Green light for new bike lane

St Kilda Rd will lose another lane of motor traffic to make way for a bike lane for cyclists travelling south, away from the CBD.

The City of Melbourne announced the new bike lane last month, two months after it added a bike lane to north-bound traffic across Princes Bridge.

While a tram stop prevents it from adding the south-bound lane on the bridge, it will run for 300 metres, from Alexander Gardens down to the floral clock.

Councillor Cathy Oke said the council’s major concern was the safety of everyone using St Kilda Rd.

“Anyone who has travelled along this stretch of road will know how hectic it can be with large numbers of motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and tram commuters all sharing the space,” Cr Oke said.

“Cars and cyclists, in particular, travel incredibly close to each other,” she added.

“Where road space permits, we are designing our bike lanes to separate cyclists from motorists.”

Cr Oke also said the council wanted to encourage more cyclists to ride through the city.

“Just over 13 per cent of vehicles entering the city in the morning peak are bicycles, and this figure will only continue to grow.”

The lane will take one lane of motor traffic out of the service lane. There will also be one metre of separation between cars and bicycles, a move to keep cyclists clear of opening car doors.

The council said the change would not create any “significant” travel delays.

Work on the lane started at the beginning of August and should be finished by mid-September.