An entirely new bike route into the central city has opened with the completion of the new active transport bridge across the rail yards in West Melbourne.
The 449-metre structure links the Dynon Road Trail and the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail into the precinct surrounding North Melbourne Station.
From there riders can link through to the west end of the CBD via Adderley Street, or to Docklands using Adderley Street and the La Trobe Street bike route.
And most importantly, riders will no longer have to reach for their snorkels when high tides, rain and wind conspire to raise the level of lower Moonee Ponds Creek.
Riders can simply divert onto this new bridge and take the journey through West Melbourne to La Trobe Street, or vice versa.
Note that when the underpass on the Creek Trail at Dynon Road is flooded, you take a new section of path that has opened under the new ramp structure just before Dynon Road, up to the traffic signals at Dynon Road, then cross over Dynon Road and take a left turn to ride onto the ramp that takes you up to the bridge.
When you try out this new route, be careful of a lost and lonely bollard that has placed itself inconveniently on the pathway as you arrive on the city side of the structure. Installed to prevent vehicle intrusion onto the bridge, it has created a risk of collision for riders. See photo below.
Better solutions are available and we expect the issue to be resolved.
The bridge is one of a number of new cycling and walking connections being installed as part of the West Gate Tunnel Project that will greatly improve access between the west and the city.
There are two new bridges over the Moonee Ponds Creek, and a third if you count the refurbished freight bridge that will serve the Veloway, plus the bright green cable-stay bridge over Footscray Road.
The Veloway, which will open before the end of the year, will connect bike riders (no pedestrians) from the Maribyrnong River at Footscray to Docklands along the Footscray Road corridor, with riders grade-separated from Port of Melbourne traffic.
Together with enhancements to the network further south and west, the changes will transform bike travel to the city and back.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams, said: “We’re delivering more than 14 kilometres of new and upgraded bike and walking paths – helping more people in Melbourne’s west to ride, walk and move safely.”
Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, said: “Too many vulnerable road users have been seriously injured or killed on our roads, and we’re determined to change that. Through projects like this, we’re creating safer, separated connections for cyclists and pedestrians – protecting lives and reducing trauma across our network.”
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