Cycling
Enhancing the cycleability of our environs is a great way to provide more transport options to your community and to help you build a more liveable, sustainable and healthy community. A number of good examples of encouraging cycling as a safe, convenient and reliable mode of transport are shown below, together with areas for improvement.
Have you got a good idea? We welcome your contributions and would be delighted to add them to our growing stock of good ideas. Please send all contributions (and photos) to admin
thinkingtransport [dot] org [dot] au.
1. Bike lanes
We all know what a bike lane looks like and their importance to providing clearly defined road space for cyclists, helping to reduce the stress and crash-risk for cyclists riding in traffic. Rather than the stock standard bike lane, have you thought about adding a buffer zone, adding colour or changing the road surface? All of these help to improve the safety for cyclists and encourage more people to consider cycling as a transport mode.
This bike lane in North Melbourne is well separated from the traffic stream. A buffer zone forms an effective separation from a fast-moving traffic stream with many trucks.
Bike lane on Somerville Rd Bridge, Footscray (City of Maribyrnong) is provided with extra protection from the many trucks that use this road.
In the City of Melbourne, a bicycle light in the traffic lights gives cyclists priority.
In the City of Moreland, the footpath on one side of this road has been designated a shared cycle path. Coloured pavement at road crossings warns motorists to give way to foot and cycle traffic.
In the Greater City of Geelong, different road surfaces are used to reinforce the separation to motorists, channel and calm traffic. The different road surfaces helps to remind motorists it's a bike lane.
On the busy Melbourne - Geelong Road, locating the bike lane well into the road reservation provides safer cycling.
And on the well used Geelong-Torquay Road, a bike lane is much safer than cycling next to heavy traffic.
2. End of trip facilities
Secure bike parking will influence the choice of mode for the journey. An advantage cyclists often enjoy is parking close to a destination, as distinct from the motorist who can face parking uncertainty and a distance to walk.
Moreland City Council has recently completed a green travel plan. Secure bike parking is provided plus equipment to mend punctures and blow up tyres.
The Green Building at 60 Leicester St in Carlton provides bike parking and no car parking!
Bike parking is provided at a number of railway stations. Keilor Downs and Narre Warren attract cyclists.
3. New developments
New developments often include generous cycling and walking paths, though tend to be more suitable for the recreational cyclist. Often what is required is that new developments provide cycling paths that link into existing transport routes and key destinations, such as train stations and bus stops.
