Bicycle Network: Directory

Darebin draft Budget 2013/14 available for public comment

09 May 2013. Darebin Council's draft Budget 2013/14 is available for public comment until 5th June 2013, see council website here.

As a ratepayer and rider in the City of Darebin now is the time for council to hear from you if you want more funding to improve the Darebin riding environment. We encourage you to make a submission to council.

Bicycle Network's own budget submission to Darebin Council is available here.

Bicycle Network Victoria needs your membership support to continue to campaign for improving riding conditions for all riders. Become a member and receive crash cover and support, rider information and deals and help improve riding conditions.

Darebin riders - drafting of council Budget 2013/14 underway

05 March 2013. As you read this Darebin City Council is preparing its draft 2013/14 Budget. The time to act is now for more bike infrastructure funding!

Last financial year council committed $7.67 per resident on bike related infrastructure.

Cycling participation in Darebin is on the increase: On census day in 2011, 2,752 people rode to work by bicycle. In the 2006 census, this number was 1,742. (This is a +57.98% change).

Click here to tell your Council to invest in bike infrastructure (E-mail contacts for local Council and Councillors provided) in the 2013/14 Budget, to keep up with the bike boom underway in Darebin.

As a ratepayer and rider in the City of Darebin now is the time for Council to hear from you if you want more funding to improve the Darebin riding environment.

Bicycle Network Victoria needs your membership support to continue to campaign for improving riding conditions for all riders. Become a member and receive crash cover and support, rider information and deals and help improve riding conditions.

More information can be found in the Bicycle Expenditure Index (BiXE) report.

Bicycle Expenditure Index (BiXE) 2012

15 November 2012. The City of Darebin’s BiXE rating for 2012 is $7.67. This is above the Middle Zone council average for 2012, which is $4.89. This is based upon council spending of $1,088,000 and population of 141,791.

Relevant bicycle related investment for the 2012/2013 financial year includes but is not necessarily limited to expenditure upon the following projects/programs:
• Improving cycling facilities
• Shared path renewal program: Darebin and Merri Creek Trails

Additional spending sourced from external grants and funds may apply, but that is outside the scope of BiXE reporting.

The City of Darebin achieved a five-year BiXE average of $6.08. This is above the Middle Zone council five-year average for 2012, which is $5.12.

See full BiXE report available here.

VoteBike - Local Council Elections 2012

27 October 2012. Local council elections are being held in Victoria on October 27 2012. Bicycle Network Victoria is once again running VoteBike that allows you to engage with potential candidates on local cycling issues. We will collect statements from candidates about their commitment to cycling in Darebin and publish them on the VoteBike Facebook event page for you to comment on.

Bicycle Network Victoria has identified the following key projects for the City of Darebin that need the support of local councilors: 

• Wingrove, South Crescent and Westgarth route - Investigate the opportunities to make this a priority cycling route.
• Darebin Rd (High St to Station St) - Continue to campaign for on-road lanes on Darebin Road.
• Curb out parking in activity centres - Get behind vibrant shopping strips by supporting on street bike parking on High St, Northcote and at Preston Market.
• Ride2School - Continue to provide safe routes to schools foster healthy transport options for kids and reduce peak morning traffic congestion by up to 20%.

To view candidate statements for Darebin go to our Find a Candidate page. Or to comment on candidate statements as well as voice your support for particular local cycling projects, visit our Facebook events page for Darebin.

VoteBike allows you to have your say and make sure your vote counts for improved cycling conditions in your local area.

New Darebin Advisory Committee

16 May 2011 Darebin City Council is establishing a Darebin Bicycle Advisory Committee (DBAC) to assist Council in improving conditions for bike riders in the municipality. Council is seeking expressions of interest from people who live, work or study in Darebin to join the DBAC. See further information. 

CycleWise Free* bike training for adults in Darebin

26 May 2010 There’s a new cycle course running in Darebin that will enable people who can already ride but aren’t confident riding on road to get to the point where they can start to make the trips they want, when they want.

The training is available to people who live, work or study in the City of Darebin, and is an interactive and fun half day course for adults, to promote safe and confident bicycling around the city.

The 5 hour course mixes theory and practical components including topics such as bike setup and safety checks, road rules for cyclists, basic bike skills and confidence riding in traffic, where to ride and more.

The training will be based at Jika Jika Community Centre in Northcote, who currently also run beginner cycling courses. Courses will be run in June, August, Sept, Oct, Nov 2010 and February 2011. The small groups mean there will be limited places, so book now!

For more information call or email Max at Jika Jika Community Centre, Tel: 9482 5100 email: office@jikajika.org.au

* Free for concession card holders, refundable booking fee applies / $30 full fee.

