Multimillion dollar plan for bicycle-only lanes through Linear Park
CYCLISTS and pedestrians should be separated to avoid “conflict” under a multi-million dollar revamp of Adelaide’s most popular walking and cycling path, a new report recommends.
CYCLISTS and pedestrians should be separated to avoid “conflict” under a multi-million dollar revamp of Adelaide’s most popular walking and cycling path, a new report recommends.
Tonkin Consulting and Jensen Planning + Design have released a study into the future of Linear Park, including a recommendation for bicycle-only lanes to accommodate increasing numbers of cyclists and “improve safety for all users” on popular stretches of the 30km path.
It also recommends the nine councils that maintain Linear Park – including Norwood, Payneham & St Peters and Campbelltown – replace more than 13km of concrete path and dozens of lights and footbridges over the next 10 years.
The conflict between pedestrians and cyclists on the route was identified as the key issue among more than 800 respondents to public consultation on the plan.
Some suggested dedicated bike paths or signs encouraging better shared use of the trail.
In its submission, the Bicycle Institute of SA argued shared-use paths were a “second-rate solution” for Linear Park, which it said had become “notorious for creating conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians”.
“Linear Park was established over 30 years ago, when the idea of a shared use path was new,” the submission stated.
“But the success of a piece of infrastructure designed 30 years ago … does not mean that this is the right design for the present, much less the next 30 years.
“For most of its length, the park has plenty of space to provide multiple parallel paths.”
The nine councils commissioned the $80,000 report as part of the first co-ordinated approach to managing Linear Park since the path was laid in the 1970s.
The report identified 13.7km of path, 88 public lights and 10 footbridges in need of repair by 2026, at an estimated cost of $11.6 million.
The funding arrangements were due to be discussed at a meeting of the River Torrens Linear Park Coordinating Committee this month.
The report also recommended the councils install more public lighting to create a “single, safe continuous lit” path from Athelstone to West Beach, as well as provide bins, dog bag dispensers and tables at more regular intervals along the park.
Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Mayor Robert Bria said the council was not required to act on the report, but would use the recommendations to inform future upgrades to its section from Felixstow to Hackney.
NP&SP last year allocated about $860,000 of federal road maintenance funding to upgrade the stretch of Linear Park at Felixstow Reserve.
Mr Bria said the project – part of a $4.7 million revamp of the Langham Tce reserve – would include sections of path for cyclists.