This cluster of sites on the Frankston line will have significant impacts on the planned and existing bike corridors through the area.

Level crossing changes are planned at McDonald and Bear streets in Mordialloc and for Station Street in Aspendale.

With a new Mordialloc Station planned, and Bear Street closed, opportunities abound for better conditions for pedestrian and bike commuters in the station precinct.

The proposed rail bridge over station street provides the opportunity to complete the Bay Trail link through to Mordialloc, disentangling bikes from the busy highway traffic.

But how the concepts will be achieved seems vague and it is unclear how bike riders will access the high school precinct and the paths along the Mordialloc Creek.

To the north, the bike corridor along the Frankston line from Cheltenham to Mordialloc also needs to get over the Nepean Highway at Bradshaw Park to get to Mordialloc Station, and this has not yet been addressed by LXRP.

LXRP is inviting locals to provide feedback on the concept designs through its Engage Victoria survey.

Community consultation undertaken for the project has resulted in high levels of support for better and safer bike connections.

Face-to-face and virtual community information sessions will be held in October and the project team will be available to answer questions and discuss feedback. You can register for these sessions via the link above.

You can also register for a webinar via the link.

The LXRP says the look and feel of the new station precinct will reflect the unique character and history of Mordialloc, and the historic local water tower will be celebrated as part of the design.

“When the new station opens, passengers will enjoy modern facilities, landscaping, all-abilities access, safe pedestrian connections and improved lighting and community public spaces,” a statement on the project page says.

“The project will also include a new shared use path that will improve access around the station precinct, as well as connect to existing cycling paths.”

It is possible that the right solutions for bikes are being worked on, however few details are available at this stage.

Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

The post Concepts released for Mordialloc station bike links appeared first on Bicycle Network.

The route between Bellerive and Hobart celebrated its second birthday last week and Minister for Transport Michael Ferguson said the government was close to finalising its draft Derwent Ferry Masterplan.

Once the plan is finished, the government will discuss the best sites for potential new stops with the greater Hobart councils and Marine and Safety Tasmania.

Around 30 sites are in the running. Successful sites will need to show demand equivalent to the current route and potential to reduce traffic congestion.

In its first two years, Derwent Ferries carried more than 250,000 passengers and is using larger ferries than envisaged in order to meet demand.

The ferry allows bicycles on board, which encourages people who don’t live close to a stop to catch public transport rather than drive. 

Bicycle Network his written a letter of support for the greater Hobart councils for $20 million in federal government funding for expansion of the network, pointing out the need for secure bike parking at all terminals and easy access via All Ages and Abilities infrastructure.

The Bellerive terminal has bicycle hoops so passengers can lock up their bikes, but there is no extra level of security, which exists at other long-term bike parking sites around the country. No ferry-specific bike parking is provided at Hobart.

The ferry terminals could use the system of cages with secure access, soon to be rolled out in the Hobart Park and Ride bus stops, or move straight to electronic docks or lockers.

Providing secure bike parking is important as it assures passengers their bike will be there when they return. Not everyone can take a bike on board and store it securely at the other end.

The post Ferry commutes on the cards for more riders appeared first on Bicycle Network.

The government has announced $1.2 million for incentives to get people buying e-bikes, e-scooters and e-vehicles.

The only detail in the plan is that a grant program to encourage people to buy e-bikes will be delivered in the next two years.

There is no detail yet on how much of the $1.2 million will be available for e-bikes, who will be eligible or what the grant program will look like.

Bicycle Network put forward a strong argument for e-bike incentives in its submission to the draft plan.

This is because e-bikes have the potential to cut emissions faster than e-vehicles because they are so much cheaper to buy and offer a genuine transport option for many of the trips taken in urban centres.

When people are thinking about switching from a petrol to electric vehicle it’s also an opportunity to get them thinking more broadly about their transport choices.

While electric cars charged with renewable energy will produce fewer emissions than petrol and diesel cars, it’s still not a particularly efficient travel mode for shorter trips when compared to cycling.

Incentive programs to get people on e-bikes are being successfully implemented in other countries as part of emission reduction plans.

The government has several options available for how it can deliver an e-bike program.

1. Try before you buy

People who have never tried an e-bike don’t always understand their potential as a transport option, and that they replace car trips rather than bike or walking trips. Try-before-you-buy schemes can just be a hire agreement but can also include an option to buy the bike at a subsidised cost at the end of the loan.  

These schemes operate by people leaving a deposit or paying a small loan fee to take a regular or cargo e-bike for 2–4 weeks to see how it could fit into their lives. If the bike suits them the government could then use a grant to lower the cost of the bike. This also helps ensure grants go to the types of bikes that are useful for transport rather than recreation.

