Designs for the next stage of the South Arm Highway widening will include a shared path but it won’t get as far as the Rokeby village, creating a black hole for people trying to find a safe route to ride.
The plan to widen the highway from two lanes to four will extend from Pass Road to Oakdowns Parade.
A new 3m wide shared path will be built between the new Rokeby Park and Ride and a gravel trail at the bottom of Bayview Secondary College, where it stops. It then starts up again just after the village and ends at Oakdown Parade.
The initial plans for the upgrade, outlined in the 2020 Rokeby Corridor Planning Study, showed a continuous shared path extending through the village to Oakdowns Parade.
Keeping the shared path going through the shopping area was a good idea instead of building it along the bypass, as it would be a more direct route for people riding but now it has completely disappeared off the plans.
There has been no explanation for why the state government is suddenly pushing this task back on to the council, which has no funding to build a shared path of the quality which would match the state government path.
If the government is not going to build the path through the shopping area then it should continue it along the bypass, otherwise riders are going to be dumped at the end of the shared path with nowhere to go.
The final stage of the road widening between Oakdowns Parade and Acton Road is yet to be designed or funded. This is the sketchiest section of the journey between Lauderdale and Bellerive as the shoulder disappears and road bends reduce sightlines.
The government is also going to install lights at the intersection at Acton Road with consideration given to people riding, including children trying to access the school and riders commuting through.
The design includes a path bypassing the bus stop on the southern side of South Arm Road so riders can avoid having to pull out into traffic when a bus is stopped.
The intersection upgrade will happen early next year but the road widening will not start until 2027.
Please let the government know you want to see a complete shared path built as part of the project and not the stop–start proposal currently before us.
You can view the designs and make comments on the online map before 10 November at: https://engage.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/south-arm-highway-upgrade
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