canberra.bike
cycling for health, wellbeing, sustainability and stronger communities
Highlights
Good ideas that were never built
The Garden City Cycle Route was identified as a priority back in 2004 and added to the Ten Year Master Plan Trunk Cycling and Walking Path Infrastructure. The idea is not new and neglected for almost 20 years. Keep in mind that we have had a Labor government in the ACT Legislative Assembly since 20 October 2001.
2004 plan for bike paths parallel to Northbourne Ave and Barry Drive, enlargement of Figure E2 Proposed Cycle Lanes and Share Paths, Ten Year Master Plan Trunk Cycling and Walking Path Infrastructure, Roads ACT, 2004.
The Garden City Cycle Route would cover over five kilometres across the inner north, with cycle connections, travelling through the suburbs of Watson, Downer, Dickson, Ainslie, Braddon, and the City. The cycle path would include a mix of off-road shared paths and protected on-road cycle lane, and be in direct proximity to approximately 17,000 homes in the inner north corridor.
Labor pledges $5 million for northside bicycle paths, Newstate Media, 16 May 2022.
Where is it up to now?
The answer to how your favourite cycle infrastructure project is progressing. The data in this table is aggregated from many sources.
| Project | Last stage finished | When finished | Next stage | Begun | Expected completion date | What is after that | Priority completion date | First discussed |
| Sulwood Drive path | Feasibility study | 14 Apr 2021 | Detail design | yes | Budget Tender Construction | 2025 | Federal Election 12/05/2019 | |
| Lake Ginninderra path | Feasibility study | 30 Nov 2021 | Detail design | no | Budget Tender Construction | Requires pedestrian bridge 2030s | ACT Election Oct 2020 | |
| Garden City Cycle Route | Framework | Dec 2018 | Feasibility study | Yes | June 2023 | Detail design Budget Tender Construction | 2026-2028 | 2004 |
| 5 m shared path on Commonwealth Bridge | Tender | 2022 | Detailed design | no | July 2023 | Construction | June 2025 | 2017 |
Go Dutch for better intersections
Recent posts
National Road Safety Week: 15-22 May 2022
Drive so others survive! National Road Safety Week is coming up next week, 15 to 22 May 2022. Traffic injury is the biggest killer of Australian children under 15. Amongst vulnerable road users, children are the most vulnerable. We need our children to be safe crossing roads if they are to walk to school. Many schools regard the existing safety to be inadequate. Let TCCS do more and talk less.
The direction of the wind
For cycling, ACT Labor is the driving force. The ACT Greens in comparison have proven unable to deliver on their ideas. Worse still, the ACT Greens have failed to approached cycling advocacy strategically. ACT Labor is delivering on its election pledges, although the achievement humble, as ACT Labor do not plan to do much. They lack the ambition necessary to get cycling moving in the ACT.
Pushing uphill in Whitlam
The lower section of Whitlam Stage 2 has opened so that we now have access to the ridge bike path that as been the topic of discussion for over two years now. In Whitlam, the bike paths have not been built along alignments that provide low gradient that bicycle need. The result is some of the steepest paths in Canberra.
30 year history: cycle infrastructure in Belconnen
Belconnen Town Centre opened in the late 1970s. Over the last 40 years, we have had many plans to improve the cycle infrastructure but the progress has been slow. Here maps for the Belconnen district from 1992, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022
18 years later and still not built!
We must remain sceptical of consultations. The consultation for (ACT) Ten Year Master Plan Trunk Cycling and Walking Path Infrastructure 2004, shows us that the recommendations have still not be implemented 18 years later. The process in 2004 has an eerie familiarity to the 2021 District Planning consultations.
Connecting the Molonglo community to Civic
Trying to cycle from the shops at Wright, Molonglo Group Centre or Whitlam to CIVIC will not be easy without good planning. Molonglo Valley currently lacks good design for cycling. The Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan makes it harder, as cycle infrastructure is needed in the reserve area. Cyclist are expected to ride around the reserve area which, as can be seen from maps in this article, will be a long ride.
ACT Budget ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 ACT Greens active travel Active Travel Framework Active Travel Network ACT Labor AGRD06A ATIPT Austroads Belconnen Belconnen Bikeway Butters Bridge CBR Cycle Routes children Chris Steel Civic concept plan Coombs cycle highways Denman Prospect EPSDD Estate Development Fast Track Gungahlin Heysen Street John Gorton Drive light rail Main Community Route MIS05 Molonglo 3 PATACT Principal Community Route public transport road safety safety schools statistics submission Suburban Land Agency TCCS Territory Plan Tuggeranong urban renewal vulnerable road users Weston Creek Whitlam William Hovell Drive Woden women
Molonglo Group Centre Concept Plan 2022 changes
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