2. Assistance to buy

An e-bike no-interest loan scheme would help overcome that initial barrier of high purchase cost, and people can pay back the loan with the money they save from parking and petrol costs. Such a loan scheme could have two categories – standard e-bikes and cargo e-bikes. There could also be streams for individuals and for businesses to buy staff e-bike fleets and cargo bikes for deliveries. Scotland provides loans of up to £6000 interest-free for four years and for businesses up to £30,000 to buy e-bike fleets. An e-bike scheme could be set up like the Tasmanian Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme that allowed people to buy energy efficient home appliances and pay the cost back over three years. 

3. Direct subsidies
   

These types of subsidies are popular in European countries to help people get onto e-bikes and are increasingly being used in North America.

The Netherlands’ region of Arnhem-Nijmegen granted a subsidy of 30% of the purchase price and found that 84% of people who bought an e-bike using the subsidy kept using the e-bike.

Some places have focused on cargo e-bikes, recognising they can get more people out of cars, especially if they have children or being used by businesses for deliveries or carrying tools and equipment.

They can also be associated with a vehicle trade-in to ensure the e-bike really is replacing car trips, e.g. California’s Clean Cars 4 All program or the City of Ghent in Belgium which provides an e-bike grant when a car number plate is handed in.

Other actions listed in the plan that will benefit bike riders include existing plans from the Department of State Growth to update the Walking and Cycling for Active Transport Strategy and working with local government to improve cycling infrastructure.

Work has already started to develop a transport sector emissions reduction plan by the end of the year, which will come with $2.3 million for implementation.

The post Government to help people buy e-bikes appeared first on Bicycle Network.

The Better Active Travel in Greater Hobart Grant Program opened at the start of February and the Hobart, Glenorchy, Clarence and Kingborough Councils have two months to apply for matched funding for local cycling projects.  

The councils have also got together with the government to agree on a Greater Hobart Cycling Plan, which will help guide how the grant funding is allocated. 

The plan brings together all the cycling projects each council would like to build on one map to show the connections across council boundaries. 

Cycling South is the organisation that the greater Hobart councils fund to help them coordinate their cycling efforts and it’s helping to prioritise projects based on how “shovel-ready” they are and likely impact on rider numbers and connectivity. 

The first project given the green light is an underpass under Summerleas Road in Kingston for the Whitewater Creek Path.

When the underpass is built it will mean riders can travel from the Huon Highway up to the Bunnings intersection without crossing a road.

Hobart Cycling Plan

The new Greater Hobart Cycling Plan is distinguished from past plans by stipulating that the routes must be built to an All Ages and Abilities standard.

This means separated cycleways on busy roads or off-road paths. There may be some sections on road but this will only be where speeds are 30 km or less and fewer than 500 vehicles a day – similar to the short road section on the Intercity Cycleway which is used by rowers to access the sheds.

Councils will still be able to implement painted lanes but they won’t be part of the greater plan and won’t be eligible for the state government funding.

Infrastructure Tasmania gets active 

The grant funding is allocated through Infrastructure Tasmania, which has a specific remit to improve active transport in the state.  

It has recently updated its website with policies and news about the government’s active transport efforts. 

Of interest is the long overdue update this year of the Tasmanian Walking and Cycling for Active Transport Strategy 2010 and the government’s application to the global Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure fund.  

The Bloomberg program will provide ten cities around the world with up to US$1 million for cycling infrastructure and expert advice on consultation, planning and design of world’s best practice cycling infrastructure. The announcement of the winning bids will be made before June this year, with a three-year implementation timeline. 

The post $2m going to Hobart cycling projects appeared first on Bicycle Network.

King Street has long been an important thoroughfare for commuters heading into the CBD from Sydney’s west, with thousands traveling the route each day. But gaps in the separated cycleway have left riders to mingle wiith cars, buses and other vehicles as they move through these busy city blocks.

Billed as a missing link in the city’s bike riding network, the bidirectional King Street cycleway will run along three blocks to connect the Pitt Street cycleway with bike routes to the east and south, providing riders with a safer route into the CBD.

Investigation works are slated to begin in late February. In the meantime, the NSW Government is inviting the community to share their thoughts on the proposed design of the King Street cycleway, with the consultation period opening today and closing at 5 pm on Monday 6 February. You can have your say here. 

Meanwhile, progress is being made on another troublesome spot in Sydney’s bike network, with the state government sharing new designs for the Oxford Street East cycleway. 

This bidirectional, separate bike lane would run along the southern side of the busy Oxford Street between Paddington Gates and Taylor Square, again, connecting with other bike paths to bolster the active transport network across the city.

“These crucial connections are the final missing links in major bike routes linking to the city,” Minister for Active Transport Rob Stokes said in a statement. “The King Street cycleway will connect riders from the Anzac and Sydney Harbour Bridge, while Oxford Street East will connect riders from Bondi and beyond.”

