Newsroom

for

April 2023

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Help us advocate for vulnerable road users

Bicycle Network is planning to make a submission to the Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users and we want to hear the voices of our 50,000-plus members and friends.

Melbourne fires up stalled bike rollout

The City of Melbourne has rebooted its paused bike infrastructure program by announcing proposals for new separated bikes lanes through North Melbourne and Kensington.

Take a look at your council’s budget

Municipalities around the State are now finalising their budgets, the time we discover if they are taking their responsibilities for active transport seriously.

12 Apostles Trail reaches coast

Construction of Stage 1 of the 12 Apostles Trail—from Timboon down to Port Campbell—is approaching completion and riders are already trying it out.
A man rides a bicycle along the Riverbend path with a guitar slung over his back and bag on his handlebars, looking towards the Seaport building on the other side of the river.

Tassie Bike News Bites

Vote for a Launceston bike library and lower city speed limits, support Huon call for more bike paths and let Kingborough Council know if they have the cycling budget right next year.

Ride to New Norfolk to test your legs

A new 80 km route from New Town to New Norfolk is being offered this month, providing more of a test for the legs than many of our usual social rides.
A yellow bike stands on a river bank with two panniers and helmet nearby and a river and bushland in the background.

Bikes booming on Tassie Trail

When the 480 km Tasmanian Trail was first dreamed up back in the 1990s it was by horse riders looking for a multi-day challenge. Fast-forward 26 years and it’s now bicycle riders looking for an adventure to test their gravel and touring bikes who are now the dominant trail user.
Black and white photo of person driving with a mobile phone in one hand and red circle around the hand with the phone.

Mobile cameras to ping distracted drivers

The Road Safety Advisory Council has launched a new road safety campaign Click, Store, Go' as the state government moves closer to implementing mobile cameras to ping drivers using their phones.

Punishing the puncture faeries

Victoria’s new bottle recycling scheme and the hope of a puncture-free future for bike riders are both a little closer.

CBD disruptions: Elizabeth Street

The Elizabeth Street sewer upgrade project is launching its next stage and setting up new worksites that may disrupt riders on some routes.

Key Richmond bike lanes here to stay

The trial of the separated bike lanes along Elizabeth Street in Richmond has received the stamp of community approval and the temporary structures look set to be upgraded to a permanent facility.

Maribyrnong River Trail detours

Improvement works are underway on the Maribyrnong River Trail near Highpoint West and bike riders will be detoured to the trail on the other side of the river.

The baker’s half dozen

The popularity of gravel bikes and gravel riding opens the door to routes in the Bega Valley that aren’t possible on a road bike, and require too much highway time to be fun on a MTB.
A dirt road extends to a mountain in the distance flanked by wattle trees in bloom and grassy verges with a cloudy sky.

Country rides continue through April

Our social ride leaders are continue to get out of town to enjoy autumn via the bike, and the north-west riders are heading out of Wynyard for this month’s ride.

Sharper focus on Gardiners Creek riding environment

Bicycle Network has joined forces with 15 other organisations focused on protecting and improving the amenity and the environmental and cultural values of the Gardiners Creek catchment. The catchment plays host to several the key bike routes through Melbourne’s East, including the Gardiners Creek and Scotchmans Creek trails. Like many of Melbourne’s popular trail corridors, [...]

Police shocked by Easter holiday drivers

The ugly Easter weather in Victoria might have spoiled the weekend for keen bike riders but at least it kept us out of the way of the almost 8000 drivers police detected offending during the period. Speeding, mobile phone and drink and drug driving offences were particularly notable. More than a third of all offences [...]

More bike lanes for St Kilda Road

Another gap in the St Kilda Road bike lane corridor will soon be connected as works starts on the city-bound section between Park and Dorcas Street, South Melbourne.

Darwin floats reduced speeds for its CBD

The City of Darwin is casting an eye to the future and floating the idea of reduced speed limits to make its CBD more compatible with alternative modes of transport.
e-scooter pollution

E-scooter trial extended

Victoria’s experiment with e-scooters has been extended another six months and will now include privately owned devices in addition to the hire schemes in Melbourne and Ballarat.

Walmer Street Bridge delay

Construction of the new land bridge connection on the northern side of the Walmer Street Bridge has been delayed and is now not expected to be completed until late July or early August.

Federation Trail upgrade underway

The next stage of the Greening the Pipeline project along the Federation Trail is now underway and offers a convenient detour for bike riders. Stage Five, which includes significant improvements to the local environment between Skeleton Creek and Forsyth Road, has switched the trail across the outfall channel to the paths on the northern side [...]

Pump station works at Southbank

A project to upgrade the pumps that keep Crown Casino from flooding will get underway at the end of the month on the Yarra Promenade, creating some disturbances for bike and pedestrian traffic.

Leicester Street closure

A key route for bike riders traveling in and out of the University of Melbourne precinct is now closed.

Amsterdam experiment reveals paths of stolen bikes

All images courtesy of MIT Senseable City Lab.   Amsterdam is home to an estimated 850,000 bikes, which provides fertile ground for thieves to ply their trade.    But what happens to these bikes once the locks are busted apart and the cables are cut?   Dismantling bikes into parts for reselling is a common [...]
Artists impression showing an aerial view of the intersection of Queen Street and Victoria Esplanade in Bellerive with wide shared paths and raised crossings over the road in a light brown concrete colour, contrasting with the dark grey asphalt of the road.

Tassie Bike News Bites

This edition there are wider paths and raised crossings in Bellerive are up for comment, a new plan for Maydena Bike Park and new trails in Glenorchy, new ebike chargers in Hobart and more woe for people riding through Granton.
Woman wearing red pants and red helmet coasts down hill on Elizabeth Street on a classic road bike in front of the Stagg coffee shop.

Hobart starts planning what’s central to its future

After years of arguing about building heights, the City of Hobart has released a draft Central Precincts Plan that also gives some indication of where it’s planning to build cycling infrastructure in the coming years.
distracted driver

Phone and seatbelt detection cameras turned on in Victoria

State-of-the-art road safety cameras will target Victorian mobile phone use among drivers, and people not wearing seatbelts.  The cameras, which are now operating, use artificial intelligence to review images and detect potential infringements. Trained personnel will verify the infringements and Victoria Police will issue fines and demerit points.  It is estimated that the camera technology [...]