Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Does anybody know when the western zone will be reopen (both eastbound and westbound)...

Cant be long, but as of yesterday from Pennant hills rd to Old Windsor rd is complete, re tarred and painted. I will be riding on it.

I have been using from windsor to old windsor for months now

Keep in mind, once the main upgrade is finished they will widening the section from lane cove rd to Delhi rd, and cyclists are again going to be excluded. I would not hold my breath for cyclists being permitted access to the full length until early 2014.
It is not clear if they will reopen the section from Pennant Hills Rd to the M7 junction at the same time as the motorists, or whether they'll make up some rubbish excuse to keep cyclists off until the whole thing is completed.

queequeg wrote:Keep in mind, once the main upgrade is finished they will widening the section from lane cove rd to Delhi rd, and cyclists are again going to be excluded. I would not hold my breath for cyclists being permitted access to the full length until early 2014.
It is not clear if they will reopen the section from Pennant Hills Rd to the M7 junction at the same time as the motorists, or whether they'll make up some rubbish excuse to keep cyclists off until the whole thing is completed.

not sayign this isnt true but where did you hear this ?? I know they are building an on ramp at lane cover rd but havent heard that they are wideing the road ???

trek52 wrote:

queequeg wrote:Keep in mind, once the main upgrade is finished they will widening the section from lane cove rd to Delhi rd, and cyclists are again going to be excluded. I would not hold my breath for cyclists being permitted access to the full length until early 2014.
It is not clear if they will reopen the section from Pennant Hills Rd to the M7 junction at the same time as the motorists, or whether they'll make up some rubbish excuse to keep cyclists off until the whole thing is completed.

not sayign this isnt true but where did you hear this ?? I know they are building an on ramp at lane cover rd but havent heard that they are wideing the road ???

http://www.lanecoveroadramp.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

includes new on ramp plus new 3rd lane

construction is to begin mid-year and finish mid-2014.

What a joke, so we cant ride on it for 2.5 years and have to put up with the worst traffic you can think of and now they do this !!!

I think we can forget about riding on there ever again to be honest

man that sucks... Im sick of being stuck in traffic on the way to work...

Was hoping it'd be sometime soon by the looks of the finished westbound lanes...

RomanTheCube wrote:I think we can forget about riding on there ever again to be honest

Don't know about that. I am pretty confident we'll be on there. Bike North has done a great job of following the action and looking after all our interests. We just won't get access to the last km from Lane Cove Rd to Delhi Rd while they are building the new lane, which is a real nuisance for anyone going past the Lane Cove River - it's not easy to get to and from the bike path at Wicks and Epping from there.

In any event, I am not advocating civil disobedience, but if it reopens with wide shoulders for the whole length and they "forget" to take down the no bikes signs, I might "not see" the signs, and see what happens...

A 20 minute time saving over an 18 km commute each way is no joke, and I intend to spend that 40 minutes a day with my family, rather than with the motorists of North Ryde, Marsfield and Epping back streets.

rogan wrote:I intend to spend that 40 minutes a day with my family, rather than with the motorists

+1

juansta wrote:

rogan wrote:I intend to spend that 40 minutes a day with my family, rather than with the motorists

+1

+2

I'm also looking forward to 30+kph averages rather than the 23-26 I get with all the hills (although it is good training). Avoiding the rat-run traffic will be nice again. I've also never ridden westbound on the M2 from North Ryde to Beecroft Rd as that section of shoulder was closed before I started commuting.

I maintain optimism that it will reopen despite what any motoring organisation wants.

It will reopen 100% they have new cycling signs up etc the whole why along it. They are covered up for now but they are there.

I reckon mid May and we will be out there from what I am seeing, may even be some parts of it that can be used before then. I reckon from beecroft rd west will be open soon.

trek52 wrote:It will reopen 100% they have new cycling signs up etc the whole why along it. They are covered up for now but they are there.

I reckon mid May and we will be out there from what I am seeing, may even be some parts of it that can be used before then. I reckon from beecroft rd west will be open soon.