The proposed design for the Oxford Street East cycleway involves the reduction of traffic lanes from four to two, while retaining two bus lanes and kerbside parking. Once completed, it would connect with the Centennial Park cycleway, and the Oxford Street West cycleway, where construction is due to begin after the World Pride Festival. 

The Oxford Street East cycleway remains in the planning stage, with the state government today releasing its high-level strategic design. An interactive map of the proposed cycleway can be viewed here, where the community is also invited to provide feedback from today up until 28 February. Planning work is expected to be completed this year.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is supportive of a design revamp for the cycleways. 

“King Street and Oxford Street are integral links in our cycleway network. There are more riders on these routes than anywhere in the city but there are also more crashes, so it’s important we improve the infrastructure to ensure anyone who chooses to ride can do so safely.”

The post Sydney prepares key links for major CBD cycleways appeared first on Bicycle Network.

A feasibility study into a route was jointly commissioned by the Tasmanian Government and Kingborough Council following the recommendation of the Channel Highway corridor study in 2020.

The feasibility study looked at several options for where a path could be built but has only offered one route for public comment. This is because it’s around half the price of other options due to land acquisition and engineering works that would have been required in other routes investigated. The other routes are briefly described on the interactive map.

While this is a great first step towards a continuous path it’s not the end of the conversation.

What’s being proposed is a compromise route that satisfies the desire for an enjoyable recreational ride but not the needs of people riding for transport. More work needs to be done to get a route in place that will help people living in the burgeoning Channel region choose active transport to access work, education, shops and services locally, and in Kingston.

You can comment on the route by sending an email to the consultants at MargateSharedPathway@stategrowth.tas.gov.au, or if you don’t want to go into detail you can rate elements of the route on the online map with either a like or dislike. https://stategrowthtas.mysocialpinpoint.com/mhsp/map#/

What’s being proposed?

A 2.5–3 m wide gravel path with some concrete and asphalt sections that extends the current Snug–Margate path to the Huntingfield Park and Ride. 

1. Through Margate

The first step is to get from the end of the current path, which finishes at the Channel Museum on Channel Highway, through Margate. The study chooses a long loop through the suburb’s residential streets. This is not good news if you are passing through Margate but if you live there it means it may be easier to get on and off the path. It would mean existing footpaths would be widened to 2.5–3 metres on one side of the street.

A more direct alternative could be to remove parking on one side of Channel Highway and widen the footpath to a shared path. This would be a more direct route for people riding through the area and would provide direct access to shops and the school, reducing the need to drive to the area. It would still involve a crossing of the highway.

2. Margate to Howden

The route emerges back on the Channel Highway opposite Brookfield where riders will have to cross the highway to travel down the eastern side of the Highway to Howden Road where they’ll have to cross back over the highway to travel along the edge of the golf course to the start of the Coffee Creek Trail.

The first crossing of the Channel Highway opposite Brookfield would be at road level with a refuge in the middle of the road, so not ideal for children or unconfident riders using the path. The second crossing would be a cycling and pedestrian bridge, which is the preferred option for an All Ages and Abilities path. Keeping the path on one side of the highway could be a better option to reduce the need for any crossings but would be more expensive to build.

3. Howden to Huntingfield

The final leg of the route follows the current Coffee Creek Trail along the edge of the Peter Murrell Reserve, branching off at Patriarch Drive to get to the Park and Ride with another route continuing on to the underpass under Algona Road.

This is a nice part of the world for a daytime recreational ride and many people already ride down the fire trails here where the path is listed to go. However, it poses challenges for people riding for transport as it is not lit and probably wouldn’t be because of the disruption to the reserve’s natural values and would also not be sealed excluding some bikes.

An alternative would be to keep going up Channel Highway, instead of taking Howden Road, along the edge of the front of the golf course then link in to the new Huntingfield subdivision. The subdivision has a network of 3 m wide shared paths that will connect to the existing shared path on Huntingfield Avenue to the Park and Ride. This would be more direct and could be sealed and lit the whole way.

This is a feasibility study rather than the final design, and the website says they are looking for any community concerns with what’s been proposed. The path is also completely unfunded – the government and council would need a proposal with good community backing before they began to talk about funding.

Send your comments on where the path should go to be useful for all bike riders before Wednesday 9 November to MargateSharedPathway@stategrowth.tas.gov.au.

The post Margate–Huntingfield route out for comment appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Funding for the development of designs for a new bridge was announced last year and preliminary investigations have been underway.

Now the Department of Transport has released some rough concepts for a new crossing for public consultation.

The need for a new Toorak Road crossing for the Anniversary Trail (also called the Outer Circle Trail) has been known by riders and transport authorities for decades.

