The State Government’s pop up bike route along Heidelberg Road has proved popular with riders with more than 5000 riders a week already using the corridor as commuters begin return to the office.
Feedback from riders and the community is resulting in a number of tweaks to the route.
As well as the new segregated, wide lanes, other measures have improved links to other bike routes on Wingrove Street, Fairfield and Alexandra Parade, Collingwood, along with connections to the Wellington Street bike lanes into the CBD.
There will also be a response to some of the usual whingeing over car parking, with the Department of Transport (DoT) examining options for the creation of short-term set down and pick-up opportunities, and some permanent places.
Between Arthur Street and Station Street DoT returned five car parking spaces for customers for loading and pick up/drop off while between Station Street and Panther Place it is trialling a 15-minute loading bay between 11am - 3pm from Monday to Saturday for three months.
Adjacent to Fairfield Park Drive five car parking spaces for Fairfield Park users and residents have been returned.
Riders comments on these and other changes are welcomed through the feedback site
Some of the other adjustments already made on the basis of rider and driver feedback include:
- tightening the bike lane entry at key points so that drivers and bike riders know where they should be
- adjusting bollard placement for better property access
- adjusting bollard placement for safer U-turns at Westgarth Street
- maintaining left-hand turn access from Jeffrey Street to Heidelberg Road
- updating signage on the approach to the Wellington Street and Alexandra Parade intersection to alert drivers to changed turn conditions.
Check out the DoT before-and-after videos.
The DoT describes the Heidelberg Road project as providing "a combination of separated bike lanes on busy roads, new signage and line markings along quieter streets, and better connections to our on and off-road networks.
"This link fixes a key gap in the network across Merri Creek, making it safer and more direct for over 80,000 residents who live within five minutes, to ride to work, school and the local council areas of Darebin and Banyule.
"It also provides improved options for people who live along the Hurstbridge train line."
The project is the first of a number of interim bike infrastructure improvements being rolled out by the DoT in a $15.9m expansion and upgrade of bike routes in the inner suburbs.
The projects are being trialled for 12-18 months. Where successful they will be converted to permanent routes when additional funding becomes available.
Become our friend
Find out more about Bicycle Network and support us in making it easier for people to ride bikes.