City of Melbourne fast-tracks plans for protected bike lanes across municipality
Easy-to-build protected bike lanes will be fast-tracked across 40km of roads under a new push by the City of Melbourne to support recovery efforts as coronavirus restrictions ease.
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Protected bike lanes will be fast-tracked across 40km of roads under a new push by the City of Melbourne to support recovery efforts from the coronavirus.
New easy-to-build lanes will be rolled out on busy corridors to provide space for the rising number of cyclists currently hitting the streets.
The first wave of projects, worth $16 million, will be rolled out over the next 12 months.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said riding had become more popular while coronavirus restrictions were in place.
“As people return to the city they will want to travel in ways that allow them to maintain physical distance,” she said.
“I look forward to seeing lots of Melburnians enjoying our city on bikes – as I do – especially those who’ve taken up riding as a way to stay fit and healthy during the pandemic.
“Our research shows that it’s essential to create physical protection from motor vehicles to encourage more people to ride in the central city.”
Exhibition, Rathdowne and Abbotsford streets are among the areas that will be targeted first.
“These priority routes will better connect suburbs like Carlton, East Melbourne, North Melbourne, Brunswick and West Melbourne to the central city,” Ms Capp said.
“This will complement the work we’re already doing on bicycle routes to the south of the city such as Kavanagh Street, Alexandra Ave, Linlithgow Ave and Southbank Boulevard.”
The City of Melbourne is expecting the upgrade program to have minimal impacts on parking options around the CBD.
Council transport portfolio chair Nicolas Frances Gilley said authorities were also working with the Victorian Government to avoid disrupting vehicles.
He said uneven surfaces on some busy bike routes had become unsafe for riders.
“We’ve seen other leading cities around the world such as Paris, London and Milan successfully integrate cycling as a key mode of transport to reduce congestion and accommodate growth,” he said.
“We will use plastics, rubber and recycled materials than can be installed quickly so we can accelerate bike lane delivery.
“The infrastructure we install will be functional for years to come and can be progressively
replaced with fixed lanes over time as required.
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