Plan to get cyclists off Old Belair Rd with sealed bike track scrapped over expense
A PLAN for a sealed bike track to encourage cyclists off Old Belair Rd is set to be scrapped because it is too expensive.
A PLAN for a sealed bike track to encourage cyclists off Old Belair Rd is set to be scrapped because it is too expensive.
A Mitcham Council report found it would cost at least $1.7 million — more than $1 million over budget — to reduce the decline of a 150m stretch of the track through Randell Park Reserve from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.
A 20 per cent decline would make the track too unsafe for cyclists, who could reach speeds of up to 60km/h.
The report said reducing the decline would require “extensive excavation”, adding at least $1.1 million to the project’s cost.
The council had budgeted $600,000 for the project, which included a $200,000 grant from the Transport Department.
The 1.7km track, between Old Belair Rd and Burnell Drive, is the final piece in a $1.5 million, decade-long plan to create 40km of bike and walking trails linking the Mitcham Hills to the plains.
The council will now consider creating an unsealed track with a maximum 15 per cent decline.
Speaking at the most recent council meeting, Cr Andrew Tilley said the project should not be further delayed.
“The sooner this gets done the better for the whole of the council,” Cr Tilley said.
But Mayor Glenn Spear said money would be better spent improving stormwater issues.
“We have people that are really subject to strains of everyday living pressures in Mitcham — some have had their homes flooded — and we want to build a bike trail,” he said.
“I’m not comfortable with this.”
The council will make a decision on the unsealed track later this month.