Excited riders are making their first trips through the elevated bike path that links central Melbourne to the western suburbs.
The 2.5-kilometre Veloway, which opened unexpectedly on Sunday 7 December, was soon flowing with riders as word spread that the gates were down and the eight-year wait was over.
By Monday morning regular commuters from the west were joined by enthusiastic riders from across Melbourne who came just to experience the ride.
Over 600 people used the Veloway to commute to work between 7am and 9am on Tuesday morning, while nearly 1,000 riders used the Veloway recreationally between 9am and noon on Sunday 14 December.
Those riding during the Veloway's first week in action had plenty of excitement to share. One rider described it as "Fantastic! Great piece of bicycling infrastructure", which another noted, "The separation from traffic, especially trucks, is very welcome."
Commuters now have what is actually an express route to the city: without traffic signal interruptions and the hassle of truck traffic, riders just pop onto the Veloway and pedal. A few minutes later the view of the CBD rises before them as they coast down to street level again.
The Veloway, now officially named the Dixon Veloway after pioneering female bike racer Iris Dixon, grew from the idea to separate bike riders from the massive volumes of truck traffic that service the Port of Melbourne.
Originally the route from Footscray to Docklands was to be along the road with grade separations at intersections, but during discussions involving Bicycle Network, the idea of using the elevated freeway structure to suspend the bike path emerged.
Many design iterations and years of toil later, the long green Veloway that we see today came to fruition.
It can be seen as both practical and a symbolic marker of the Victorian Government policy of making active transport a peer among transport modes.
Because the West Gate Tunnel Project involved both the Victorian Government and commercial road operator Transurban, strong commitment from both was essential to the delivery of the Veloway project, and the 14 kilometres of new and upgraded bike infrastructure that are part of the tunnel construction.
Transurban will own and maintain the Dixon Veloway and many of the other bike assets being delivered.
The Veloway is 4 metres wide rail to rail and the curved sides make it even more spacious. It is well lit at night and completely covered by CCTV that is piped through to the Transurban control centre.
There are two emergency exits and the structure can easily accommodate ambulances, policy and emergency services vehicles.
Pedestrians are not permitted inside the Dixon Veloway, but riders should be careful and attentive as they ride through as there will always be curious visitors trying the unique experience for the first time.
There are further elements of the Veloway project to come, with the new paths connecting the Veloway at Shepherd Bridge through the Federation Trail at Spotswood to be completed in the coming weeks.
The Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams, said: “The Veloway has been built with cyclist safety front and centre – taking out six intersections between Footscray and Docklands to give riders a clearer, safer run.”
“The West Gate Tunnel Project will change the way people move across Melbourne’s west and take 9,000 trucks off local roads.”
Member for Footscray, Katie Hall, added: “VeloDay is here – not only will the Veloway encourage more people to jump on a bike, it will deliver a safer commute for people travelling between Melbourne’s west and the city.”
Bicycle Network CEO, Alison McCormack, who along with Cadel Evans took the first public ride on Dixon Veloway, said that in the years ahead the Veloway would unlock large numbers of riders in the western suburbs, giving them an attractive, low-risk route to the city centre.
“This unique project puts Melbourne in the international spotlight and shows that when design nous is applied to bike transport, transformative solutions can result.
“Bicycle Network would like to thank the Victorian Government and Transurban for involving us closely in this venture and ensuring that the perspective of people who ride for transport was fully utilised in the development of the project."
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