Spit Bridge cyclists dicing with danger at rush hour

CYCLISTS are mixing with traffic on The Spit leading to a warning from Mosman Council to stick to the approved paths.

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CYCLISTS are being urged to stick to the approved routes on The Spit instead of mixing with traffic in the notorious bottleneck.

The area is in focus following an accident last week that left a cyclist fighting for his life in hospital.

He was travelling on the road with the morning traffic when he lost control of his bicycle and fell off just after exiting the bridge.

There are marked routes for cyclists approaching The Spit and a bike path across the bridge but many cyclists prefer not to use them and take the main road instead.

Cyclists are taking a faster route through The Spit. Picture: Annika Enderborg

“Council would encourage all cyclists to use the nominated regional cycle route of Battle Blvd and Parriwi Rd and avoid the busy traffic of Spit and Manly Road,” a spokeswoman for Mosman Council said.

“These paths are clearly marked with signage and road markings and include the recently completed Spit Bridge cycleway underpass.”

Photograph from the scene of the accident last week. Picture: North Sydney Police

The 45-year-old from Manly Vale suffered head injuries and is still in a serious but stable condition.

A motorcyclist travelling behind the cyclist also came off his bike to avoid colliding with the rider, police said.

He was not injured.

Taking the cycle path across the bridge. Picture: Annika Enderborg

Cyclist Norman Monshall, who is Bicycle NSW’s representative on the Warringah Traffic Committee, said cyclists take the steep Manly Rd as it's a shortcut.

He has also seen cyclists taking on the Spit Rd hill which he described as “madness” — but that 99 per cent of riders turn up Parriwi Rd.

Mr Monshall wouldn’t dream of taking the Manly Rd shortcut but said other cyclists do because it’s faster.

“Other people are braver than me and come roaring down the hill,” he said.

“If you are living in Balgowlah you have to do a detour to get there (Seaforth route) and I can understand why some people brave the traffic like the guy last week.”

The Spit is a traffic bottleneck at peak times. Picture: Annika Enderborg

He said the shortcut shaves about 10 minutes off the journey time and it’s possible to hit up to 50km/h on the hill down to the Spit.

“Some highly experienced cyclists think they are perfectly safe doing it. At peak period they are faster than the cars,” he said.

“It’s completely legal. People make a judgment that it’s safe, faster, more convenient and they get to work on time.

“The real solution is to have a bridge that is properly designed for motorists and cyclists.”

The RMS told the Mosman Daily that since the Spit Bridge opened to traffic in 1958, demands have significantly increased to cater for the growing number of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

“There are no plans to provide additional dedicated cycle path facilities across the Spit Bridge,” a spokeswoman said.

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