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Cycling on the increase

Cycling on the increase
Sean Car

The City of Melbourne released its Bicycle plan 2012 last month and Southbank is set to have its bicycle accessibility increased.

The plan is currently up for public feedback outlining the city’s desire to ensure cycling becomes a more dominant form of transport for commuters to and from the CBD and its surrounds.

The major works outlined in the plan for Southbank include improved bike lanes travelling up and down St Kilda road, as well as improved access on Whiteman St.

Northbank is also due for upgrades with the council keen to encourage more cyclist to travel along the river.

Councillor Cathy Oke said the council had encouraged the recent increase in cyclists and wanted the pattern to continue.

“Right now 11 per cent of all vehicles travelling into the city in the morning peak are bikes and we want to see an increase to at least 15 per cent by 2016,” Cr Oke said.

She also suggested the works needed to encourage novice cyclists to join the growing fleet, saying: “In order to achieve this we need to create a network that helps less experienced cyclists feel safe and comfortable enough to give it a go.”

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle also endorsed the draft, saying the city needed to adapt its bicycle access if it wants to continue to grow cyclist numbers.

“We have come a long way from the painted bike lane line and as the number of cyclists in our city continues to grow it’s time to expand the network by creating innovative, safe lanes that connect one side of the city to the other,” Cr Doyle said.

“Our new Bicycle Plan proposes almost 50 large and small-scale projects that will strengthen the bike network both on and off road over the next four years.”

The plan outlines five different types of bike lanes the council is looking at installing across the city.

They are:

  • Physically-separated bicycle lanes;
  • Off-road paths for cyclists only or to be shared paths with pedestrians;
  • Bicycle lanes with green pavement, profiled edge lines or chevrons;
  • Bicycle lanes with paint only and;
  • Roads with no bicycle treatment at all.

What sort of bike lanes would you like to see in and around Southbank and the city? Tell us by commenting on this story on our website www.southbanklocalnews.com.au

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