While the West Gate Tunnel veloway is expected to open by the end of this year, a western suburbs cycling campaigner is warning bike riders that they might have trouble accessing it.
Vice president of cycling advocacy not-for-profit Bike West, Pierre Vairo, said while the veloway was great, the lack of dedicated connections to it were not.
“They don’t exist,” said Mr Vairo,
“For residents of say Footscray, West Footscray, Maidstone, there’s no real safe way to get to the veloway.
“It’s like opening a brand new freeway but forgetting to build the on ramps.”
Built as part of the West Gate Tunnel project, the bright green cycling path runs for 2.5km between Footscray to Docklands, sitting beneath the new freeway and above Footscray Road.
While the veloway will allow cyclists to avoid six busy intersections along Footscray Road where cyclists have been killed in the past, Mr Vairo said the lack of connections to it would still put bike riders at risk.
“Access is by either walking your bike across Footscray Station, or you mix with trucks on Napier and Buckley streets and there’s a third option, a 1.5km detour via Seddon.”
Mr Vairo said the situation was especially frustrating as the most obvious solution – dedicated bike lanes along Napier and Buckley Streets – was once proposed by the current Prime Minister when he was in opposition.
“Anthony Albanese himself in 2019 (during the federal election) felt that this was required but he didn’t win that election.
“It was gonna link West Footscray Station to the Footscray Road bike path,“
Fraser MP and Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether federal government still supported funding dedicated bike lanes along Napier and Buckley streets.
According to Mr Vairo, Footscray MP Katie Hall had indicated support for the bike lane proposal but said no money was available for it at a state level.
Ms Hall is on leave and inquiries to her office were passed onto the Minister Transport Infrastructure and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams, who didn’t respond before deadline.