I don't doubt it. The original condition of approval for the upgrade was that all cycling access must be restored no later than 3 months after the upgrade is completed. The new lane cove rd on ramp is not part of the original upgrade, so that is excluded.

For me, I need to travel to Nth Syd from Dural. The M2 upgrade is no good to me if I can't get to Delhi Rd to join the cycle path. It will be a nice wet weather alternate to get past the flooded M2 underpass on Sutherland Rd, and avoid the crazy detour through the back of carlingford.
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

queequeg wrote:

trek52 wrote:It will reopen 100% they have new cycling signs up etc the whole why along it. They are covered up for now but they are there.

I reckon mid May and we will be out there from what I am seeing, may even be some parts of it that can be used before then. I reckon from beecroft rd west will be open soon.

I don't doubt it. The original condition of approval for the upgrade was that all cycling access must be restored no later than 3 months after the upgrade is completed. The new lane cove rd on ramp is not part of the original upgrade, so that is excluded.

For me, I need to travel to Nth Syd from Dural. The M2 upgrade is no good to me if I can't get to Delhi Rd to join the cycle path. It will be a nice wet weather alternate to get past the flooded M2 underpass on Sutherland Rd, and avoid the crazy detour through the back of carlingford.
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

I would use Sutherland Rd more, but that tunnel at the bottom is appalling. I prefer routes where I don't need to put a foot down and then try to get going again on 10% gradient! Or risk falling due to mud.

I do use the footpath route from M2/PH Rd, but only as far as Aiken Rd. Not bad.

As an alternative going home, you couldv go to M2/PH Rd exit then use the footpath on the golf course side of Pennant Hills Rd and then turn right at Copeland, and left at Cardinal.

In terms of getting to the Epping Rd bike path from the M2, going to Nth Sydney you could take the Macquarie Centre exit, go up to Waterloo, cross Lane Cove Rd, and up Wicks. I think Wicks Rd even has an SUP. That is feasible if not ideal, and you'd be going against the traffic for the most part.

rogan wrote:

queequeg wrote:

trek52 wrote:It will reopen 100% they have new cycling signs up etc the whole why along it. They are covered up for now but they are there.

I reckon mid May and we will be out there from what I am seeing, may even be some parts of it that can be used before then. I reckon from beecroft rd west will be open soon.

I don't doubt it. The original condition of approval for the upgrade was that all cycling access must be restored no later than 3 months after the upgrade is completed. The new lane cove rd on ramp is not part of the original upgrade, so that is excluded.

For me, I need to travel to Nth Syd from Dural. The M2 upgrade is no good to me if I can't get to Delhi Rd to join the cycle path. It will be a nice wet weather alternate to get past the flooded M2 underpass on Sutherland Rd, and avoid the crazy detour through the back of carlingford.
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

I would use Sutherland Rd more, but that tunnel at the bottom is appalling. I prefer routes where I don't need to put a foot down and then try to get going again on 10% gradient! Or risk falling due to mud.

I do use the footpath route from M2/PH Rd, but only as far as Aiken Rd. Not bad.

As an alternative going home, you couldv go to M2/PH Rd exit then use the footpath on the golf course side of Pennant Hills Rd and then turn right at Copeland, and left at Cardinal.

In terms of getting to the Epping Rd bike path from the M2, going to Nth Sydney you could take the Macquarie Centre exit, go up to Waterloo, cross Lane Cove Rd, and up Wicks. I think Wicks Rd even has an SUP. That is feasible if not ideal, and you'd be going against the traffic for the most part.

Good stuff Rogan. Some good ideas there. Outbound I use the western footpath on PH Rd as you do and use Aiken. Inbound with the M2 in the mix I use Old Northern/Windsor Rd and then onto the M2. It's "the long way around" but a nice fast downhill almost all the way from Castle Hill to PH Rd on the M2.

I wrote to them and asked:

Hi Thomas

Thank you for your email which was forwarded to us for response.

