land rd. It is still very narrow through the middle section, and there was only slightly more than shoulder width between the fence and one of the light poles, so scant room for passing, however unlikely it is you'll see a pedestrian.
From Copeland Rd I did the descent down to Cardinal Ave to punish myself on the Cardinal Killer, which a steep but quiet route. Yes, it is longer than directly up the path, but time is similar due to not having to wait for the second set of lights at Copeland Rd to get back on the Eastern Path.
The M2 has made me soft, so I am going to add Cardinal Ave into my afternoon commute, and I will add some variations to that by exiting at Beecroft Rd and doing either the old detour, the Kent Rd overpass to Boronia and Kirkham, or the loop back up through the rail tunnel and then down to the Sutherland Rd rollercoaster.

rogan wrote:I thought the western path was plausibly, arguably a shared path, because of the shared path sign (picture of bike and picture of actual human being, printed in black or blue on white background) right down on the NW corner of the M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection (it was part of the old detour). The intention was that cyclists cross Pennant Hills Rd, and follow the detour route up to Roselea, but the share path sign does not indicate that it doesn't also apply up the path.

I'm not sure if there is shared path marking near the M2 on the north eastern side of that intersection.

As far as I know the western path has always been footpath only. The shared path sign did only appear when the M2 reopened post widening but with the eastbound section east of PHills Rd still being worked on at BWH. The path going north wasn't in the scope of works.

Ok folks. The big fence has gone up at either end of the Western Path this morning, so it is now officially closed.

I got a last hurrah in on the way out yesterday. Western path, how we'll miss ye.....

Boognoss wrote:I got a last hurrah in on the way out yesterday. Western path, how we'll miss ye.....

Yep, me too, 7.30 pm. Maybe I'm the last to ride on it?

Boognoss wrote:Wise words, but the darned hill and clipping in doesn't help the stress level - even if it's 90% in my head vs the actual situation.

I know. It's not nice having a steep hill and clipping in and having to get going. I can do it no problem, but having stressed out drivers in smokeboxes behind you doesn't help at all.

They hate that you are there in the first place, let alone potentially holding them up for precious seconds.

rogan wrote:

Boognoss wrote:I got a last hurrah in on the way out yesterday. Western path, how we'll miss ye.....

Yep, me too, 7.30 pm. Maybe I'm the last to ride on it?

It would be close. The worker was finishing the Eaton Rd end of the path at 6:15am this morning.