CYCLISTS and pedestrians are calling on Hobsons Bay Council to protect them from trucks and fund infrastructure improvements in the 2013-14 budget.
Brendan Dowling, who addressed last week’s council meeting, requested the extension of the Market Street bike path to provide a safe link from Newport railway station to the Hobsons Bay coastal trail.
He said trucks were parking over the bike lane in Maddox Road, leaving nowhere for bikes to go.
“The most dangerous part of this route is along Maddox Road,” Mr Dowling said.
“The heavy traffic and parking of heavy vehicles along the left-hand side of Maddox Road, as you head to Kororoit Creek Road, make it unsafe for younger or less experienced riders.
“I would not allow my 10-year-old daughter to ride along the commuter lane on Maddox Road on a weekday.”
Altona resident Leo Ledwich called on council to fix bike paths from Maidstone Street in his home suburb to the Timeball Tower at Williamstown.
“. . . In many places they are dangerous and wouldn’t be tolerated in a workplace,” Mr Ledwich’s submission states.
“I have been writing [to the council] in excess of four years and until recently very little maintenance has been carried out.”
A submission from Bicycle Network, made in support of nearly 5900 cyclists from the municipality, calls for bike lanes under the West Gate Bridge in Douglas Parade.
It also prioritises completion of the Kororoit Creek path from Federation Trail to Port Phillip Bay and a link from Federation Trail at Williamstown Road to the Bay Trail in Hyde Street.
Support is also needed for cyclists to get through Westgate Golf Course and over Stony Creek, it stated.
Mayor Angela Altair told last week’s council meeting the bicycle strategy was expected to be out for public exhibition after Tuesday.
The council’s budget is expected to be adopted on the same day.
