Merri-bek BUG

Merri-bek Bicycle User Group

Archive for October, 2013

Moreland BUG AGM: 24 October 2013

The upcoming Annual General Meeting is this Thursday, the 24th of October 2013, at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel (681 Sydney Road, Brunswick).
 
This year we are going to split the meeting in two parts. The first part deals with the ordinary business and in the second part we will have a guest speaker. Feel free to come to either both parts or just the one of your choosing. Finger-food will be provided.
 
Here is the Agenda for the evening: 

Part 1 – Ordinary Business (7 -7.30 pm)

  1. Welcome
  2. Apologies
  3. Convenor’s Report
  4. Treasurer’s Report
  5. Confirmation of AGM 2012 minutes
  6. Election of the new Committee of Management
– Break – 

Part 2 – Guest Speaker Paul McKay on Cycling from Brunswick to Coburg (7.45 pm)

Paul will tell us of his epic week long pedal from Brunswick to Coburg.  He will bring along his full size folding Montague and the worlds biggest pannier that he used – the Arkel-tt84 (as in 84 liters – that’s more the twice the puny 40 liters of an Ortlieb back roller).  You’ll meet characters such as Caroline of Brunswick, Alfred of Saxe Coburg (‘Affie’ to his mates) and Queen Adelaide and learn how German the Royal Family of the House of Coburg-Saxe and Gotha is (renamed Windsor after the Great War).  And you will learn how it was that Coburg and Brunswick got their names and how King Edward VII was 31/32ths German.  Oh and you might have guessed that there was no Upfield Bikeway.

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MoreArt Sound Ride: Sunday 13 October

Join this sound supported ride along the Upfield train line: get your bike tuned while we have a chat to the great people at Commuter Cycles and then pedal power with Cargone Couriers’ fine selection of mobile sound! We’re taking in all artworks of MoreArt 2013, stopping for a chat with exhibiting artists and finish up at Brunswick’s new social hotspot The Howler for some more fresh beats and a beer or two.

Starting 2.30pm at Coburg Station, Coburg

Finishing at 5pm at The Howler, 7-11 Dawson St, Brunswick

Cost: Free

More info at: http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=61972

 

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MoreArt Welcome Ride: Sunday 6th October

Celebrate the launch of the MoreArt Public Art event with a guided bicycle tour along the Upfield train line, stopping by at our new friends on the bike path, independent bike shop Jetnikoff.

Participating artists will be on hand to discuss their works on site, we take a stroll around the RMIT-Artland installations and the ride will conclude at MoreArts launch party at the Mechanics Institute Brunswick.  Stick around for some complimentary nibbles and a drink to quench your thirst, accompanied by quirky-folk West Brunswick tunes from Susy Blue. 

Starting 12.30pm at Coburg Station, Coburg

Finish 3pm at Mechanics Institute, Brunswick.

Cost: Free 

More details at: www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=61953

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Upfield Path closure from 7 Oct 2013 to 8 Nov 2013

Council will be upgrading the Upfield Path in early October.

A 200 metre section between Albion and Tinning Streets will be closed – users will not be able to use the area for the duration of the works. There is a detour some 40 metres to the east via Ilhan Lane.

The linked image shows a map of the detour.

Works are scheduled to start on 7 October and continue for around 5 weeks (weather permitting).

The works will improve the safety and convenience of users by:

  • Reducing the steep slope on the approach to Albion Street
  • Replacing the fence which has been gradually falling in to the rail reserve
  • Building a retaining wall to stabilise the embankment.
  • Using asphalt-coloured concrete for stability and longevity.

Lighting is part of the project but has been installed already (May 2013).

Cost of works – $200,000 approx.

Council apologises for any inconvenience.  

Moreland Council contact: Nicholas Elliot, Transport Projects Officer, 9240 1294.

I’m pretty excited by these works. It has been 3 to 4 years in the planning – there have been a number of hold ups due to difficulties of working in a rail reserve. The path has a steep approach down to Albion Street which is difficult, even frightening for inexperienced users, and for the parents of young children. This slope will be much reduced and so manageable by all cyclists and pedestrians. The works will stabilise the embankment which has gradually been slipping away, causing holes in the fencing – another unsettling experience for novice cyclists. The new lighting has already given a dark area a much needed boost and Council has received some compliments on the new ‘look’ and that the lights are low energy LEDs. Together with a new smooth, wider, fully fenced path, the area will receive a welcome urban make-over.

Regards

Nicholas Elliot

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Bike parking at Barkly Square

News from Nicholas Elliot, Transport Projects Officer at Moreland City Council:

Dear BUGees
Finally, proper bike parking at Barkly Square.
20 bikes can now park right at the front door, in 2 (ex) car bays.
Click this link for a picture of the rails being installed this morning.

The initiative is a partnership between Moreland Council and Barkly Square management. Council convinced them to give it a trial and loaned them our temporary/event parking rails on the condition that they were installed as close to the door as possible. We agreed to conduct surveys to show that they would be well used, that the economic return would be better than if just 2 cars parked there and that there would be no, or a lot less, bike parking opportunistically and cluttering up their entrance or trampling the garden beds. And they had to take away the “Please don’t park your bikes here” banners.

Barkly Square are interested in your feedback, so take a minute to ‘Like’ them on Facebook. They agreed they will supply the bike parking at the end of the trial if it is successful. So this might be an opportunity to convince them to put in the deluxe, roofed, model if they get a good response via social media.

Regards
Nicholas Elliot

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