Fun Stuff > CHATTER
Bickering about bicycles, now with occasional tips about motorised vehicles
LTK:
You know, I very occasionally hear about inexperienced cyclists (tourists and exchange students mostly) getting caught in a tram track here in Amsterdam but I've never seen it happen, nor has it happened to me, and I have no problems crossing roads such as these as long as I avoid aligning my front wheel with the track. Are our tram tracks just different?
Akima:
Tram-tracks in Australia look very much the same. In the video I linked above, the tracks are for trains rather than trams, and might be larger or have wider slots. I think rider familiarity with tram/rail tracks is the key factor. Riding over them is not difficult or dangerous provided that one takes the right angle. It *might* be that narrower wheels and tyres are more prone to "falling into" the track slot, and so require more care, which could be an issue in places (like Australia) where the bicycles mostly offered for sale are more oriented towards cycle-sports than transportation riding.
Ignominious:
I can confirm this. My polo bike is fitted with tyres which are of a width more common to those used for daily use in places like the Netherlands and Denmark. I've occasionally taken a lazy (or drunk) line over the tracks in my home town and, apart from a light squirm, tracks don't really catch the wheel. OTOH, I have dumped the front wheel of my road bike in tram tracks and it's never a good thing.
For reference, the tyres common to a 29er are almost completely untroubled by tram tracks at pretty much any angle.
LTK:
Oh, they're train tracks. I would never have guessed; the idea of a train crossing without multiple conspicuous red-and-white signs and automatic barriers I find so alien, it's almost unimaginable. On top of that, the vast majority of train crossings here are also oriented at ninety degrees so it's basically impossible for riders to get caught between the tracks.
Akima:
That's pretty much true in Australia too now, however in rural districts you still see level-crossings that are signposted, but not equipped with warning lights or barriers. Drivers are simply expected to stop and look for oncoming trains. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. Even where there are barriers and warning lights, you can't stop idiots from being idiots.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version