Melburnian Biker Quiz - Melissa Cranenburgh
Melissa Cranenburgh is a former editor of Ride On, Bicycle Victoria’s magazine, and is currently Deputy Editor of The Big Issue, a street paper sold by people who’ve experienced homelessness or disadvantage. In the summer she’s one of four women hosting a bike show, Along for the Ride on Melbourne’s Triple R radio.
What do you LOVE about riding in Melbourne?
It’s probably the quickest – and the best –- way to get around in the inner-city suburbs. I live in Melbourne’s inner-north and there’s a pretty strong bike riding culture in that part of town. I especially love riding along the back streets after dark when there are fewer cars; such a feeling of freedom!
What do you hate?
When my bike lane suddenly fizzles out at the traffic lights and I have to merge into car traffic. It’s one of those urban planning things. Most of Melbourne’s bike lanes are painted onto the left hand side of the road. They often stop before the lights to make way for a turning lane. I also hate car doors.
If I were visiting Melbourne and wanted to meet local cyclists and get oriented to the city’s cycling scene, where would you recommend I visit?
Go to CERES! [see links] It’s an urban enviro-haven built on a reclaimed rubbish dump. You can pick up a second-hand bike from the bike shed or talk shop with the volunteer mechanics. You could always pop into Bicycle Victoria in the city – they have bike maps and you can look up information about local bicycle user groups, or BUGs, and bike clubs on their website (www.bv.com.au).
Shops:
Try BSC Bikes on Elizabeth Street in the city centre or on Brunswick St in the North (bscbikes.com.au); Lygon Cycles is a bit further out, but they’re really helpful guys in there. If you’re in the inner-south, try the folks at Spoke(n) in St Kilda (www.spoken.com.au) – they have a great website! Abbotsford Cycles in Richmond is worth checking out for their interesting range of bike trailers and Peter Moore is an excellent mechanic (www.abbotsfordcycles.com.au). There are other really dedicated people, like Bill Bretherton, who’s helping refugees settling into Melbourne by providing bikes. You can check out information about his group Human Powered Cycles (www.humanpowered.com.au).
Are there regular rides that I might take part in to enjoy some local cycling colour?
You can check out www.bikefun.org, which has local rides and ‘bike fun’ listings in their calendar. Critical Mass starts at 5:30 pm outside the State Library on Swanston Street (www.criticalmass.org.au). Local “Bike User Groups” or BUGs have their own group rides.
Are there any prominent Melburnians who are flag-wavers and promoters of cycling?
Hilary Harper, the traffic reporter on ABC radio 774, is a mad keen commuter cyclist. She includes bike traffic and public transport in her reports. She also writes a regular back-page column in Ride On about the cycling life, and was the MC for the local Ride to Work day in the heart of Melbourne- at Federation Square.
I really like that the Chief Justice for the Victorian supreme court, Justice Marilyn Warren, the first woman who has ever had that role, is a commuter bike rider. It always gets brought up in interviews. She rides in to work as much as possible, rather than using the car that comes with the job.
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