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Parramatta presses ahead with a renewed plan for bikes

All images courtesy of City of Parramatta

The City of Parramatta has placed a new draft plan on public exhibition, in pursuit of a better-connected bike network.

The community is invited to offer feedback this month to help shape the final version of the bike plan before it's anticipated endorsement by the Council in 2024.

The draft document refreshes the Parramatta Bike Plan developed in 2017 and includes $53 million worth of investments made since 2017, which have delivered 8.5km of bike infrastructure improvements and path upgrades.

The council wants to deliver nearly 20km of new bike paths and related infrastructure by 2027 through a combined $135 million investment with the state and federal governments.

Have your say on the draft Bike Plan before 5pm on Thursday 31 August by visiting the Council webpage.

A key element of its vision is to make bike riding an attractive option for everybody aged eight to 88. The Council aspires to increase the walking or bike riding proportion of all trips to work from 2% currently to 5% by 2043, and for those ending in the Parramatta CBD to rise from 6% to 10%.

One section of the bike network slated for an upgrade is the Wigram Street Cycleway, which was included in the Council's 2017 Bike Plan. This pop-up bike lane was installed in September 2021 as part of a six-month trial to provide a better riding connection between the M4 cycleway and the shared path at Harris Park Station.

The Council received no objections during the trial period and is now proceeding with plans to convert it to a permanent cycleway. A consultation period earlier in 2023 revealed most were in favour of this move and widening the cycleway from 2.4 metres to 3 metres.

This would require the two-way street to become a one-way street between Bowden and Allen Streets and southbound is the preferred direction to allow timely response from the Parramatta Fire Station in the north of Wigram Street.

A new round of consultation is now open as the Council moves forward with the design of the permanent Wigram Street Cycleway. People that live in or ride through the area are encouraged to share their thoughts here before Tuesday 29 August.

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