Two British cyclists, Micheil Gordon and Jon Lee, are now cycling overland to Hong Kong, having left the UK six months ago.
They are raising funds for WaterAid, a very worthy cause.
Details and blog: http://hongkongcycle.co.uk/
Hong Kong Cycling Alliance has been in touch with them through their amazing journey, and we will be there to welcome them on their arrival in Hong Kong on Tuesday 15 November.
Can you come along to cheer them in?
Is it prohibited to cycle on a road if a cycle track is available? Yes, and there are prosecutions for it. In a test case, we might argue that a cycle track is NOT ‘a portion of a road’.
Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations – Regulation 51, Additional rules for bicycles, tricycles and rickshaws
(5) Where a portion of a road is set aside for bicycles or tricycles no person shall ride a bicycle or a tricycle on any other portion of the road.
A TV API (c2009) told cyclists they must use a cycle path [if there is one]. Tone was negative: ‘you cyclists have to be controlled’.
Compare UK, where the Highway Code says that “Use of cycle lanes is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer.”
If you are in Queensland, or have the wherewithal to get there next week:
The Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress
18 – 21 September 2011
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Cycling experts and enthusiasts from around the world and hear first-hand about technical approaches to cycleway planning and strategies for reaching critical velocity in cycling mode share.
line-up of keynote and guest speaker presentations
events, tours and exhibitions
Next Wednesday (7 Sept 2011) HKCAll will present a proposal for the harbourfront cycleway to the Harbourfront Commission. This is a fantastic opportunity to get some serious force behind this project, which we have all been pressing for so long.
Our team is beavering away these few weeks to get it all ready.
Please take a look at the route we are proposing.
What do you think?
Check out our Facebook page too!
As part of its ongoing push to make itself a regional mecca for cycling, Taiwan is holding a first annual ‘Taiwan Cycling Festival’, 5-13 November 2011.
For an event that was promoted with full page ads in The Economist, there is surprisingly little information online. No single main website that I can find.
There was an official announcement, with the national tourism authority responsible. But this third-party site seems to be the best available info. (There was a sort of warm-up event last year.)
Does anyone know more?
The 2011 Hong Kong Ride of Silence is nearly here again. It is held every year on the third Wednesday of May, to remember the cyclists being killed and injured every year on our roads
Date: Wednesday 18th May
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower
Notes: The star ferry will only allow 10 bikes per ferry journey from Wanchai, so be sure to get there a little early to make sure that you can get on a ferry in time, and chat with fellow cyclists.
See you there..!
The Government has increased the number of country park trails open to mountain bikers following an outcry from frustrated riders.
The two extra trails – one at Chi Ma Wan in the Lantau South Country Park and another in the Shek O Country Park – will give riders a choice of four routes.
The move followed warnings made by the Hong Kong Mountain Bike Association that a wave of individual riders would break laws to ride on country parks trails unless their choice of routes was expanded.
Bikers say the two existing routes, along a concrete water catchment in south Lantau and a remote track in the Sai Kung West Country Park, are unsuitable and remote.
Hong Kong Mountain Bike Association chairman Richard Barton-Smith welcomed the new routes, but said they were only a beginning.
‘It is a very good start. We hope it leads to development of a more comprehensive network of trails across the territory,’ Mr Barton-Smith said.
The association had urged the Agriculture and Fisheries Department to open two tracks on Lantau – one around Chi Ma Wan and another near the Big Buddha.
The department agreed to open the Chi Ma Wan trail and a Shek O route, but said the trail from the Big Buddha was unsafe for cyclists.
‘It is not suitable. It is very steep – we have considered it very carefully,’ said assistant director Wong Fook-yee.
Mountain bikers wanting to use the country park trails can apply for a free one-year riding permit from the department.
The scheme would be placed under continuous review to ensure bikers and hikers did not clash and the paths were not eroded, Mr Wong said.
Mountain bikers warn frustration over laws banning them from country parks could erupt in a wave of illegal rides unless the Government opens up more trails to cyclists.
Under the Country Parks Ordinance, cycling in all but two areas in country parks is prohibited and punishable with a maximum $2,000 fine and three months in prison.
The Hong Kong Mountain Bike Association proposes allowing riders on two country park trails on Lantau Island in a pilot scheme integrating bikers and hikers.
Convictions for biking in country parks have increased dramatically since 1993, when 17 were prosecuted, to 110 last year.
Association chairman Richard Barton-Smith said bikers were becoming increasingly frustrated.
‘Tension in the biking community is rising, especially among those who have been arrested. They are seriously angry,’ he said.
‘A lot of people have gone out and bought bikes and suddenly realise that riding is illegal.’ The Agriculture and Fisheries Department set up a pilot permit scheme this year on two routes – South Lantau and Sai Kung.
Association member Brian Paterson said the concrete path along a water catchment in South Lantau and the remote Wan Tsai peninsula in Sai Kung West Country Park were hardly ideal.
But the 869 permits issued expired in August. Mr Barton-Smith said there had been no further official communication, and bikers had no idea where they stood.
The 150-member association has been forced to restrict its monthly fun-rides to Lamma and North Lantau, but many individuals were breaking the law, he said.
‘Very definitely people will break the law, simply because you’re not going to stop a growing sport,’ said Mr Barton-Smith.
The association has suggested two existing country park trails – down from the Big Buddha and around the Chi Ma Wan peninsula on Lantau – be opened to bikers.
Mr Barton-Smith said bikers and hikers could avoid potential conflict by common courtesy. Biking caused no more damage to trails than walkers, he said.
With about 2,000 mountain bikers in Hong Kong, which offers some of the most challenging riding in the world, the sport was growing and could bring in eco-tourism dollars, he added.
Agriculture and Fisheries Department assistant director Wong Fook-yee said the proposals were being considered and a decision would be made this month.
Hong Kong lags behind Singapore, which set up trails four years ago.
Cyclists will be allowed to ride through two country parks during a six-month trial starting today. Permits will be issued by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for Sai Kung West Country Park (Wan Tsai Extension) and the catchment area from Tung Chung Road to Kau Ling Chung in Lantau South Country Park, which were previously off-limits to cyclists.
Senior Country Parks Officer Lai Ching-wai said applicants, aged between 12 and 18, should seek endorsement from parents or guardians on their application letters.
‘The department will not accept any group applications nor applicants under the age of 12,’ he added.
No fee will be charged but permit-holders should observe the code of practice for cyclists and have the necessary safety equipment, including suitable helmets. Cyclists should apply for permits from the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries. The application, in the form of a letter, should be addressed to Canton Road Government Offices, 14/F, 393 Canton Road, Kowloon or faxed to 2311 3731.
Mr Lai said there were many locations in country parks where no permit was required for bicycle riding. Among those are Plover Cove Main Dam and its access roads, Hok Tau Road, Kam Shan Road, Lau Shui Heung Road, Shing Mun Road, Tai Mong Tsai Road, Pak Tam Road, Hoi Ha Road and the cycling track at Tai Mong Tsai. Other than in those areas, cycling is strictly prohibited in country parks or special areas.