The existing crossing is misaligned and places riders in conflict with other road users and people on the footpath.

The City of Boroondara undertook a feasibility study for a bridge in 2014 and then released concept designs in 2018.

These studies looked at some of the same options that have now been proposed by the DoT, that do not involve a bridge, and discarded them.

Consensus has formed around a bike and pedestrian bridge on the west side of the rail bridge as being the best option.

The Victorian Liberals have already pledged $8 million to build the Bridge as designed by the City of Boroondara. See our story of the announcement by candidate for Ashwood, Asher Judah.

The DoT says the Anniversary Trail is part of the Kew to Highett Strategic Cycling Corridor and provides an off-road Shared Use Path (SUP) of around 15km for bike riders and pedestrians alike.

“The trail links users to both the Yarra River and Gardiner’s Creek Trail, as well as providing access to stations on the Alamein Line,” DoT says.

“We want to hear your opinion on our early designs for the missing link on the Anniversary Trail at Toorak Road. We’re exploring four potential solutions – each option is in the early stages and there are still more site investigations underway.

“We want to develop a design solution that:
• Improves connectivity and safety for users of the Anniversary trail
• Benefits the local community and improves amenity on this section of Toorak Road
• Minimises impacts to the local area as much as possible.

“Your feedback will help inform the next stage of design and influence the next steps for the project.

We’ll share the results of this early consultation later on this year, with a final design shared by the end of 2022.”

The final design will be announced in early 2023 with project construction from mid 2024 – mid 2025.

There are four options proposed in the survey. Consultation is open until 28 October.

Make sure you take the survey and provide your feedback here. 

The post Anniversary Trail Bridge moves forward appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Webb Street is a strategic cycling corridor that connects nearby to other SCC’s being provided along the Princess Highway and Narre Warren North Road.

New pathways through the precinct, a secure Parkiteer cage and bike hoops are included in the design along with a landscaped forecourt, featuring elevated platforms with access via lifts and stairs, shelter and lighting, security cameras, a kiosk, and air conditioned waiting room.

There will be a signalised pedestrian crossing on Webb Street.

Construction on the project is scheduled to start later this year and will be completed by 2025.

The post Narre Warren Station for bikes appeared first on Bicycle Network.

Construction of the 4km promenade of parks, open spaces, cultural activations and environmental renewal between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte Bridge will be underway next year.

The north bank of the Yarra through the City has seen little investment in either active transport infrastructure or in environmental improvement.

The Greenline is set to correct that, and according to the business case assessment by Ernst & Young, will be transformative for the central city.

The study reports that the Greenline Project could draw more than 1.1 million additional visitors to the city every year, spending more than $23 million annually on shopping, dining and supporting local businesses.

Additionally, the Greenline project will create more than 3,400 jobs during construction, and more than 6,400 ongoing jobs by 2042.

The economic uplift is tipped to deliver 110,000m2 of new commercial floor space and 4,000 additional residential dwellings.

The findings reflect the experience of cities around the world that have tapped the powerful thirst of communities for active experiences with bike and walking paths combined with parklands and attractive urban environments free from traffic.

Ernst& Young says that over the next 20 years this investment is forecast to generate $1.7 billion in total value-added economic output, and an estimated $1.2 billion in total economic benefits for Melbourne’s economy.

The project will be split into five inter-connected precincts – Birrarung Marr, The Falls, River Park, Maritime and Saltwater Wharf.

Delivery of the project will take place in stages, with work on Site One at Birrarung Marr starting in 2023.

Total cost is estimated at $300 million, with $140 million already committed as part of the City of Melbourne’s Budget 2022–23, including $20 million from the Federal Government.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said: “The Greenline Project will revitalise the north bank of the Yarra River – creating thousands of jobs, attracting waves of new visitors, and injecting millions of dollars into our economy.”

“We need to be ambitious – and this is exactly the sort of project Melbourne needs to grow, drive investment and cement our position as Australia’s most liveable city.”

The post The Greenline Project is more than just a river trail appeared first on Bicycle Network.

The project will provide a vital link for Residents of the Wyndham West and Werribee regions to Melbourne and Geelong via the Princes Freeway.

The project includes opportunities for active transport, including a walking and cycling path as well as dedicated on road bike lanes in both directions.

The proposed planning and design were open to community consultation, which attracted more than 4000 participants.

Wyndham City Mayor Peter Maynard said: “Wyndham City has been advocating for funding for this project for a number of years, so the announcement is a big win for our community.”

Major Road Project Victoria are also planning improvements to the Werribee Main Road and Princes Freeway Interchange in Werribee, with active transport and cycling options also being considered in the planning process.

“Investment in safer, more reliable roads in an area of such significant growth will provide long-term benefits to locals,” federal Lalor MP Joanne Ryan said.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2023.

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