MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS FOR BOOYEEMBARA PARK

 

The FPOL Committee of Fremantle Council will on Wednesday consider to formalise the mountain bike trails that were created by the community in Booyeembara Park, at request of the Fremantle Mountain Bike Collective.

Trails have been constructed by the community but a feasibility and land-use compatibility study will have to be conducted since there are fragments of asbestos in the park.

The Fremantle Mountain Biking Collective proposal for mountain biking trails in Booyeembara Park proposes two key concepts:
1-3 narrow trails running from the ridge on the eastern side of the park south towards Stevens Street.
A pump/jump skills park.

The location/s and design elements will be finalised through the design process however are generally located in the eastern end of the park in the revegetated bushland.

Since the next mountain bike trails are 2 hours away near Kalamunda it would be fantastic to offer them here in Fremantle and encourage more young people to take up this outdoor activity.

Booyeembara Park could do with a bit more activation, so I hope Council will go ahead with it.

Roel Loopers

CYCLE SCHOOL TODAY TO GIVE KIDS MORE CONFIDENCE

 

BIKE WEEK is still on in Fremantle and today from 3.30-5.30pm the Cycle School at the Hilton PCYC will teach kids between 6-10 years how to improve their riding skilss and road awareness.

It is a free event, so hop on your bikes!

IT’S RIDE TO SCHOOL DAY THIS FRIDAY

 

Have you organised that your children, accompanied by a parent, ride to school this Friday?

March 22 is National Ride2School Day, so a great day to get started on not driving to school or using public transport.

If more kids rode to school we might need less of the 600 new Diesel!!! buses the McGowan government has announced it will get made for Perth.

We do not need more diesel pollution and we need to be more aware that all these things contribute to global warming. From little things big things grow!

Roel Loopers

SOUTH MOLE START FOR FREMANTLE TO SYDNEY BIKE RACE

 

 

It was very busy with cyclists on the Fremantle South Mole this Saturday morning at 6am when around one hundred bike riders came to farewell the 25 mad ones who started a race to Sydney via Melbourne.

Good luck and have a safe ride, and all come home in one piece!

Roel Loopers

BIKE WEEK FUN IN FREMANTLE

 

 

BIKE WEEK is starting today in Fremantle, so check out all the things that are on on the City of Fremantle website. http://www.fremantle,wa.gov.au/bikeweek

Here some of the events:

•       Light Me Up Ride, 6pm, Saturday 16 March, South Beach
A leisurely nighttime ride where riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes and themselves with anything that shines, glows and sparkles for a chance to win prizes.

•       Rusty Riders, 2-6pm, Sunday 17 March, Booyembarra Park
This workshop aims to build confidence in adult riders who feel as rusty as their bikes. Participants need to bring their own bike and helmet.

•       Cycle School, 3.30-5.30pm, Thursday 21 March, 
          Fremantle PCYC
This course for school-aged children (6-10 years) improves bike handling skills and confidence so they can ride to school and for fun. Participants need to bring their own bike and helmet.

•       The Great Freo Scavenger Hunt, 2-5.30pm, 
          Sunday 24 March, South Beach
Riders will explore Fremantle area by bike, have fun solving questions and be in the chance to win some great prizes.

Roel Loopera

FREO BIKE WEEK STARTS ON FRIDAY

 

It is BIKE WEEK in Fremantle from March 15 to 24 so hop on your bike and take part in the events.

Check it all out here: http://www.fremantle,wa.gov.au/bikeweek

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE RIDE TO WORK WEDNESDAY

 

 

The Fremantle RIDE and SHINE ride to work day is on from 7-9am this Wednesday October 17 at Pioneer Park opposite the railway station.

Free coffee and breakfast are on offer, and bike safety checks, info stalls, electric bike demos and mini bike tours.

Roel Loopers

COLOURFUL FREMANTLE

 

 

There is always another colourful photo to be taken in Fremantle. ; >)

Roel Loopers

VINTAGE BIKES AND HOT RODS

 

 

Good-looking vintage bikes and hot rods are on display at the Maritime Museum as part of the Fremantle Heritage Festival.

Arthur Grady Day is always very popular and the weather is perfect so head out to Victoria Quay soon as it is only on for a few hours.

Arthur Grady was the first person to ride around Australia on a motorcycle, so hence the name of the event.

Roel Loopers

BIKES INSTEAD OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The article in the weekend West Australian newspaper that many more people are using their bicycles to go to work is a positive one as it shows the message is getting across. It’s always been a surprise to me that people in colder climate countries hop on their bike more than we do in Australia, so it seems to be turning around a bit.

The negative aspect of it is that people appear to be going to work by bike because of public transport not coping with the demand, and car traffic becoming a nightmare because of traffic jams from the CBD to Joondalup and Rockingham.

The get on your bikes message is good as long as it remains realistic and considers the rapidly ageing population, where many older people might not feel safe or comfortable riding bikes for longer distances, or at all, so it is also essential to improve public transport, especially on weekends when it is often hard to get connections to the suburbs.

Fremantle Council has been pushing the bike agenda, and trying to reduce the use of cars, for years, but the approach is inconsistent. I was aghast to see an artist impression of a tram down the Cappuccino Strip as part of the Transformational Moves presentation by the Mayor. That is not at all what the Freo Visioning 2029 workshops called for. They wanted a traffic-free pedestrian zone there, not trams!

Lightrail in Fremantle will remain a pipe dream for decades to come because neither the Labor nor the Liberal party has indicated they would support and fund lightrain in and around Fremantle. The population figures simply don’t add up and it is more realistic that lightrial in the northern suburbs could happen in the next 10 years.

It would be interesting to see if the combined forces of Cockburn, Melville and Fremantle could come up with an integrated lightrail approach and try to get private funding, but unfortunately most of the time local councils don’t work well together and prefer grand standing news grabs to promote their own cities.

Decentralisation of work destinations and commercial-satelite CBD-activity hubs would help reduce the mad peak hour rush to and from Perth twice a day. That requires out of the box thinking by the government and private sector.

Roel Loopers