HOW WILL YOU GET THERE?

TRANSPORT DURING THE PANDEMIC

Which way will workers decide to go when they are required to return to their desks, restaurants, salons, wavepools? Premier Daniel Andrews has already expressed concern about Victorians flocking to public transport and cars now that restrictions are easing and peoplea are starting to return to work. In order to encourage ways of travelling that are more in-line with safe physical distancing, we need to see more investment in safe walking and biking lanes.

In Coburg and Brunswick the debate around how to make Sydney Road more bike friendly has once again been enlivened by calls to reduce pressure on potentially unsafe or environmentally friendly transport options. In July 2019 VicRoads asked Sydney Road users in Coburg and Brunswick to weigh in on four potential designs for a permanent bike lane along the main road, but had neglected to share the results of the survey. On May 17 this year, the results were finally obtained through a successful Freedom of Information request. 52 per cent of the 7000 respondents supported ‘Option 3’ which would remove all of the parking along Sydney Road to facilitate an extended footpath and a protected bike lane. Trams and cars would share one lane at all times.

Moreland BUG committee member, James Conlan, says that the results of the poll are promising and show that residents of Coburg and Brunswick are largely supportive of making Sydney Road more bike friendly at the expense of on-road parking. Indeed, the Council have been pushing for separated bike paths on Sydney Rd for a couple of years now, but the State government keeps getting in the way.

This year the Moreland Council has proposed allocating $3.13 million in their upcoming budget to ‘footpaths and bike paths’. James says that the Moreland BUG will be making a submission to double the bike budget and to separate it from the walking footpaths budget. The BUG have been seeking input from locals to suggest what bike-related improvements they would like to see.

Moreland BUG: https://www.morelandbug.org/

By BB