BiXE 2009: City of Darebin

Darebin City Council has a BiXE 2009 of $4.52 which falls below the average BiXE of $5.95 for this area and so is below Bicycle Network Victoria’s recommended $5 per resident threshold. Darebin has achieved a 3 year average BiXE of $5.19.

Looking ahead, Darebin City Council has further opportunities to invest funds into infrastructure such as:
• Providing for bikes as part of the Tram Route 86 project
• Providing more on road bike lanes on Council-maintained roads, such as Darebin Road, particularly around schools.

Darebin City Council illuminates riders

May 07 Darebin Council officers and Victoria Police members were out on the St Georges Road Bike path recently to promote the importance of rider visibility and encourage safe and legal cycling within Darebin during evening/night.

As the days get shorter and darker, it’s time to think about your safety as a cyclist,” said Morgan Scholz from Darebin Council. 

“During winter most of the commuter trips and half of all trips will require working bike lights,” said Senior Constable Sophie Leete, “The law requires a flashing or steady white light (front) and red light (rear) that is clearly visible for at least 200m from the bicycle.”

Council and Police handed out more than 200 flashing LED secondary lights to cyclists along with information and advice on what cyclists can do to improve their visibility.

“It was heartening to see many cyclists with good working lights” said Mr Scholz
“it’s also important to remember to change the batteries in your existing bike lights and fluorescent clothing can greatly improve your visibility to other, especially in poor light conditions.” 

Bike Rider Counts

Jun 06 Darebin Bicycle User Group has been counting bike riders at many locations for the past four years. The counts normally happen early each year, although this year they occurred in a wet week in May. Each site is monitored for two hours in the morning peak (7am - 9am).

The exciting news is that in spite of the weather there has been an 11% increase in the total number of cyclists from 2005 to 2006 (948 to 1048). Many sites have shown a growth in rider numbers with an average increase of 20% ranging from a few percent to over 70% increase. Click here for details.

Cycling strategy

Jun 05 Darebin Council formally adopted a Cycling Strategy for the years 2005-2009. This document supercedes the previous plan which was developed in 1998.

May 05 Council has developed a draft bike strategy. This will be an excellent opportunity to prioritise the development of key bicycle routes and plan for a comprehensive bicycle network of paths, bike lanes and local streets.

We consider the following routes as important:

• Completing gap in shared path between GE Robinson Park and Cheddar Rd path
• Darebin Creek Trail
• Plenty Rd
• Gilbert Rd, Reservoir
• Broadway, Reservoir
• Murray Rd, Preston
• Cramer & Gower St, Preston
• Station St, Northcote
• Albert St, Preston
• Massey Ave, Reservoir
• High St.

Pro-cycling councillors elected in Darebin Council

Nov 04 Council elections in Darebin have seen a majority of councillors elected who support vital cycling projects. Candidates were surveyed in the lead up to the elections by local Bicycle User Groups.

Darebin Bicycle User Group (BUG)surveyed Darebin City Council election candidates to gauge their support for three major cycling projects. They asked candidates if they would vote to support the following vital cycling projects:

Q1. Upgrading the St Georges Rd/Merri Pde roundabout to provide a safe link from the St Georges Rd shared path to the Merri Creek Trail and Brunswick St on-road bike lanes

Q2. Linking the Darebin Creek Trail with the Main Yarra Trail in Kew

Q3. Completing the gap in the Darebin Creek Trail from Darebin Parklands north to John Cain Memorial Park, including a Darebin Rd underpass

The responses of the elected councillors are given below. Some councillors refused to answer the survey or did not respond. The next task is to follow up with the new council to make sure they complete the projects and work to making Darebin more cycle friendly.

St Georges Rd path

Jun 05 VicRoads has completed the gap in the popular St Georges Rd path between Bell St and Miller St in Preston. This is great news for cyclists heading to the city from Reservoir or Preston and students attending NMIT. Until now cyclists had to detour onto the busy roadway or use the footpath and dirt 'goat track'.

We are following up on a couple of details that could be improved. The signalised crossings at Oakover and Miller St do not automatically turn green when the traffic lights turn green which means cyclists approaching the intersection must stop to push the button even when it is safe for them to cross.

Also, the alignment of the path on the south side of the intersection at Miller St has a sharp turn that could be made less severe. It's sharpness results in 'cutting' the corner.

Bike lanes

Jul 03 Council installed a bike lane on Victoria Rd between Westgarth St, Northcote and Dundas St, Thornbury. The bike lanes were a major campaign for Darebin BUG and provide a valuable north-south link through the municipality as well as connecting to Northcote Aquatic Centre. Bicycle Network Victoria’s input to the plans resulted in improvements including wider bike lanes.

Darebin City Council consults regularly with both Bicycle Network Victoria and the Darebin Bicycle Users Group on the planning and design of new bicycle facilities.