Cyclist access to the motorway shoulder was restricted when construction commenced in January 2011. Cyclist access to the motorway shoulder will be reinstated once the Hills M2 Upgrade project is completed, which is currently scheduled for mid 2013. Sections of the motorway will be completed before then, however in the interest of public safety, access will remain restricted until the entire project is completed. As the finishing/completion work is heavily dependent on weather we are not yet able to confirm the date.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us on 1800 196 266 (select option 2).

Regards,

Sanjin Muhic
Hills M2 Upgrade Community Relations Manager

i used to love adding on from the end of the m7 to pennant hills back and return (added about 12km each way from memory), combined wih full m7 loop was a good 100+km trip
be good when its open again

rogan wrote:

queequeg wrote:

trek52 wrote:It will reopen 100% they have new cycling signs up etc the whole why along it. They are covered up for now but they are there.

I reckon mid May and we will be out there from what I am seeing, may even be some parts of it that can be used before then. I reckon from beecroft rd west will be open soon.

I don't doubt it. The original condition of approval for the upgrade was that all cycling access must be restored no later than 3 months after the upgrade is completed. The new lane cove rd on ramp is not part of the original upgrade, so that is excluded.

For me, I need to travel to Nth Syd from Dural. The M2 upgrade is no good to me if I can't get to Delhi Rd to join the cycle path. It will be a nice wet weather alternate to get past the flooded M2 underpass on Sutherland Rd, and avoid the crazy detour through the back of carlingford.
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

I would use Sutherland Rd more, but that tunnel at the bottom is appalling. I prefer routes where I don't need to put a foot down and then try to get going again on 10% gradient! Or risk falling due to mud.

I do use the footpath route from M2/PH Rd, but only as far as Aiken Rd. Not bad.

As an alternative going home, you couldv go to M2/PH Rd exit then use the footpath on the golf course side of Pennant Hills Rd and then turn right at Copeland, and left at Cardinal.

In terms of getting to the Epping Rd bike path from the M2, going to Nth Sydney you could take the Macquarie Centre exit, go up to Waterloo, cross Lane Cove Rd, and up Wicks. I think Wicks Rd even has an SUP. That is feasible if not ideal, and you'd be going against the traffic for the most part.

Some good ideas in there. I could exit at Christie Rd and head down Talavera Rd. At Khartoum I could go right up to Waterloo, or left to Fontenoy and then through LCNP to the caravan park and onto Delhi Rd.

Coming home I have used the golf course side of PH road and it is terrible. Very narrow and vegetation is not trimmed. The other side is fine, but it is not the nicest part of the commute.

The underpass under the M2 is ok for me, but I have a CX bike with mudguards and decent gearing. The hills don't bother me, but the waist deep water in the rain is a big issue. I like Sutherland Rd as there is almost zero traffic, but it can be slow going.

I have never used the M2 from my current house as we only moved here in mid 2011. I used to live in Marsfield right near the Browns Waterhole M2 underpass, so my old commute was to use the M2 from there to Delhi Rd, and coming home it was just from Delhi Rd to Talavera Rd, then along Talavera Rd to the end and up the SUP to Vimiera Rd.

queequeg wrote: ...
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

For wet weather (when the tunnel is flooded), my wet weather route across the M2 is Kandy Ave, Ray Rd then onto Kent and over the M2 at the footbridge.

Various quiet streets up to Beecroft Rd - then short footpath hop to Copeland Rd, or straight up Cheltenham Rd to Sutherland.

duncanm wrote:

queequeg wrote: ...
The part I would most like to avoid is the North Ryde detour, so inbound I can join at either Pennant Hills Rd or Beecroft Rd, or even Browns Waterhole. Outbound is a bigger issue because my preferred route home is Sutherland Rd to Beecroft, then down Hannah St. The M2/Pennant Hills Rd intersection sees the bike lane vanish and you get dumped onto a 70km/h 3 lane rd full of B-Doubles heading for the F3. I am not keen on the footpath commute from the M2 to Castle Hill Rd. That is my wet weather route only. I reckon that coming home I will exit the M2 at Vimiera Rd and take my usual Epping/Sutherland Rd route. I will compare that with continuing to Beecroft Rd and then looping back up through the bus tunnel and back down under the M2. Distance wise I think it would be almost the same, but the M2 will be much quicker. I hope the Norfolk Tunnel is well lit. The old breakdown lane through the tunnel was quite dark as the lighting was terrible. I also hope the suicide drain pits are gone!

