Lots of islands in inner Sydney have become peninsulas by development, and some still have the island name. These include Garden island, Glebe island, Berry island and Darling island. Garden island is an active naval bases so you can’t really visit it unless you have business there.
Wow, that was exactly my cycling stamping grounds from 46 years ago till we fled to Tasmania, riding then was an ongoing battle with the buses and taxi drivers, not a single cycle lane, just nerves of steel and giving no ground.
Parra Rd has its upsides. Like when you get the red light in front of a big outlet like Harvey Norman HQ, you can go in shop and get back before the light changes. 😉
There needs to be more cycling lanes yeah. I ride from Dulwich Hill to North Sydney for work. Getting onto the Harbor Bridge on either end is hard work on a mountain bike. I hope they make brides like that and the Anzac bride more accessible. Using Glebe Island for cycling would be a great idea.
Hopefully those bridges will be a bit easier to navigate in the coming years - Glebe island bridge is about to undergo some restoration work (no news about opening it unfortunately) and the harbour bridge will be getting a new northern ramp so bike riders don't have to wheel their bikes up the stairs anymore. But more needs to be done for sure
Awesome video, cool with your commentary on the route. It's pretty special with the with the ferry connection :) Hope more people take advantage of this route in the near future!
Garden Island is the Eastern Fleet base for the Royal Australian Navy, it used to be an island but was infilled during the 20th Century with the construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock (the dry dock that cuts through the middle of the base).
Awesome, thanks Chris. Btw in Sydney we pronounce the Cahill Expressway like ‘Carl’. No idea why but there you go. Like in Melbourne they say Docklaands vs. Docklnds. I have lived in Leichhardt and Manly but never cycle-ferried the route - very cool.
Cheers Peter! Haha it's a bit confusing since my brother had a friend with the last name Cahill growing up so Cay-hill is stuck in my head as the pronunciation. I'd definitely recommend the cycle-ferry combo if you get the chance!
I remember Lilyfield Rd was originally supposed to have a cycleway but council scrapped it because of NIMBYs complaining about a few lost parking spaces.
Thanks! I'm riding an Ezee Expedir, it's a longtail cargo bike so if you don't need to carry passengers or lots of cargo I'd recommend getting something a bit smaller and cheaper. My dad just got an E-mono Pegasus and it's great. I'd recommend going to your nearest electric bike shop and test riding a few - make sure it has a rear rack, lights, fenders, and a chain guard.
I rode my electric bicycle with 3 batteries from Sydney to Wollongong when I reached Wollongong I still had bars on my battery to go further now I’ve got 4 batteries extra distance horse on wheels
15:26 - I think that right there on your left hand side is the reason King Street cycleway has a missing 300m middle section between Clarence and Pitt Streets. That underground car park on the Northern (left-hand) side of King Street between George and Pitt Streets would be a major conflict point - so let's just close it and give the space back to pedestrians. I agree with you, the entire section of unprotected bike lanes for King Street between Clarence and Pitt Streets is just asking for trouble. The problem for Council is that if you were to fill in the gap for the King St cycleway here and build it properly, there could only be 2 lanes of car traffic maximum. But all of these half-finished bits of bike infrastructure add up and have the effect of discouraging most riders who would actually be willing to ride if the infra was safe and efficient, which it still is not. I also for the life of me cannot understand why the Pitt St cycleway doesn't go further through the mall up to Park Street and right up to Central. 39:00 - Every single bit of bike and shared path infrastructure in Sydeny needs to be designed another meter wider and it would be so much more friendly eh. I was just in Holland and the infra there is obviously world-leading but the main thing I notice is the width of the paths at every location are a meter or even 2m wider. One full car lane is easily enough for bikes travelling in both directions plus allows space in the middle for an overtake.
Great points. There are some parking-lot conflict points on the Pitt Street cycleway which tend to work smoothly but nothing as big as this one would be. Hopefully it gets resolved soon. The Pitt Street cycleway continuing to Central would be fantastic! It definitely seems like an obvious choice. Re: bigger bike lanes, the Inner West in their draft cycling strategy has mentioned the need for cycleways to accommodate tricycles, bakfietsen, etc., so hopefully that is a positive sign for things to come! But unfortunately a lot of Sydney's cycleways are too narrow. One advantage of building smaller two-way cycleways is that once demand and political will are sufficient, a lane on the other side of the street can be converted into a cycleway too and they can both be wide and one way. Thanks heaps for watching, it was great to hear your points
@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism That's true, good points. Any plans for your next video man? Would love to see something with more details about the bridges around your part of town for cycling and public transport - obviously you covered ANZAC Bridge here but more of the others would be cool especially Glebe Island Bridge. Also love your content about trams and train ideas too, would love to see something more in this direction.
Thanks! I've had a busy summer but I'm currently working on one about how to bring more liveliness and walkability to suburbs inspired by my recent move to Epping.
