Tuesday, February 21, 2012

DEATH OF THE COEGA DAILY COMMUTE


Thats it - done - this blog is being wound up and killed. The purpose of the blog is explained in the side panel (Why the CDC). It was a celebration of place and how to get there through commuting by bike. In recent months it has become increasing difficult to commute to the Coega IDZ by bike. IDZ security measures have effectively cut off direct access to the IDZ from the bike path. To access the IDZ, a 4 to 6 km detour is required along either:

a) The freeway, where it is illegal to ride a bicycle
b) Over the busiest and most dangerous interchange in Port Elizabeth (Motherwell) which is completely unprotected for cyclists and pedestrians.

Doing the CDC is no longer a safe, relaxing, environmentally friendly and healthy way to commute. Its now simply a constant dice with death and a source of great frustration. Under these circumstances it is nothing to celebrate but something to mourn. It is incomprehensible how an initiative which advocates complete policy support for cycling, effectively forces an honest bicycle commuter to shut down this type of blog - as there is no longer a basis for its continued existence.

This all goes back to the early 1990's when the Fat Tracks Mountain Bike Club lobbied extensively for the need for an integrated network of cycling facilities. We saw no value in having isolated bike paths. Everything needed to connect, the Baakens Mountain Bike Trails to cycle routes to schools, beachfront bike paths going through harbours, and road rides with appropriate safety signage. The need for integration stands as true today. While the Coega Daily Commute has been ruined by one gate, other commuters experience similar issues on a daily basis, while also being killed in increasingly large numbers. People in authority should care and implement policy positions in respect of cycling and not simply act like the AWB (Arseholes with Badges). We need to connect our cycling facilities in wonderful and innovative ways, and to that quest I remain committed. Its simply not worth the effort to argue with the AWB - I'll simply risk it and bumble through my riding when doing the Daily Commute to Coega. Unfortunately its no longer a place to celebrate on this site. Cycling is a microcosm of the broader society. Good, sound and environmentally progressive policy is in place, but poor implementation is ruining the laudable intentions of the policies, Tragically its AWB types doing the damage instead of fullfilling their legal mandates or protecting our societal interests. In the next few weeks I will be setting up my new website, devoid of the CDC, but, still heavily focused on my greatest joys, finding great routes to ride bikes in places with wonderful stories to tell.

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