A long-awaited upgrade to the key bicycle link between Footscray and the CBD has received a mixed reaction from cyclists.
The $650,000 upgrade to the notoriously unpopular Shepherd Bridge shared user path, including a widening of the path along the busy truck route, was unveiled last week.
State Roads Minister Terry Mulder said the cycling route was one of Melbourne’s busiest and the upgrade made the Maribyrnong River crossing “significantly safer and more user friendly”.
“Shepherd Bridge serves as a vital link for 40,000 vehicles, 20 per cent of them commercial vehicles, and 1100 cyclists each day,” he said.
The path has been resurfaced and widened to 3.5 metres, with the most-dangerously placed street lighting poles repositioned.
Mr Mulder said the improvements coincided with a $5.3 million extension of the Federation Trail over the Newport-Albion freight line.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said the next step was improvements on Footscray Road at the Waterfront Way and Pearl River Road intersections.
“We recently awarded a $700,000 contract for bike safety improvements to help make crossing the left-hand turn slip lanes at these intersections safer for cyclists and pedestrians,” Mr Elsbury said.
New traffic lights and green bike lane pavement are expected to be finished by early next year.
Bicycle Network chief executive Craig Richards said the Shepherd Bridge upgrade could cause rider numbers to soar. But BayWest Bicycle Users Group member Jennifer Williams said while the works were an improvement, a new barrier should have been installed to protect cyclists from passing trucks.
“It’s a shame there are still some light poles remaining. The preferred option would be a separate bridge over the river.”
Cyclists are also pushing for a Federation Trail extension to connect Fogarty Avenue to Whitehall Street in Yarraville.
VicRoads regional director Patricia Liew said options included a combination of on- and off-road connections.
“VicRoads’ preliminary cost estimate for the Fogarty Avenue to Whitehall Street section is between $15 million to $30 million.”
