Is “daily sweeping” daily sweeping?
The following correspondence was dispatched today to Vic Roads with copies to Vic Police and the Boroondara council:
I am writing to you seeking clarity on what is happening with respect to the sweeping of the Kew Boulevard.
My questions are as follows:
(1) Can you confirm that daily sweeping has commenced and will continue into the future?
(2) If so, is there a scheduled time of day which I can advise the cycling community of?
(3) Does “daily sweeping” include weekends and public holidays?
(4) I understand the magnet is 1.5 meters wide. Is the entire road surface being swept (including the dedicated bike lane segment)? Or is it just the road shoulder?
(5) Is the “tear drop” circuit located near the Studley Park Rd entrance being swept?
On behalf of the cycling community I wish to say thanks for your efforts to date.
But I am uncertain as to whether or not you realise that regardless of the increased sweeping, large numbers of cyclists continue to get punctures.
This is because the magnetic sweeper does not appear to be 100% effective.
On Sunday during our 24 hour protest ride, I observed at least 20 cyclists tending to punctures. Two of the cyclists participating in the protest ride punctured. This is despite the fact that the latest tack attack occurred on the evening of Tuesday June 2 and the road had theoretically been swept four times between then and the time our ride commenced.
Note also that a number of the punctures were the result of rusty tacks.
The areas around the start and end of the dedicated bike lane segment seems particularly problematic. I’m not certain the current sweeper can actually effectively cover these areas.
Without wishing to malign the efforts of the person/persons conducting the sweeping, are they perhaps travelling too fast, are they covering the entire road surface? Perhaps the magnet isn’t strong enough.
There are “industrial grade” magnetic sweepers in use by airport operators. Here is a link to an example for your reference:
http://www.aerosweep.com/fodboss/
I want to stress that the daily sweepings have definitely improved circumstances.
I rode the Boulevard for 5 hours on the previous Sunday and saw only one person puncturing during that time. Clearly, the more times the road is swept between tack attacks, the better it gets. Last Sunday however was very disappointing.
Look forward to your response.
