Egregiously bad bicycle infrastructure

During my ride through North Sydney today, I followed the bikeway signs to a beautifully wide and green-painted bicycle lane which, unbelievably, led me onto the fucking M2 motorway!! Imagine riding your bike on I-5 through downtown Seattle.

After a few hundred meters, the bikeway sign abruptly announced I could go no further and should proceed by crossing six lanes of motor vehicle traffic going full speed around a curve on approach to the Harbour Bridge. This was supposed to be accomplished without any sign warning of my presence for the drivers hurtling along at 60 mph.

I politely declined this gracious invitation. Instead, I dismounted and headed for some steps that appeared to go up to the overpass. I reached the top -- about 50 stairs in all -- only to find that they went nowhere! That's right, the sidewalk (or "footpath," as it's known here) on the overpass was fenced off.

Seriously, WTF, Sydney!?

That's my worst experience yet on the bike, but there are some other pretty shitty aspects to biking here. First, the bikeway signage is terrible. It has huge gaps and I guess you're just expected to know where to go next. Naturally, when there are no signs, I just proceed straight-on. Makes sense, right? Not in Sydney. You're supposed to telepathically know where the turns are.

Also, I knew right away that I would need the official city bicycle map to get around in such a big and geographically-complex place. So I picked one up as soon as I arrived, only to find that the North Shore doesn't even exist as far as the map is concerned. There is simply no mention of it even being part of the city. When I inquired (or "enquired," as they say) about this, I was told there is a second map for the North Shore. It took me nearly a week to find it. Even the guy at the North Sydney Council office had to rummage around in a drawer before he was able to produce one.

Finally, adding insult to injury, the maps (both, actually) are inaccurate in several locations. And this matters lots when it's the difference between a street with a bike lane and the fucking M2 motorway. In fact, the stupid map is how I ended up on the damn motorway in the first place.

In case you're wondering, I threw my bike over the fence and then climbed over -- much to the horror of the Chinese ladies pushing strollers along the sidewalk.

Sydney, this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE for a city of your stature. I know you have a grand plan and some good infrastructure in a few places (i.e., a few dedicated cycletracks that don't connect to anything), but it's not enough. We are going to have to do something about this. Fortunately, I'm equipped for such a task. And perhaps more fortunately, I am a seasoned urban cyclist, and will handle anything your roads can throw my way. I doubt anyone who's less confident on a bike would want to ride around Sydney!

/rant