Paint on the road does not count as bike infrastructure. Cyclists are not safe on busy roads. Grade separated cycle infrastructure is required. The consultation for the Light Rail Stage 2 offered an opportunity to rethink the route for cycling.
Light Rail Stage 2 opened the third round of community consultation. Gungahlin light rail taught us that bike paths are forgotten or even destroyed in the light rail construction. The light rail is an opportunity to improve Canberra’s cycling infrastructure.
The ACT Government website shows imagines of the light rail route on the Virtual Light Rail Tour. Cycling infrastructure is noticeably lacking on these images.
Here is our comment:
Where is the bike infrastructure? Paint on the road does not count as bike infrastructure. Cyclists are not safe and do not want to ride on busy roads. A bike path must be separated from the road, and a different colour or appearance should be used to that for pedestrians. The speed difference between pedestrians and cyclists results in discomfort and conflict. Think 3: make a separated path for pedestrians, bikes and cars. Commonwealth bridge is a major link between Civic and the Parliamentary Triangle. It is the major route for all cyclists heading from southern Canberra to Civic. Thousands of cyclists travel this route daily. The bridge is very narrow and is a bottleneck for both pedestrian and cyclists. There is space down the centre of Commonwealth bridge for light rail. The dual carriageway is here to stay. Thought should be given to making more space for pedestrians and cyclists. Lightweight cantilever extensions (3m) on either side of the bridge should do.
YourSay comment by canberra.bike, 13/6/2020
Where are the bike paths?
The ACT Government website for Light Rail Stage 2 does not show bike paths.
canberra.bike 