Pascoe Vale bike lanes: Residents slam Moreland Council after crash

Furious locals say trial bike lanes in Pascoe Vale are to blame for a recent three car collision and an exclusive Leader poll says residents want them removed.

The controversial bike lanes on Kent Rd, Pascoe Vale that residents say were a key contributor to a recent three car collision.

There is growing community anger over the trail separated bike lands in Pascoe Vale on the back of a three car pileup.

Trial separated bike lanes were installed in June along stretches of Northumberland and Kent roads, with the trial swiftly attracting an angry response from residents — there was even a petition circulated to have them removed.

The creator of the petition, Vincent Veca, predicted at the time the narrowing of the street would lead to an accident.

“They‘ve actually made that road so dangerous that people can have a head-on collision very easily” he said.

The controversial bike lane on Northumberland Rd, Pascoe Vale

Resident Ian Carmichael said: “I’ve lived on Kent Rd for 14 years and I’ve never witnessed any danger or close calls involving motorists, pedestrians or cyclists on our street. Then without any notice bike lanes were installed.”

Mr Carmichael said he quickly witnessed close calls between pedestrians and cars and was involved in one himself. He said he sent an email to all 10 councillors and received a response from the deputy mayor telling him it would be investigated, but had heard nothing since.

Mr Carmichael said he had no doubt a collision involving three cars on July 8 was caused by the trial bike lanes.

Resident Sandra Taylor said she told council the bike lanes were installed without consultation or communication to residents.

She said the lanes narrowed the roads dangerously, especially at the Rhodes Parade intersection with Northumberland Rd.

Ms Taylor said she had sent photos and videos of near misses to the council regularly, but received no response.

Kirsten Coster, Moreland’s director of city futures, said: “In terms of the consultation, the project itself is trialling it as a form of consultation. We are undertaking regular safety audits as part of that and responding quickly to improvements and suggestions that the community are making through it.”

Ms Coster also said the council was considering reducing the trial from 24 to 12 months.

Acting mayor Mark Riley said: “We take the feedback very seriously. The advice from the police was that the accident was mainly driver caused … I’m sure the changed conditions may have contributed to it, but I’m advised from the police that it was driver behaviour that caused that.”

An informal poll conducted by the Leader in June found that 90 per cent of 262 votes opposed the bike lanes.