Tag: Stromlo Forest Park

tips

Tharwa: a small country town in ACT

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2020-06-06
2 Comments on Tharwa: a small country town in ACT

Tharwa, ACT Photo: ACT Suburban Land Agency

Tharwa is a great idea for a day out and there is a lot to see in a small area. You could consider riding there south through Canberra, or if you are keen then try the loop ride from Stromlo Forest Park south through the suburbs to Tharwa, where you cross the Murrumbidgee River and return to Stromlo Forest Park on the other side of the river via Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Cotter.

The Namadgi National Park, including the visitors centre, and Lanyon Homestead are currently closed (as of 6/6/2020). Please check before departure.

Tags Banks, Bicentennial National Trail, Cotter River, EPSDD, Hall, Murrumbidgee River, Murrumbidgee River Corridor, Namadgi National Park, OpenStreetMap, road ride, rural road standard, Stromlo Forest Park, Suburban Land Agency, Tharwa, Tharwa Bridge, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Tuggeranong

maps

Recreational cycling close to home

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2020-05-31
No Comments on Recreational cycling close to home

Photo by Sarah Trummer on Pexels.com

Why not cycle from home? There is a Canberra Nature Park within 500m from home for 75% of Canberrans. CyclOSM helps you find a ride at your doorstep by highlighting all the bike paths.

Tags Aranda Bushland, Black Mountain, Canberra Centenary Trail, Canberra Nature Park, CyclOSM, Garmin, GPS, management trail, Molonglo Valley, multi-use track, OpenStreetMap, singletrack, Stromlo Forest Park

ride review

West of Stromlo: ride on the far side

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2020-05-23
3 Comments on West of Stromlo: ride on the far side

The Mount Stromlo Observatory (MSO), Mount Stromlo Forest, Western Canberra

Mount Stromlo Forest is a large reserve on the slopes of Mount Stromlo. West of the mountain, many creeks run off undulating hills into the Murrumbidgee River, and have cut into the clay to form deep creek beds.

You are permitted to ride Mount Stromlo Forest on the management trails. This is generally true in all Canberra nature reserves with few exceptions. Mount Stromlo is famous for the network of “single tracks” on the east side at Stromlo Forest Park. These trails are specifically meant for mountain bikes but do not be surprised if you find walkers there too.

Tags ANU Ionospheric Trail, Bennett Fire Trail, Brindabella Range, Cooper Fire Trail, management trail, Molonglo Valley, Mount Stromlo, Murrumbidgee River, Stevens Break, Stromlo Forest Park, Uriarra Rd

urban planning

When strategies collide: climate change, active travel and environment

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2020-05-12
4 Comments on When strategies collide: climate change, active travel and environment

Bridge. Photo by Rosie Steggles on Unsplash

The ACT Government goals found in the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, the Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan 2019, and the Active Travel Framework conflict and are difficult to reconcile. These strategies show commonalities but as with any specific project, there will be trade-offs. In the Molonglo Valley, active travel is poorly served.

The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 goals cannot be met with Recreational Routes, and that is all the Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan 2019 is likely to produce. The Active Travel Framework describes both Recreational Routes and Community Routes. Riding to work must be attractive, direct and safe, if we are to achieve the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 goals for active travel. We need cycle highways and more Community Routes. Only 3% of Canberra’s commuters currently ride to work – and this is actually a downward trend!

The Molonglo Valley Development demonstrates the tensions that arise in urban development. The Molonglo Special Purpose Reserve and Whitlam Residential Estate show no clear benefit for the active traveller. This should be a reason for concern. A good overarching network of cycle highways will not occur by accident.

Tags ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, active travel, Active Travel Framework, Active Travel Infrastructure Practitioner Tool, Active Travel Network, Butters Bridge, Coppins Crossing Rd, Denman Prospect, EPSDD, John Gordon Drive Bridge, management trail, Molonglo River Reserve, Molonglo River Reserve Plan, Molonglo Special Purpose Reserve, Molonglo Valley, Stromlo Forest Park, Suburban Land Agency, Whitlam

urban planning

Active Travel Infrastructure Interim Planning Guideline

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2020-04-27
10 Comments on Active Travel Infrastructure Interim Planning Guideline

Photo by Pixabay

Another important document for active travel in Canberra and urban planning, and another very long title. This post is an introduction to Planning for Active Travel in the ACT: Active Travel Infrastructure Interim Planning Guideline (ACT Government, January 2019). Because the title is so long it is often simply referred to it as PATACT.

Figure 1: The cover of Planning for Active Travel in the ACT: Active Travel Infrastructure Interim Planning Guideline (PATACT)

The ACT urban planning documents often build on one another. This one is no exception. This document was released in January 2019, which may seem a long time after the release of the Building an Integrated Transport Network: Active Travel in 2015, and Light Rail Network –Delivering a modern transport system for a growing city (Light Rail Network), October 2015. The last two documents describe the ACT Government’s strategy for active travel as well as the light rail component of active travel. With PATACT the ACT Government describes what that means for non-road infrastructure and urban planning, in particular cycling.

ride review

Stromlo Forest Park

Sunset, Handlebar, Stromlo Forest Park

Stromlo Forest Park lies on the slopes of Mount Stromlo adjacent to the suburb of Wright. Most would know of Stromlo Forest Park for the mountain biking but it is gaining importance as a recreational centre for the Molonglo Valley and the close by suburbs of Coombs, Wright and Denman Prospect.

Tags Coombs, Denman Prospect, Molonglo Valley, Mount Stromlo, Stromlo Forest Park, swimming pool, Wright

urban planning

The bike infrastructure in Wright and Coombs

Post author By woodfloats
Post date 2019-06-17
3 Comments on The bike infrastructure in Wright and Coombs

The suburbs of Wright and Coombs are new suburbs finished in the last five years and as such showcase the design principles for suburb development. For new suburbs good bike infrastructure begins and ends on the designer’s drawing board. Once the suburb is built it is set in stone. I would conclude that coherent network of continuous bike paths across the city needs a master plan for bike path infrastructure, upon which new suburbs can be designed and realised so that the new infrastructure interconnects. In other words, suburb design starts with the end in mind. The suburb is a small unit of the much larger and longer endeavour, to build active travel networks across the city.

Looking at the suburbs of Wright and Coombs the following can be observed:

bike paths are along waterways and parks and traverse the suburb
bike paths connect people to schools and shops
bike paths often end at the boundary of the suburb
when bike paths are found on the edge of suburbs, they are often fragments going nowhere, stopping and starting at arbitrary locations.

Tags ACT Government, Butters Bridge, case study, CBR Cycle Routes, Coaldrake Ave, Coombs, cycle highways, Denman Prospect, Fred Daly Ave, John Gorton Drive, OpenStreetMap, Opperman Ave, Stromlo Forest Park, Uriarra Rd, Western Creek Pond, Wright