Boroondara Bicycle Users GroupNews and updates relating specifically to Boroondara
Planning on doing some rides over the Christmas break? Know someone who might just be getting a shiny new bike for Christmas?
The City of Boroondara has just updated their Travelsmart map in time for the holidays. The map highlights shared paths, bike lanes and quiet back street routes.
Boroondara BUG was pleased to have input to City of Boroondara new Parklet dining Guidelines for cafe owners wishing to provide bike parking within their dining area.
Where on street car parking is being removed for dining, it makes sense to offset car parking with bike parking and encourage the use of space-efficient sustainable transport.
Does your local cafe or restaurant provide bike parking?
For more informations see Parklet Guidelines
Boroondara Council wants to find out if there is community support for a ramp to connect the Anniversary Trail with Mont Albert Road in Canterbury.
At the moment, there aren’t many places where you can access the Anniversary Trail between Whitehorse Road and Rubens Grove.
The proposed new ramp that could reduce the distance between access points from one kilometre to 300 metres along this stretch of the trail.
A ramp at this location would also:
You can provide feedback to Council on this here: Connecting the Anniversary Trail with Mont Albert Road
Make your submission before Friday 16 December 2022
Regular flooding events deposit a thick layer of slippery silt and mud on the Gardiners Creek Trail path where it goes under Toorak Road.
This is extremely dangerous for bike riders and pedestrians. Serious crashes have occurred here due to the slippery mud on the path and poor visibility on the approaches.
Gardiners Creek Trail is one the busiest Strategic Cycling Corridors in Victoria.
Boroondara Council clears and cleans the path but this often occurs after the path is obstructed for several days.
Thousands have also been spent continuing to clear the “sand bar” alongside the path.
Boroondara BUG requests that a floodwall be constructed next the path to stop this happening.
Flood walls are in use along several paths elsewhere including Moonee Ponds Creek, the Patterson River in Mordialloc and Skeleton Creek.
So far Melbourne Water has refused to to do this. There continues to be risk of serious injury of death here until an effective permanent solution is constructed.
Clay Lucas from The Age met with Peter Campbell from BBUG to discuss opportunities to improve cycling in the seat of Hawthorn and visit some locations on bikes.
You can read his coverage and watch a video here.
We visited three locations:
BBUG is asking all candidates in the 2022 Victorian state election to commit to the following opportunities for improving cycling and increasing the number of bike trips for people of all ages.
Kew
Hawthorn
Ashwood
State-wide issues
BBUG requests that:
There are lots of potential projects that could be funded – either implemented by major projects, Council or the new Active Transport Team within Department of Transport.
One of BBUG’s members recently obtained an exemption and this is what they learned…
The road rules say:
Rule 250(1A)(b) amended by S.R. No. 96/2019 rule 11(5).
(b) the rider of the bicycle is 13 years old or older and—
(i) has a certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner; and
(ii) the certificate states that the rider has a disability or medical condition which makes it undesirable, impracticable or inexpedient for the rider to ride on the road; and
(iii) the rider is complying with the conditions (if any) stated on the certificate; and
(iv) if the disability or medical condition is of a temporary nature, the certificate contains an expiry date and has not expired; and
(v) the rider is carrying the certificate; and
(vi) the rider produces the certificate when requested to do so by a police officer or authorised person;
http://classic.austlii.edu.au/…/rsrr2017208/s250.html
Road Rule 250 1A(b) provides for a medical exemption for footpath riding issued by a registered medical practitioner on the basis of Disability or Medical Condition and worded as set out in the rules.
Listen to Ruth Jelley as she describes her ride on her ebike from Northcote to Swinburne University, Hawthorn. She presented this slide deck to the Boroondara Council when they voted on the Boroondara Bike Strategy. Thanks for sharing Ruth!
The Boroondara Services Delegated Committee met on 11 July 2022 to discuss and vote on the 2022-2032 Bike Strategy.
You can view consideration of the draft Bike Strategy in the video below.
There were several presentations from members of the public. The BBUG presentation to the meeting begins at 1:01:40.
In summary, BBUG opposed the Council Officer’s recommendation to remove the Glass Creek / Jacka Trail from the strategy because it prevents the construction of a safe cycling route for students to get to schools including Balwyn North Primary, Greythorn Primary, Balwyn High & Kew High.
It is unfortunate that misinformation has been spread about this route being “unsafe” and a “busy commuter route” when it would provide students the opportunity to ride safely to school and for people to access several local recreation reserves by bike. The trail would also suit pedestrians of all ages and dog walkers.
The Boroondara Services Delegated Committee is meeting on 11 July 2022 to consider the Council Officer’s Report on the Boroondara Bicycle Strategy.
Boroondara Bicycle Users Group (BBUG) is concerned that suggested amendments to the draft strategy and implementation plan (p24) will prevent the construction of a safe cycling route for students to get to schools including Balwyn North Primary, Greythorn Primary, Balwyn High & Kew High.
This route was included in the previous drafts of the bike strategy and implementation plan.
It is unfortunate that misinformation has been spread about this route being “unsafe” and a “busy commuter route” when it will provide students the opportunity to ride safely to school and for people to access several local recreation reserves by bike. The trail would also suit pedestrians of all ages and dog walkers.
We are surprised that several of the key findings of the Community and Stakeholder Engagement Report (p33) are negative towards cycling when there are many examples of shared paths such as the Anniversary Trail, Koonung Trail, Main Yarra Trail and Darebin Creek Trail providing good amenity to both bike riders and walkers.
Riding a bike is healthy, emissions free and convenient for both local and longer trips.