Bicycle Network: Funding & Budgets

Postcard released to celebrate new bike funding

You might have seen our postcards in cafes, shops and cinemas around Melbourne. They have been produced to let people know that 'the time for bikes has come' and to thank the politicians involved in making it happen.

See below for details of the new funding and the email addresses to send your thank you to.

The postcard (front pictured below and full card linked at right of this page) has been selected by Avant Card as their card of the month and can now be sent to friends as an eCard by clicking here.

Transport and Liveability Statement provides $72 million for riders

14 May - The Premier has announced that the Transport and Liveability Statement will deliver $13 million per year for cycling and walking facilities in Melbourne. This is a great step up from the current spend of $7 million per year.

This commitment is in line with the submissions to Government made by Bicycle Network Victoria and strongly supported by letters from members. It was worth writing that email.

We encourage all riders to thank the Premier and responsible Ministers, they have worked hard to secure these funds. (Thankyou email links are below.)

The highlights are:

• An increase to VicRoads funding for cycling and walking facilities from $4 million per year to over $10.4 million per year, for the next ten years ($64 million total new funds). This will build on the excellent work currently being done by VicRoads and is a sign of the Minister for Transport's strong commitment to cycling.
  This new money will allow VicRoads to develop the second generation routes with greater European style separation. These on- and off-road routes will be developed in regional and metro Victoria and will give a whole new group of people the confidence to use their bikes for transport and draw new people into recreational riding.
• Throughout the Statement there are other funded commitments that include improved cycling and walking access, for example to shopping centres and Transit Cities (these include Ringwood and Frankston).
• $8 million for Parks Victoria to deliver major projects for Melbourne’s bike paths. This will build stage one of the Yarra Trail realignment, from Gipps to Walmer Street in Abbotsford. The fact that this particular project was announced was in no small part due to the hard work put in by the local member Richard Wynne who has been pushing the project at every opportunity for some time now. If you use this part of the Trail, or intend to, please thank Richard by email
  We have advocated for other high-priority projects, including linking the Darebin Creek Trail to the Main Yarra Trail and the rail trail bridge over the Maroondah Highway in Lilydale. We hope that these will be commited to as well out of this $8m.

Bicycle Network Victoria welcomes these new funds and is very pleased that the state government has continued to increase its commitment to cycling facilities in Victoria. We can now expect the construction of many new and improved bike lanes and trails across Victoria during the next ten years. 

For many years we have been working hard with the government to get to this point, and we congratulate all Ministers, local politicians and departmental staff involved in developing this package.

For a full page version of this graph, follow the link on the right of this page.

If you would like to show your support for this announcement send an email to

The Premier: steve.bracks@minstaff.vic.gov.au

The Deputy Premier: john.thwaites@minstaff.vic.gov.au

The Minister for Transport: peter.batchelor@minstaff.vic.gov.au 

Please CC your email to campaigns@bv.com.au