Big Bike Film Night
The Big Bike Film Night is back in Tassie, with screenings in Launceston on Tuesday 8 August and Hobart on Thursday 10 August.
The collection of short films includes a 74-year-old rider tackling Tuscany, an Aussie bikepacker who goes to Hell, two Brisbane schools trying to get more students riding and mountain bike adventures in New Zealand and Scotland.
The Launceston screening is at the Star Theatre at 7pm and in Hobart at the Stanley Burbury Lecture Theatre also at 7pm.
Ticket holders also go in the running to win a cycling trip to New Zealand, gift vouchers and jackets: https://bigbikefilmnight.nz/buy-tickets/big-bike-film-night-australia
East Tamar corridor study moves ahead
The Tasmanian Government has released public consultation findings on improvements to the East Tamar Highway, the final step before the full corridor study comes out later this year.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael Ferguson says better cycling facilities have made it to the official public wish list.
“Most common were calls for increased speed limits on straight sections of the highway, provision of cycling lanes, increased road and shoulder widths, truck rest stops and improved safety at key intersections along the length of the highway," he says.
The consultation report says it is likely the corridor strategy will include recommendations for cycle lanes and other active transport infrastructure. 
Hobart council war of words over Battery Point walkway
The proposed Battery Point walkway has long been contentious and this week an upcoming report to Hobart Council has sparked another war of words in the local The Mercury newspaper.
Councillor Mike Dutta requested a report about the potential to reignite the proposal, which is due to be debated at the next council meeting on Monday 17 July at 5pm.
Councillor Ryan Posselt has also championed the idea, sharing images of a similar path in Brisbane. Alderman Marti Zucco says the project is too expensive and legally too difficult.
The walkway was rejected by the planning tribunal in response to appeals by residents when it was first proposed. Hobart Council has continued to keep the project in its sights, but some councillors are calling for more tangible action to get it moving.
Parks keeps Wild Mersey bridge closed
The opening of a new suspension bridge connecting the Wild Mersey mountain bike trails on either side of the Mersey River has been delayed by Parks Tasmania.
The Advocate has reported that Parks requires Latrobe Council to build a retaining wall for trails on the eastern side of the river.
The bridge opening will depend on a council design that meets Parks’ requirements and whether wedge-tailed eagles nest in the area.
If eagles are spotted there will be limitations on the type of machinery that can be used to build the wall and trails. Works may be stopped until the nesting season is over.
