A major north–south route through Braybrook with potential to link several vital bike routes is under consideration by the City of Maribyrnong.
The city has released 2 options for the route along Melon Street between South Road and Ballarat Road.
Both options involve a barrier separated bi-directional bike lane on one side of the quiet street.
There are already existing and proposed east–west bike corridors through the area, including the Footscray–Sunshine Trail, South Street, Cranwell Street, the Maribyrnong River Trail and the proposed strategic cycling corridor along Devonshire Road–Churchill Avenue.
What is desperately needed is a north–south route to connect it all up.
This would get riders to destinations such as Tottenham Station, the proposed Airport Rail link at Sunshine, the sporting facilities at Skinner Reserve, and the Highpoint Shopping Centre.
The city is seeking feedback from the community on the 2 proposed concepts which would extend between South Road and Ballarat Road, Braybrook.
Initially, it was though that nearby Ashley Street would be a north–south connection along its length, however, design studies have found it unsuitable towards the north.
The alternative, Melon Street, already selected in the city’s bicycle strategy, has a broad cross-section, and most properties are on large land titles with generous on-site parking, meaning there is low demand for on-street parking.
Thus, there is an opportunity to place a bi-directional bike facility on one side of the street.
The city has proposed one option that has partial one-way traffic, and the other with two-way traffic. Intersections differ in both designs.
Bicycle Network encourages Maribyrnong residents to submit feedback about the 2 options.
You can visit the website to see the full details of the concepts. You can contribute by completing the online survey here. Public feedback is being accepted until 5 pm, 14 August 2022.
It is notable that funding for the project has come from the state government through the Department of Transport’s Sunshine Transport Precinct Activation fund, a signal of the impact Airport Rail will have on Sunshine and surrounding suburbs.
