Two horror roundabouts on the important bike route along Mt Alexander Road in Essendon are to be replaced by new intersections which should finally deliver long-absent bike facilities.
The roundabouts involve multiple connecting roads, tram tracks and tram stops, service lanes, pedestrian crossings, shops, other businesses, a surfeit of nearby car parking, and virtually no bike infrastructure.
The good news is that Mt Alexander Road has a massively wide cross-section and the roundabouts take up a large amount of space, so with bold thinking there is a tremendous opportunity for a first-class bike connection through these precincts.
Planning is underway for upgrades to:
– Mt Alexander Road and Napier, Fletcher and Russell streets
– Mt Alexander, Bulla, Keilor and Lincoln roads.
Work includes traffic modelling, engineering design, constructability assessments, economic modelling, community engagement and environmental investigations to understand potential environmental impacts, prepare design options and estimate the costs of different options.
The community engagement is underway now and riders’ ideas on the best solutions are being sought.https://engage.vic.gov.au/mt-alexander-road
Make sure you fill in the survey for each intersection and place your ideas on the interactive map.
There are two opportunities to see the planning team in person:
- 1101 Mr Alexander Road, 29 March, 10am–12pm
- Woodlands Park House, 32 Winifred Street, 03 April, 4–6pm
Not only is Mt Alexander Road itself an official strategic cycling corridor through these intersections, Lincoln Road is also designated. This means high-quality bike infrastructure is a must at these locations.
Furthermore, the North Essendon Activity Centre now being planned that runs for a significant distance along Mt Alexander, Bulla and Keilor roads, will require the provision of more extensive local active transport connections within the denser neighbourhood.
Community engagement is open until 13 April 2025.
The planning phase is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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