@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism Ah nice, I lived 25 years at Cheltenham just down the line before i moved to Germany in 2019, I know it well! Looking forward to that then, let me know if I can help in any way.
What camera setup do you use to record your ride? I wish to record my spectacular demise after strapping a 400W motor to my Cheap Krap Kmart Cruiser from the green shed.
I use a GoPro hero 4 (they're super cheap second hand) with a chest strap. The GoPro is mounted on a J-shaped mount that then clips into the chest strap. I have it upside down since it adds extra stability and helps me get the right angle 👍
Thanks! The rain's usually okay as long as I have a rain jacket and a gym towel for drying my bike seat, but I should really buy some wellies too if Sydney's weather is gonna stay like this haha - on one of the recent torrential mornings I had soggy socks all day
Yes I am contemplating wellies as well. Decathlon have some shorter ones for men for $29. I have a raincoat but I am contemplating one of those clever hoods. When it rains in Sydney it rains! It does test my commitment to reducing my personal car dependency at times. I have taken the plunge and ordered an e-bike. It should arrive next month and make the rainy days a bit easier.
@@dominicgalvin Yess I've been considering a clever hood too! Thanks for the wellies recommendation I'll look into it. I don't own a car so that definitely makes biking the easy choice for me haha - you'll love your ebike though, they're such a fun way to get around and you start seeing places in a whole different way
The removal of the two overpasses on the western end of the ANZAC bridge should classify as a crime against humanity. Also I assume you are wearing sunglasses because that’s a lot of glare.
Lots of islands in inner Sydney have become peninsulas by development, and some still have the island name. These include Garden island, Glebe island, Berry island and Darling island. Garden island is an active naval bases so you can’t really visit it unless you have business there.
Always puts a smile on my face seeing the old monorail stations down there.
Wow, that was exactly my cycling stamping grounds from 46 years ago till we fled to Tasmania, riding then was an ongoing battle with the buses and taxi drivers, not a single cycle lane, just nerves of steel and giving no ground.
Sydney's been improving heaps for cycling lately! Hope Tassie's treating you well
Tasmanian cycling unite 💕
Parra Rd has its upsides. Like when you get the red light in front of a big outlet like Harvey Norman HQ, you can go in shop and get back before the light changes. 😉
My favourite pastime 🤩 when the whole road is a parking lot you never have to look for a park!
There needs to be more cycling lanes yeah. I ride from Dulwich Hill to North Sydney for work. Getting onto the Harbor Bridge on either end is hard work on a mountain bike. I hope they make brides like that and the Anzac bride more accessible. Using Glebe Island for cycling would be a great idea.
Hopefully those bridges will be a bit easier to navigate in the coming years - Glebe island bridge is about to undergo some restoration work (no news about opening it unfortunately) and the harbour bridge will be getting a new northern ramp so bike riders don't have to wheel their bikes up the stairs anymore. But more needs to be done for sure
Awesome video, cool with your commentary on the route. It's pretty special with the with the ferry connection :) Hope more people take advantage of this route in the near future!
Thanks!
Garden Island is the Eastern Fleet base for the Royal Australian Navy, it used to be an island but was infilled during the 20th Century with the construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock (the dry dock that cuts through the middle of the base).
Oh cool, thanks for sharing!
Every time I see garden island I'm confused, because it is also the Western fleet base for the Australian Navy.
Awesome, thanks Chris. Btw in Sydney we pronounce the Cahill Expressway like ‘Carl’. No idea why but there you go. Like in Melbourne they say Docklaands vs. Docklnds. I have lived in Leichhardt and Manly but never cycle-ferried the route - very cool.
Cheers Peter! Haha it's a bit confusing since my brother had a friend with the last name Cahill growing up so Cay-hill is stuck in my head as the pronunciation. I'd definitely recommend the cycle-ferry combo if you get the chance!
I remember Lilyfield Rd was originally supposed to have a cycleway but council scrapped it because of NIMBYs complaining about a few lost parking spaces.
Yep I remember when that happened, such a shame. At least that new WestConnex park will include a cycleway
Great video! May I know what bike you using? Might consider a bike-train combo instead of a car when commuting. Thanks!
Thanks! I'm riding an Ezee Expedir, it's a longtail cargo bike so if you don't need to carry passengers or lots of cargo I'd recommend getting something a bit smaller and cheaper. My dad just got an E-mono Pegasus and it's great. I'd recommend going to your nearest electric bike shop and test riding a few - make sure it has a rear rack, lights, fenders, and a chain guard.
not sure running multiple red lights on camera is a good look
wait when did I run a red light
I rode my electric bicycle with 3 batteries from Sydney to Wollongong when I reached Wollongong I still had bars on my battery to go further now I’ve got 4 batteries extra distance horse on wheels
Impressive!
