Riders using the Footscray Road trail will face changed arrangements on Shepherd Bridge from this week.
Contractors will be working overnight on Tuesday 18 November to place three bollards on the bridge pathway, just near the junction with the Veloway.
From Wednesday 19 November riders will be encountering these bollards as they coast down the slope towards the traffic signals at the Sims Street loop.
Riders will need to keep a sharp lookout as these bollards – like all bollards placed on free flowing trails – will be hazardous, and striking one will typically result in a serious injury.
Riders coming out from the city will naturally also encounter the obstacles, however they will have more time to react on the uphill incline.
On busy trails such as this you will frequently be following other riders who will obscure the exact position of the bollards, making collisions more likely.
And if you have a wider cargo bike or are towing a trailer you must take account of those extremities as you pass through the gap.
All things considered, this is a risk that for the time being, riders will need to be aware of and manage carefully.
Bicycle Network has opposed this bollard installation just as we have been doing everywhere for decades because we know there are better solutions.
However with major projects such as the West Gate Tunnel, the contracts require certain engineering guidelines to be utilised whether or not they are suitable for a particular context.
Usually, wiser heads prevail and we expect this issue to be resolved at some point.
Of course when the Veloway opens before the end of the year, most riders will be using that route and won’t be encountering the bollards.
That is why you will also notice, from Wednesday 19 November, diverging line marking which is being added to the pathway in anticipation of the Veloway opening.
Riders should also be aware that the service lanes along Footscray Road are now in use by truck traffic and as a result the signalised crossings for path users are in operation.
Those riders who have been using the service lanes as a two-way bike path as recently as this week need to drop the habit immediately.
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