SYD: M4 Silverwater Rd to Concord Rd

A month or so back I posted about this route. google/dejanews won't let
me respond to that thread.. so here we are.

I tried both routes Mon/Tues this week. Commute is Parramatta to
Balmain (~20k)

1/ get on M4 at Silverwater Rd, get off at the end (Concord Rd)
2/ wind through Olympic park/back of Concord West/Concord.

The M4 basically sucks. It's fast, but 2/ only takes me an extra 10min
in a 50-60min commute, and I value my life too much.

On the M4/
- the shoulder is too narrow in some spots.. but mostly ok.
- most of the shoulder is full of detritus. Lots of gravel, broken
glass, etc. I'd be surprised if they've swept it since it was built.
- It isn't a place to be at night.

duncan

ps: when there's TWO parallel paths, one marked "pedestrians only", the
other marked "bicycles only", you think the pedestrians would know
where to walk, wouldn't you?

Duncan wrote
ps: when there's TWO parallel paths, one marked "pedestrians only", the
other marked "bicycles only", you think the pedestrians would know
where to walk, wouldn't you?


You'd be referring to the foreshore path around Iron Cove no doubt. I think
many pedestrians would rather walk on the asphalt bike path than the gravel
joggers track. You might as well hammer up the Lilyfield Rd hill and get to
Balmain on Perry/Darling St, you've got to do the height sooner or later, or
take the slightly easier hill up past Leichhardt Pool to Mary St and come
out on Perry St.

If you think the foreshore path is bad, dont try the Hawthorne Canal path
nearby, its been taken over by the dog owners.

fb

Fractal wrote:

Duncan wrote
ps: when there's TWO parallel paths, one marked "pedestrians only", the
other marked "bicycles only", you think the pedestrians would know
where to walk, wouldn't you?


You'd be referring to the foreshore path around Iron Cove no doubt. I
think many pedestrians would rather walk on the asphalt bike path than the
gravel joggers track. You might as well hammer up the Lilyfield Rd hill
and get to Balmain on Perry/Darling St, you've got to do the height sooner
or later, or take the slightly easier hill up past Leichhardt Pool to
Mary St and come out on Perry St.

We rode around Iron Cove last w/e. The walkers all kept to the peds track,
but a lot of joggers were on the bike path. There weren't enough of them to
cause a problem, and most moved across to the peds track with a muttered
apology. What I found really annoying at a couple of places was being forced
onto the peds track by 'peletons' coming the opposite way. Cyclists should
stay in f...g single file on a f...g bike path.

Lilyfield Road up from Iron Cove is a nice hill.

--
beerwolf (remove numbers from email address)

In aus.bicycle on Tue, 9 May 2006 19:05:29 +1000
beerwolf wrote:

Lilyfield Road up from Iron Cove is a nice hill.

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Zebee

Fractal wrote:
Duncan wrote
ps: when there's TWO parallel paths, one marked "pedestrians only", the
other marked "bicycles only", you think the pedestrians would know
where to walk, wouldn't you?


You'd be referring to the foreshore path around Iron Cove no doubt. I think
many pedestrians would rather walk on the asphalt bike path than the gravel
joggers track

Indeed I would... and why, but why, is there 100m of path still to be
constructed at the base of Rozelle Hospital? No doubt some bizarre
local council/stave gov. argument.

You might as well hammer up the Lilyfield Rd hill and get to
Balmain on Perry/Darling St, you've got to do the height sooner or later, or
take the slightly easier hill up past Leichhardt Pool to Mary St and come
out on Perry St.

Fortunately, I can avoid a little of the height... am in the 'heart'
of Balmain... so no need to reach the top at Darling/Victoria junction.
I've been going through where the old power station was (whatever that
development is called), onto Margaret St. then paralleling Darling St.
for a little while before climbing up to it..

If you think the foreshore path is bad, dont try the Hawthorne Canal path
nearby, its been taken over by the dog owners.

Yep.. no risk of that.

Came back the long way again tonight.. it is definitely further.. but I
prefer it.

duncan