A low-stress bike route that uses extensive traffic calming measures has been proposed for the key north-south route on Melon Street through Braybrook.
The traffic calming solution could be the answer for the proposed bike corridor following negative community feedback to previous proposals
The City of Maribyrnong has previously explored options including bi-directional bike lanes on one side of the street, tree removals and car parking removal.
Now the City has proposed measures that would restrict the volume and speed of traffic in the street while encouraging bike riders and pedestrians.
Such treatments, while not common on Melbourne bike routes, have proved highly successful when deployed, for example, on the Canning Street route through Carlton into the CBD.
Residents strong support them because they have a quiet, calmer street, and property values rise. Riders like them because, although they share them with cars, the cars are few and are not travelling at threatening speeds.
Maribyrnong City has placed the options on exhibition and has called for feedback here.
If this proposal is well received it could result in the solution being used more frequently across Melbourne and regional centres.
Key features include:
- reducing vehicle flow on Melon Street to increase safety for bike riders kerb outstands (wide nature strip extensions) to narrow the road width,
- manage turn-bans and encourage lower speeds
- there will be turn bans at Cremorne Street, Hargreaves Crescent and Elizabeth Street and no access from South Road or Ballarat Road for vehicles
- bike riders will share the traffic lanes with vehicles nearly all parking and all trees will be retained
The council is keen to hear the views of Melon Street residents, Braybrook residents, and the broader Maribyrnong community on the six new options.
This includes residents who travel through the area and bike riders who might be more inclined to do so, if a safe bicycle path is installed.
Comments are open until 5pm Sunday 18 December.
The Melon Street connection is desperately needed to connect up the existing and proposed east-west bike corridors through the area, including the Footscray-Sunshine Trail, South Street, Cranwell Street, the Maribyrnong River Trail and the proposed strategic cycling corridor along Devonshire Road-Churchill Avenue.
This would get riders to destinations such as Tottenham Station, the proposal Airport Rail link at Sunshine, the sporting facilities at Skinner Reserve, and the Highpoint Shopping Centre.
It is notable that funding for the project has come from the State Government through the Department of Transport’s Sunshine Transport Precinct Activation fund, a signal of the impact Airport Rail will have on Sunshine and surrounding suburbs.
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