Woolgoolga residents in a spin over proposed bike lane

The project aimed at trialling innovative ideas in public spaces has been met with derision despite assurances from Council it has been designed as a temporary measure.

A bike lane similar to this one will be constructed along Beach Street in Woolgoolga. (Image/Josh Woning)

There has been little love for an innovative bike lane set to be constructed in the centre of Woolgoolga.

The two-way on road bike lane will be the first of its kind on the Coffs Coast but concerns over its impact on parking and the circumstances surrounding its implementation have overshadowed its potential positive impacts.

The project was initially slated for Harbour Drive in Coffs Harbour, however constructing the temporary bike lane on one of the region’s busiest roads proved too complex and Coffs Harbour City Council opted for Beach Street instead.

That decision has been questioned by president of the Northern Beaches Residents Association, Ray Willing, who says the program is being rushed through without proper consultation with the community.

Northern Beaches Residents Association president Ray Willing.

The funding from the State Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program is contingent on the project being delivered within a year of approval and Mr Willing says council is now “bumrushing” to spend the money.

Mr Willing emphasised that they are “for cycle paths” but the NBRA wants more “substantial” community consultation, a plan for parking and a holistic cycle plan for Woolgoolga to see how the planned trial path fits in.

“The community expects the money to be spent wisely and not wasted,” he said.

“Why can’t a planning process be put in place to make sure the money is being spent in the optimal way for the community, taking another month or two for mature discussion and getting community support would be seen to be more desirable.”

A Council spokesperson said the funding was redirected to Woolgoolga with the agreement of the state government and the program aims to test ideas for more permanent improvements to local streets, paths and public spaces.

The state government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program is aimed at trialling innovative ways of using public space in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Sydney has turned a bus lane into a bike lane on Fitzroy St in Surry Hills in a bid to get more commuters on bikes and off public transport. Picture: Toby Zerna

The cost of removing the bike lane would be Council’s to bear and the spokesperson said it had been specifically designed to make removal “easy and inexpensive”.

A number of people have raised concerns about the impact the bike lane will have on parking in Woolgoolga and social media lit up when the project was first revealed.

Council was asked how many parking spaces would removed and whether there was a plan to replace them.

“The only spaces affected will be the marked angle spaces on one stretch of the north side of Beach Street between Boundary Street and Wharf Street which will become parallel spaces,” the council spokesperson said.

“This is consistent with the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan.

“While around 40 per cent of the marked spaces will be removed, there is adequate available parking spaces available within 50m-100m of this stretch which have very low usage rates.”

The trial will run for six months and Council will monitor usage of the bike lane, ask the community for feedback on its effectiveness and also for ideas to make improvements to this type of facility.

For more information on the bike lane visit council’s website. and for more information on the state government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program visit dpie.nsw.gov.au.