Woden – canberra.bike

The luxury of a footpath

Pathway crossing Longmore Crescent at Gaunson Crescent. View from roadway centre. c1989

For a long time, suburbs were built for cars – footpaths were seen as optional. Canberra’s older suburbs often lack paths. The newer suburbs are better and the paths make them pedestrian friendly.

Woden light rail terminus: no bike paths

Bike street (Fahrradstraße). Bike path crossing bridge over the railway station in Freiburg (im Breisgau), Southern Germany.

In Germany, one common way to get to the nearest light rail stop is with the bike. All you need is a path and a spot at the dedicated bike parking area when you get there. Woden light rail terminus won’t offer any of that.

Tactical urbanism in Canberra since 2019

The urban development process in the ACT is thorough but slow. Unfortunately, these processes are neither particularly creative nor flexible. Tactical urbanism tries to fix that.

Athllon Drive Duplication: not for cyclists

Tuggeranong Parkway. Flickr, Molonglo Catchment Group, (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The Athllon Drive Duplication has been welcomed by many in the south who drive to Woden or Civic. For cyclists, however, the project sadly offers little. This is not untypical for road duplications.

Woden Valley 1989: ahead of its time

Athllon Drive cycleway looking north from Beazley Street. c1989

Woden Valley was built in the 1960s. By 1989 it already had many of the bike paths we know today. It was ahead of its time. Photos from 30 years ago, that could be from yesterday.

Heysen Street to Woden Town Centre

The Heysen Street Link bike path will be extended to Woden Town Centre. After years of delays, many projects shrink, but Heysen Street Link has grown to something more. A happy end.

Where we cycle to from home

The destinations we cycle to, not surprisingly, depends on where we live. The 2017 ACT Household Travel Survey breaks down the trips depending on the “region” of origin (district). The most likely destination is always the same district (locally). Beyond that, the charts below tell the story.

The 2017 ACT Household Travel Survey has been introduced and key facts discussed elsewhere on canberra.bike.

ACT active travel investment: what is enough?

L Kingston. Photo MomentsForZen, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Comparing the active travel pledges from the major parties at the 2020 ACT Election with historic benchmarks.

Last updated 7 October 2020

Cycling commuting in Canberra

Rushing off to work in the morning is familiar to everybody. Riding to work is enjoyable and good for our health. Getting there quickly and on time greatly matters. Considerable thought goes into getting to work. The routes between town centres are the most important ones and form cycle highways. This project focuses on the needs of commuting cyclists and the infrastructure they use daily.

Tuggeranong to Woden commuting

Urambi Hills and Lake Tuggeranong 2014. Photo Wikipedia Media. CC BY-SA 3.0 AU

Optimal routes are rare, but there are better routes. People have different cycling preferences. Road riding and off-road cycling are found here. Road lanes and bike paths may not be continuous but there is usually enough to make a worthwhile route.