Brisbanetimes.com.au journalist Courtney Trenwith test rides one of the Brisbane City Council's new CityCycle rental bikes. Credit:Katherine Feeney Pulling away from the soon-to-be opened parking station near the corner of Queen and Wharf streets, I had barely gained my balance before my feet were back on the bitumen. A pedestrian crossing had forced me to pull up. This little inconvenience occurred again, 200 metres up the road, outside Australia Post. Combined with traffic lights I soon realised pedaling my way around was going to be slower than first thought. In addition to cars and pedestrians, there were many new things to get used to.

Brisbanetimes.com.au journalist Courtney Trenwith on a CityCycle rental bike. Credit:Katherine Feeney There are one-way streets, bus lanes and traffic-calming devices, considerations a suburban ride does not usually require. Speed bumps are annoying in a car. They can be painful on a bike, as I learnt in the grounds of QUT. I'm not sure whether I was supposed to be in the bus lane on Ann Street, but any lane that's closer to the kerb is where I wanted to be. Which causes a problem when you need to turn right from a two-lane road. Having not personally driven in the CBD, I was not familiar with its maze of one-way streets. It fast became frustrating and added hundreds more peddles to my trip.

Needless to say, I breathed a sign of relief when I rolled into the Botanical Gardens and joined the Bicentennial Bikeway. This is also where I managed to stop and figure out how to work the gears. The subtle handlebar function is actually easier to use than the standard gear switch - just make sure you read the "how-to guide" before you take off. I fiddled with the bell (it worked) and the nifty cable that allows the bike to be locked up away from a parking station. Back on the road, it became clear city drivers also have a lot to learn. For example, dropping off a passenger in a bike lane (which includes a yellow, no stopping, marking) can really cause a drama for cyclists. Where bike lanes didn't exist, I made sure I stuck as far left as possible, but even that was not enough to appease some drivers who insisted on sharing a lane with me rather than move over one.

One driver swiped past me as I was pulled up at the kerb (no yellow line) and then proceeded to reverse park, with the rear end of their car nudging within centimetres of my front tyre. Rude, was all I could think. A little bit like the pedestrians who stared at me while we both waited for the lights to give one of us the go ahead. A person feels small enough being stopped on a bike surrounded on two sides by cars, let alone feeling the inquisitive stare of onlookers standing barely a metre away. So it seemed to me that while the public cycle program has all the right intentions, users and non-users alike have plenty to learn to ensure it is successful - and safe. Bike buddies will be on hand at many of about 50 initial parking stations at the beginning of the roll out, on October 1.

Council will provide instruction booklets to users when they sign up, as well as running cycle confidence courses and opportunities to try out the bikes with a trained rider. No such services, however, are planned for drivers (or pedestrians). Loading And for novice city road users like me, a study of the one-way streets and no-access roads would be helpful. For more information, including subscription details, visit www.citycycle.com.au.