Inner city councils to get 100km of new bike lanes to make Melbourne more like Paris

Protected bike lanes will be rolled out on 100km of roads in eight inner city council areas as VicRoads takes inspiration from Paris.

Paris is an inspiration for a further 100km of protected bike lanes being rolled out in the inner city that will take space away from cars.

The $13m VicRoads program is in addition to the 40km of lanes being installed by the City of Melbourne in places like Exhibition and Queensbridge streets.

Council’s rollout has been widely criticised, but Lord Mayor Sally Capp recently dismissed concerns as “a lot of chatter” about something having little impact on car traffic.

And peak motoring body the RACV has called for a big investment in cycling infrastructure, and identified several “strategic corridors” within 10km of the CBD.

Melbourne is set to have an extra 100km of bike plans under the plan. Picture: David Crosling

Under VicRoads’ scheme, 100km of new and improved pop-up bike routes are planned across eight municipalities including Darebin, Maribyrnong, Moreland, Melbourne, Yarra, Stonnington and Port Phillip.

Bike lanes have already been put into places like Heidelberg Rd, and VicRoads is working with local councils to install more “to ensure they best fit local needs”.

“We will install a combination of pop-up bike lanes on busy roads, new signage and markings along quieter streets, and improved access to our off-road bike network similar to initiatives seen in Paris, London and Sydney,” said VicRoads’ website.

“The pop-up bike lanes will be in place for 12-18 months, and will be removed or converted to permanent routes if they are successful, however this will require further funding.”

Paris is an inspiration for Melbourne’s new bike lanes.

There are plans for 100km of new pop-up bike routes in Melbourne.

Port Phillip will get up to 40km of new and upgraded routes, including 2km of pop-up lanes on Kerferd Rd, and 38km of infrastructure across Port Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood and beyond.

Port Phillip resident and former City of Melbourne councillor Beverley Pinder said protected bike lanes should be confined to major roads like Beaconsfield Pde.

“Encouraging more lycra on to our residential streets is disastrous, people are worried about getting out of their cars, walking their dogs and pushing prams,” she said.

“The community is up in arms about them – use the major arterials for bike lanes, but don’t put them in intersecting neighbourly streets, that will create a disaster.”

A recent RACV article said that the rising popularity of cycling and e-bikes had highlighted the need for more investment, with a commissioned report identifying 17 “strategic cycling corridors” within 10km of the CBD.

It said the routes offered an advantage compared to other transport modes.

“That is, driving and public transport will be comparatively unattractive given congestion or crowding, and a lack of parking,” the RACV said.

“In turn, this suggests the corridors will feed into major activity centres – most notably the Melbourne CBD and surrounding areas.”

The RACV has pegged investment in cycling infrastructure as a key policy priority ahead of next month’s federal election.