That's not the Cahill Expressway! That is over Circular Quay about 2 k's away.
15:26 - I think that right there on your left hand side is the reason King Street cycleway has a missing 300m middle section between Clarence and Pitt Streets. That underground car park on the Northern (left-hand) side of King Street between George and Pitt Streets would be a major conflict point - so let's just close it and give the space back to pedestrians. I agree with you, the entire section of unprotected bike lanes for King Street between Clarence and Pitt Streets is just asking for trouble. The problem for Council is that if you were to fill in the gap for the King St cycleway here and build it properly, there could only be 2 lanes of car traffic maximum. But all of these half-finished bits of bike infrastructure add up and have the effect of discouraging most riders who would actually be willing to ride if the infra was safe and efficient, which it still is not. I also for the life of me cannot understand why the Pitt St cycleway doesn't go further through the mall up to Park Street and right up to Central.
39:00 - Every single bit of bike and shared path infrastructure in Sydeny needs to be designed another meter wider and it would be so much more friendly eh. I was just in Holland and the infra there is obviously world-leading but the main thing I notice is the width of the paths at every location are a meter or even 2m wider. One full car lane is easily enough for bikes travelling in both directions plus allows space in the middle for an overtake.
Great points. There are some parking-lot conflict points on the Pitt Street cycleway which tend to work smoothly but nothing as big as this one would be. Hopefully it gets resolved soon.
The Pitt Street cycleway continuing to Central would be fantastic! It definitely seems like an obvious choice.
Re: bigger bike lanes, the Inner West in their draft cycling strategy has mentioned the need for cycleways to accommodate tricycles, bakfietsen, etc., so hopefully that is a positive sign for things to come! But unfortunately a lot of Sydney's cycleways are too narrow. One advantage of building smaller two-way cycleways is that once demand and political will are sufficient, a lane on the other side of the street can be converted into a cycleway too and they can both be wide and one way.
Thanks heaps for watching, it was great to hear your points
@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism That's true, good points. Any plans for your next video man? Would love to see something with more details about the bridges around your part of town for cycling and public transport - obviously you covered ANZAC Bridge here but more of the others would be cool especially Glebe Island Bridge. Also love your content about trams and train ideas too, would love to see something more in this direction.
Thanks! I've had a busy summer but I'm currently working on one about how to bring more liveliness and walkability to suburbs inspired by my recent move to Epping.
@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism Ah nice, I lived 25 years at Cheltenham just down the line before i moved to Germany in 2019, I know it well! Looking forward to that then, let me know if I can help in any way.
What camera setup do you use to record your ride? I wish to record my spectacular demise after strapping a 400W motor to my Cheap Krap Kmart Cruiser from the green shed.
I use a GoPro hero 4 (they're super cheap second hand) with a chest strap. The GoPro is mounted on a J-shaped mount that then clips into the chest strap. I have it upside down since it adds extra stability and helps me get the right angle 👍
@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism more like the Car Hell expressway amirite
@@sancheeez LOL! 🤣🤣🤣
I have a friend who wants to move out to Manly from the UK can you tell me where he can get cheap food and drink once he gets there,thankyou.
I didn't eat out much when I was on prac there but from what I know it's quite pricey. Avoiding the areas near the beach could help save $$$
How does the ebike go with sea spray on the ferry? Do you need to do any extra cleaning/maintenance to avoid rust?
I only did this commute for 6 weeks (teaching placement), but my bike was fine except for the bell which rusted a bit
Nice commute mate, how do you go in the rain?
Thanks! The rain's usually okay as long as I have a rain jacket and a gym towel for drying my bike seat, but I should really buy some wellies too if Sydney's weather is gonna stay like this haha - on one of the recent torrential mornings I had soggy socks all day
Yes I am contemplating wellies as well. Decathlon have some shorter ones for men for $29. I have a raincoat but I am contemplating one of those clever hoods.
When it rains in Sydney it rains! It does test my commitment to reducing my personal car dependency at times. I have taken the plunge and ordered an e-bike. It should arrive next month and make the rainy days a bit easier.
@@dominicgalvin Yess I've been considering a clever hood too! Thanks for the wellies recommendation I'll look into it. I don't own a car so that definitely makes biking the easy choice for me haha - you'll love your ebike though, they're such a fun way to get around and you start seeing places in a whole different way
Where is A Camp in the Life of Chris 2?
I haven't been on a camp 2 yet :(
The removal of the two overpasses on the western end of the ANZAC bridge should classify as a crime against humanity. Also I assume you are wearing sunglasses because that’s a lot of glare.
Yeah, at least I think they're rebuilding one of them - but it was a terrible move. I think I was wearing sunnies haha, it was a very bright day
Don't get caught speeding..or running a red light 👍
Don't worry I won't (get caught)
Shared tracks are a nuisance and an affront to pedestrians AND cyclists!!