The removal of another seven level crossings on the Frankston will create the opportunity to stitch together some crucial missing links in the bike network along the rail corridor.
Sixteen level crossings have already gone, and another four are on the way which will deliver some great bike connection through multiple suburbs between Caulfield and Frankston.
But frustratingly there are still ugly gaps where the traffic-free paths simply disappear, and riders’ welfare is left to fate.
Importantly, projects to remove crossings in Mordialloc and Aspendale should fix the long-festering problem of getting riders safely from the Bay Trail in Mordialloc across to Station Street in Aspendale.
The Bay Trail has recently been extended from Edithvale to Frankston as a Level Crossings project, and a wonderful journey it is—well worth taking once the wet weather is in remission.
However, the connection through Aspendale to Mordialloc is still on the to-do list, with the Station Street level crossing and intersection with the Nepean Highway a major barrier.
Now the government has announced that it is going to elevate the rail over this crossing, and alter the intersection.
Along with new stations at both Mordialloc and Aspendale, there will be options available to Level Crossings Projects to get a convenient link through to the Bay Trail and link up with the Station Street Trail a little further south.
At Seaford, the removal of two remaining level crossings with rail bridges, and the new station, will also provide opportunities for new bike connections into the surround precinct.
North of Mordialloc, where the Frankston line moves away from the Bay, further level crossing removals at Highett and Mentone, and a new station at Highett, will again create spacer bike connections.
The broader corridor along the rail line is formally designated a Strategic Cycling Corridor, but it remains incomplete, with gaps north of Southland.
Once the route through Parkdale, now underway, and these new sections are done, there should be a more or less complete bike route from Caulfield to Mordialloc, then going the Bay through top Frankston.
The final level crossings to go are:
- Wickham Road, Highett
- Highett Road, Highett
- McDonald Street, Mordialloc
- Station Street, Aspendale
- Groves Street, Aspendale
- Armstrongs Road, Seaford
- Station Street, Seaford
- Latrobe Street, Mentone (closure)
- Bear Street, Mordialloc (closure)