Photograph by knehcsg, from Flikr.com.
A move to defer a proposed bike lane on St Kilda road has been thwarted.
Councillor Cathy Oke announced the 300-metre lane in a media release on 25 July, but on Tuesday fellow councillor Richard Foster moved to delay the development.
The motion was voted down at the council’s Future Committee Meeting on Tuesday night, with only Cr Jackie Watts lending her support to Cr Foster.
Councillor Cathy Oke said the need for the lane, which will be physically separated from cars by a short barrier as in this impression, was “basically an issue of safety.”
“The need (for a bike lane) on St Kilda road is an obvious one. It has the highest incidence of car-dooring in the state,” Cr Oke said.
Bicycle Network spokesperson Garry Brennan described the result as “great news for the city’s bike riders.”
“Councillor Foster’s move had created considerable anxiety because riders after had to face difficult conditions for so many years, and they were just starting to see the benefits of the council’s investment,” he said.
But community activist Anthony van de Craats said the bike lane was “$330,000 that could have been better spent,” and expressed concerns about congestion and public safety.
“If you have an elderly or a disabled commuter they won’t be able to safely exit from the car, and an ambulance that can’t get past the tram tracks because there’s two trams there will have no alternative,” he said.
“It would have been better if they’d undertaken a review so people could have gone through the process with them, rather than being forced through the process.”
Construction of the lane was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but the project was delayed when Cr Foster’s intention to challenge the project became clear.
Works will now begin at the end of August, with the lane’s construction expected to take five weeks to complete.
This timeline provides an overview of the developments in the St Kilda Road bicycle lane controversy.
Tell us your views on the new St Kilda Road bike lane below.
