On reading the notice “Bay Run – Timbrell Drive Upgrade”, ironically hung on yet another of the ugly wire fences that have become a blight on the Bay Run and actually the whole of the Canada Bay landscape, I pondered the word upgrade. An upgrade improves the quality, value or performance of something.
Canada Bay Council is claiming that cutting down a lone old gum that doesn’t fit into the divided 300m cyclists asphalt path and 200m walkers path is an upgrade. It certainly will not be improving the quality of the air or the aesthetics of the path, perhaps the performance of the riders or cyclists will be faster but is that an improvement?
Some of the most charming paths I’ve been on have been shared paths – the path I shared with a donkey that joined Rinella, a seaside town, with the mountain village Leni on the Aeolian island of Salina off Sicily.
And after this Timbrell Drive section is complete, the Ashfield Council bit – from the new “super bridge” round to the UTS club – is going to be converted into a dual passage cycle/pedestrian way too, apparently knocking out yet more of the trees shielding us from the City West Link traffic.
It seems Canada Bay and Ashfield Councils have been showered with money to spend on sportsters from the state government – curious, as Leichhardt can’t get a cent out of them for it. Plans for both sections show that cyclists are once again are being given the most pavement space. Again curious, since on weekends especially walkers, runners, strollers, kids on scooters and skates all out-number the bikes.
All those well-connected male cyclists who travel in gangs must have some influence. But who is going to address the needs of all those pedestrians who just want a pleasant, green place to walk not encased by concrete, carbon, and coated metal chaos!
Got Bay anecdotes? Message baybitch@ciaomagazine.com.au.
