Unley Council moves to scrap bike lanes on Unley Rd to ease congestion

Bike lanes would be scrapped from a major road under a plan to reduce traffic snarls along a strip used by nearly 28,000 vehicles each day.

Traffic builds along Unley Rd at morning peak hour. Picture: AAP Image/Russell Millard

Bike lanes would be scrapped from Unley Rd under a plan to reduce traffic snarls along the busy strip.

The change, put forward to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport by Unley Council, would require removing narrow bike lanes from each side of Unley Rd to increase the number of car lanes from four to five.

A new, raised solid median strip, allowing for right turns without stopping traffic, would also be installed.

It is estimated up to 28,000 cars travel along Unley Rd each day.

The plan is yet to be fully investigated by the department.

Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson (wearing helmet, pictured with Les Birch) is a cyclist. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“At this time, the Council is working with DIT to ascertain the feasibility of potential changes and no decisions have been made,” an Unley Council spokesperson said.

“Once the investigations have been completed, Council will consider the matter formally and resolve at that time how – and if – it wishes to proceed.”

In a letter, Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson, a cyclist, said he understood “concerns” over the removal of bike lanes.

“I understand there were concerns that the removal of bike lanes will result in the Rugby-Porter Bikeway being the only safe route for cyclists from Mitcham and Unley to move north and south,” he said.

He said his council had encouraged neighbouring Mitcham Council to upgrade the bike path, and give cyclists “right-of-way along Rugby Street until the end of the bikeway towards Belair Rd”.

“Please raise this issue with your Council,” he wrote.

Earlier this year, Unley Council announced a major overhaul of parking along the strip in a bid to ease congestion.

Under that plan, pay-for-use parking would be introduced in areas of high parking demand.

Speaking at the time, a council spokesperson said the council only had a “few pay-for-use parking locations within the city, most of which are located around tram/train stops”.

“The plan adopted by council is a strategic approach to managing and optimising its on-street parking provisions.”

Originally published as Unley Council moves to scrap bike lanes on Unley Rd to ease congestion