Active travel supporters: Member for Canberra Alicia Payne, Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith and City Services Minister Tara Cheyne at the announcement. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Construction has started on the first stage of a new cycleway that will connect the inner north and the city and provide a safer route than Northbourne Avenue, at least for people who live away from the corridor in those suburbs.
Funded 50:50 with the Federal Government, the $10 million first stage of the Garden City Cycle Way will run from the corner of Cooyong and Torrens Streets in Braddon through to Angas Street in Ainslie. It has been split into three sub-stages for progressive construction.
Further stages will connect with Dickson, Hackett, Downer, Watson, Hackett and the Federal Highway.
Cycling lobby Pedal Power ACT is calling for construction to be sped up and continues to call for a separated cycle lane on Northbourne Avenue.
The ACT Government says the first works will deliver a four-metre-wide concrete walking and cycling path on the eastern verge of Torrens Street from Cooyong Street to Henty Street, as well as a three-metre-wide path continuing from Henty Street to Ijong Street in Braddon.
The existing concrete path will be removed and replaced, and six new raised concrete zebra crossings will be constructed along the route for safe passage at the crossing points on Torrens Street (near Cooyong Street), Elouera Street, Girrahween Street, Henty Street, Helemon Street and Ipima Street.
Procurement is underway for the next two construction packages, which will include works along Torrens Street, Ijong Street and Angas Street, as well as new traffic lights at the Limestone Avenue/Ijong Street intersection.
A new 3-metre-wide asphalt walking and cycling path will be constructed on the eastern verge at the start of Angas Street, then crossing to the western verge and continuing to Majura Avenue.
Where the path crosses driveways, sections of the driveway will be treated with coloured pavement marking and line marking will be used to alert the driveway crossing point.
In addition, four raised concrete zebra crossings will be constructed along the cycleway at the crossing points on Angas Street, Wakefield Avenue and at the Ainslie district playing fields carpark entry and exit.
Construction of the first Torrens Street sub-stage is expected to take around seven months to complete and be open for use in early 2025.
From the City to Watson, eventually. Image: ACT Government.
Pedal Power CEO Simon Copland welcomed the work but urged the government to get cracking on the other stages.
“It’s an important project and one that will help increase accessibility for active transport for lots of people in those suburbs,” he said.
“What we’re hoping is that the government can get going and really make this whole project happen. We would like to see commitments for stages 2 and 3 to be funded and also that it will be built quickly.”
Mr Copland said Pedal Power would continue to press the government on a separated cycleway on Northbourne Avenue, which was the direct link to the city for people in Gungahlin and those who live along the corridor.
He said that while people in the inner north suburbs back from Northbourne Avenue would eventually have a safer option to the city, cycle traffic on the corridor was expected to increase as apartment blocks were completed.
“We don’t expect it will take heaps of pressure off Northbourne Avenue,” Mr Copland said.
“This route meanders through the suburbs, but Northbourne Avenue is still the most direct route for those who want to get into the city from the north.
“I live in Gungahlin, and I would not take this [new] route because it would take too long.”
But Mr Copland said the government had been clear that a separated lane on Northbourne Avenue was not on the agenda.
Where the Garden City Cycleway will start at Torrens Street. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr brushed away the question at the project press conference, saying the Garden City Cycleway was the priority.
“Off-road cycling lanes are safer, there is no doubting it,” he said.
Mr Barr defended the time it had taken to start the project that has been talked about for 20 years, saying it was a complex project and the alignment needed to be carefully planned.
He said that with 50,000 jobs in the CBD and 50,000 people in the inner north who wanted more active travel infrastructure, the project would support them to make their way to work in an active way.
City Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the cycleway would provide separation from busier routes such as Northbourne Avenue.
“This is something for me that I think is quite akin to what we see in places like Amsterdam, where there is that gentle movement of cyclists as well as pedestrians, but also with that necessary suburban separation from some of the major thoroughfares where there might be more cars or trucks,” she said.
The Federal Government has set up a $100 million Active Transport Fund.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the ACT could take credit for the fund, with ACT Senator Katy Gallagher and Mr Barr lobbying for Commonwealth funding for active travel.
While access to the fund will be a competitive process, she said the ACT was in a pretty good position to benefit.
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