Central Coast Council has released a draft active transport strategy which seeks to fill the missing gaps in the Coastal Pathway and connect it to the town centres of Ulverstone and Penguin.
The strategy has a straightforward vision of walking and cycling being a natural and convenient part of everyday life.
It acknowledges there are no dedicated cycleways outside of the shared Coastal Pathway, which forces riders onto footpaths or roads, reinforcing the need for a more “deliberate and planned approach to cycling provision”.
The strategy is somewhat hampered by a lack of data on how people would like to move around by bike, instead relying on Strava data which is heavily weighted towards recreational riders and how they currently move around. However, it does recognise there is latent demand that can be unlocked when infrastructure is made safer.
Coastal Pathway gaps
There is 8.3 km of missing path along the Coastal Pathway
The gap between West Ulverstone and Penguin is the largest and most complex to deliver. The council is exploring design options for the path along this section but it’s likely to require a signficant amount of money to build. Once the feasibility studies and design are finished, the council will start looking for state and federal government funding.
The path on Beach Road, Ulverstone is another priority to fix, as is upgrading the Heybridge–Sulphur Creek section.
Route hierarchy
The strategy identifies future primary and secondary cycling routes, but its first action will be to complete the footpath network to eliminate gaps for people walking and riding.
Primary cycling routes would have separated or low traffic conditions for riding and 2 m wide footpaths, while secondary routes are more about 1.8 m wide footpaths and traffic-calmed streets.
Streets that fall into the primary category include Penguin’s Ironcliffe Road and Crescent Street and Ulverstone’s Queens Street–South Road, Victoria Street–Main Street–Eastland Drive, and Jermyn Street–Leven Street–Alexander Road.
Bike parking is part of the network planning, with provision in town centres, schools and activity hubs, preferably secure and covered.
You can download the draft strategy and comment via https://my.centralcoast.tas.gov.au/active-transport before Sunday 31 May.
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