Melbourne cycling commuter Veloway to speed up Footscray Rd trip

AN elevated cycling freeway will bypass traffic lights on Footscray Rd, making a safer trip to the city for bike commuters. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

AN elevated cycling freeway will bypass traffic lights on Footscray Rd, making a safer trip to the city for bike commuters.

The 2.5km ‘Veloway” will be an express cycling and pedestrian passage along the main cycling route from the western suburbs.

The Veloway and other bike path upgrades in the west will mean that for the first time cyclists will be separated from cars and trucks all the way from the city to Werribee.

Stairs and hatches will allow commuters to exit the Veloway when needed.

The new cycling freeway will begin around Shepherd Bridge in Footscray.

Hundreds of cyclists make the journey from the west to the city each day. Picture: Mark Wilson

Cyclists on Footscray Rd near Costco. Picture: Mark Wilson

It will be among 14km of new and upgraded cycling and walking paths.

There will be a new bridge over Whitehall St near Yarraville Gardens that will take cyclists away from the dangerous intersection of Whitehall St and Somerville Rd where a woman was killed last month.

The existing bike path on Dynon Rd, another popular cycling route from the west to the city, will also be upgraded.

A trail that currently runs along Footscray Rd will be upgraded and widened, meaning commuters will have a choice of routes when riding into the city.

The bicycle freeway was announced as the Andrews government confirmed it had chosen a consortium led by John Holland and CPB Contractors to build the Western Distributor project.

Member for Williamstown Wade Noonan said the improvements would make for a safer trip to the city.

“The number of cyclists is booming in the inner west and we’re giving them the infrastructure they need for continuous, safe and quick journeys into the city,” he said.