For wet weather (when the tunnel is flooded), my wet weather route across the M2 is Kandy Ave, Ray Rd then onto Kent and over the M2 at the footbridge.

Various quiet streets up to Beecroft Rd - then short footpath hop to Copeland Rd, or straight up Cheltenham Rd to Sutherland.

Thanks, I'll give that a try next time. I usually ride up Cardinal Ave to Pennant Hills Rd. Crazy steep, but direct and keeps me fit!

queequeg wrote:
Thanks, I'll give that a try next time. I usually ride up Cardinal Ave to Pennant Hills Rd. Crazy steep, but direct and keeps me fit!

Have you ever tried Hull Rd? I wanted to try Cardinal Rd for the first time last week and got a tiny bit lost. Thought I'd give Hull a crack (before I did Cardinal as it turned out). The climb is about twice as long as Cardinal (which I tried a couple of days later). After that Cardinal was a relative walk-in-the-park .

Boognoss wrote:

queequeg wrote:
Thanks, I'll give that a try next time. I usually ride up Cardinal Ave to Pennant Hills Rd. Crazy steep, but direct and keeps me fit!

Have you ever tried Hull Rd? I wanted to try Cardinal Rd for the first time last week and got a tiny bit lost. Thought I'd give Hull a crack (before I did Cardinal as it turned out). The climb is about twice as long as Cardinal (which I tried a couple of days later). After that Cardinal was a relative walk-in-the-park .

Yeah, the Cherrybrook guys I sometimes ride with once told me that Hull Rd was better than Cardinal Ave. I knew something was up when I saw that hill! Cardinal Ave is mild in comparison, and the downhill run in the morning is awesome!

I ride straight up Cardinal Ave and with the 34/32 gearing I can sit in the saddle. I cross over at Pennant Hills Rd and follow cardinal all the way to Victoria Rd, then the little left/right up to New Line Rd and take New Line all the way home.

Pretty sure I have seen you a couple of times in the last few weeks on the way in. You done any early starts? If you have gopros on your bike and helmet, you probably have me stalking you on video!

Yep, that's me (Gopro on helmet and handle bars) but unless I have a reason to keep it I ditch the video every couple of days. HD video files take up too much space.

I've been doing pre-dawn early commutes the past few weeks. I thought it was you but have never worked out the pronunciation of your name. You're just "that Q guy" on the nice Ti frame.

Boognoss wrote: I thought it was you but have never worked out the pronunciation of your name. You're just "that Q guy" on the nice Ti frame.

when in doubt, "mate", "dude", "buddy" is acceptable or even "Bro" or "cuz" if your kiwi/look kiwi

leximack wrote:

Boognoss wrote: I thought it was you but have never worked out the pronunciation of your name. You're just "that Q guy" on the nice Ti frame.

when in doubt, "mate", "dude", "buddy" is acceptable or even "Bro" or "cuz" if your kiwi/look kiwi

Thanks Leximack. Choice bro

duncanm wrote:
For wet weather (when the tunnel is flooded), my wet weather route across the M2 is Kandy Ave, Ray Rd then onto Kent and over the M2 at the footbridge.

Various quiet streets up to Beecroft Rd - then short footpath hop to Copeland Rd, or straight up Cheltenham Rd to Sutherland.

Thanks Duncanm, after trying this two days in a row this is a great outbound option and one I will do in all weather. I can't stand Sutherland Rd and the tunnel. I think it will be my main homeward route (until I get bored again ). Using this route I didn't bother footpathing it each time so far. Even thought it was a bit of a climb with the usual red light on Beecroft Rd at Copeland Rd I took the left lane and wasn't hassled surprisingly. Good route!