As the state government moves to convert some of Melbourne’s pop-up bike infrastructure from the COVID era into permanent facilities, decisions must to be made about what is worth keeping and what should be discarded.
Marine Parade through St Kilda and Elwood received trial safety treatments in several locations, which were initially contentious as well as risky as drivers wrongly assumed they had the right of way when turning left in front of riders at the redesigned intersections.
And questions were asked about how sizeable bunches that ride the route on weekends and early morning weekday rides would handle the narrow, separated lanes at some intersections.
It seems that time has answered some of the questions. Drivers appear to have adjusted to the left-turn rules, and the bunches riders have sorted out their preferences – with large groups choosing the traffic lane through intersections and small groups the bike lane.
The pop-up upgrades, installed in 2022, included sections of separated bike lanes, green-surface treatments, signage and line markings along Marine Parade between Pickles Street and Beach Avenue.
The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) has offered three options for the permanent arrangement and is seeking feedback and comment here.
Option one: convert the temporary treatments into permanent infrastructure using kerb separators and white line markings to improve safety for all road users.
Option two: remove the temporary kerb separators and bollards along Marine Parade but retain other safety improvements including green surface treatments, signage, and line marking.
Option three: remove the temporary treatments and reinstate the original road condition. Green surface treatments will remain at some locations to raise awareness of people on bikes.
You can take a survey and report your experiences, and there is an opportunity to attend four drop-in sessions over the next three weeks.
The DPT has been collecting data on Marine Parade since the installation and says bike riding has increased during the trial.This includes a 71% increase in commuter bike riders.
Perceptions of safety also rose and 69% of people surveyed on Marine Parade said the pop-up bike lanes had improved safety while they rode.
Most of the pop ups across Port Phillip have been previously removed at the request of a panicked City of Port Phillip council, but the evaluation showed that the pop-up trial reduced vehicle speeds on local roads by 19% and reduced rat-running on local roads by 17%.
The results of the consultation will be known by November and construction is scheduled to begin early next year.
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