Bicycle Network: Metro Routes

Election opportunity for candidates to show support

20 August 2012 Bicycle Network Victoria has identified this project as a local council priority for the 2012 Local Government election. Candidates should be ready to support the development and full or partial funding of this project in conjunction with State Government and can tell riders in their Council area their position by posting their candidates' statement at VoteBike.

Sun shines on Solway

2 April 2012. The Solway Bridge, destroyed when Gardiners Creek rose 5.6 metres in the floods of February 2011, has been officially re-opened.

The new bridge, rideable since Janaury, boasts significant width, gradient and visibility improvements over the previous crossing. The official opening was a community event jointly hosted by the mayors of Boroondara and Stonnington and Monash’s deputy mayor. Representatives from Whitehorse Cyclists and the Boroondara Bicycle User’s Group also attended along with 120 local residents.

Boroondara Council Solway Ward Councillor Kevin Chow said the new bridge had been designed to cater for diverse users including commuting cyclists and dog walkers.

"With more than 2000 cyclists and 1000 pedestrians using the trail every day, Council is always looking at ways of making this popular path safer and more usable,” Cr Chow said.

As well as providing access to the Gardiners Creek Trail, the bridge provides a vital link between residential areas north of the creek and the East Malvern railway station.

Last month Bicycle Network’s Parkiteer team extensively letterboxed houses north of the creek to promote the East Malvern Parkiteer cage. Information was also distributed to commuters at the station itself.

This initiative has seen Parkiteer usage numbers jump 20% from 97 in February to 121 in March. New Parkiteer registrations from local residents also jumped.

Bicycle Network manages the Parkiteer network on behalf of the Department of Transport. The network includes 50 cages in both metropolitan and regional locations.

A variety behaviour change strategies - tailored by location, community and barrier - are underway across the Parkiteer network to communicate the benefits, grows usage rates and change behaviours. Impacts are monitored and modified or expanded accordingly.

Solway Bridge official opening

21 March 2012. The new Solway Street Bridge, washed away in the February 2011 floods, officially opens this weekend.

This is the final stage of the partnership project involving the cities of Boroondara, Monash and Stonnington to close the gap in the Gardiners Creek Trail, which was funded by the Federal Government under the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program.

The bridge opening ceremony will be at 11.30am on Saturday, 24 March 2012.

This is a good opportunity for riders who have not ventured up the trail lately to check it out. They will discover that the entire trip from the along the Yarra and out Gardiners Creek is vastly improved and now attracting record numbers of riders.

And there are more improvements coming.

Solway bridge open

23 December 2011. A run of good bridge building weather has resulted in the vital Solway Street bridge over Gardiners Creek being finished on schedule before the holiday season.

While the bridge itself is completed, some of the details, including the approaches, need more work.

So while you will be able to ride over it, there may be some temporary closures as the construction team attend to the final details.

Everything should be complete in March.

There will be a formal opening of the bridge in the new year.

The previous structure was washed away in the February floods early in 2011.

The bridge is a key link between the Gardiners Creek Trail, Scotchmans Creek Trail,Waverley Rail Trail, Urban Forest Trail, Anniversary Trail, Markham Reserve Trail and the Belgrave Rd, and Malvern Rd bike lanes.

As well as serving bike users the bridge is a key pedestrian link to the East Malvern Railway station.

The new bridge is better located with approach gradients that are much friendlier to bike riders, and which also meet disability requirements.

Solway span spreads

29 November 2011. The span of the new Solway Bridge over Gardiners Creek has been craned into position and is expected to be ready for riding by year's end, although work at this location is very weather dependent.

The concrete span had to be transported across the golf course and the concrete deck is now being poured.

Then safety and hand rails will be fitted and connecting path elements built, although much of the required path work has already been done.

The new Bridge will have much better alignments and grades that it's flood-prone predecessor.

There is also an opportunity for Stonnington City managers to properly segregate golfers and cyclists where the path is otherwise shared. This would benefit both groups.

Photo credit: Glennys Jones

Solway solution starts

2 October 2011. Work has started on the project to replace the Solway Street Bridge on the Gardiners Creek, washed away in the floods of February.

The photograph shows earthworks underway to prepare the site for the bridge, which is further up the creek than the previous flood prone structure.

The project is being carried out in an area subject to inundation, so the weather will be a major factor in the progress. The contract sees the bridge due for completion in early 2012.

Getting the 4 metre wide bridge span on site and installed will be very challenging as the precast span can’t come in via the roadway. Planning is underway to bring it to the site through the neighbouring golf course.

The old path which extends from the Anniversary Trail has been torn up to be replaced with a wider path that meets current standards.

Photograph per G Jones Boroondara BUG

Missing Link letting Trail down

September 2011 The missing link in Canterbury between Prospect Hill Rd and Riversdale Rd needs urgent attention. This otherwise good link which already enjoys high patronage from the community using the Anniversasry Trail for transport trips, recreational rides and getting to the many local nearby schools is being severely let down by this frustratingly short gap in the path.

The missing link is shown, in orange, on the map below

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View Anniversary Trail Prospect Hill Gap in a larger map

Solway resurrection by Christmas

28 July 2011. The replacement for the washed-away Solway Street Bridge could be open by the end of the year, with tenders for the project closing next week.

The bridge over the Gardiners Creek was washed out in the floods in February, and riders have been detoured since.

Design of the bridge has been completed and a  pre-tender site inspection took place on Wednesday 20 July.

The bridge is to be on an angled alignment to reduce the gradient down to and across the bridge. It will be angled more towards the Anniversary Trail feeder and much of the Trail along Ryeburne Avenue will be rebuilt.

Access from Solway Street for pedestrians will be via steps where there is currently a steep path. From Solway St cyclists will have the option of using a ‘bike chute’ to wheel  their bike on the side of the stairs or riding along a link path parallel to Ryeburne Ave to near Nicholas St where a connection is made to the new path from the Anniversary Trail.

The bridge will be about 22 metres long and 3 metres wide. Connecting paths will also be 3 metres wide and of concrete edged asphalt.

On the Stonnington side a “golfers’ buggy lane” will be built as part of the southern edge of the path with a crossover connecting to the existing buggy path and a realigned maintenance track heading to the east.

Local cyclists have expressed some concern that the golf buggy lane will not be separated from the shared path and that the intersection priorities are also to be changed with the insertion of a T intersection with the popular path to and from the East Malvern Railway Station. 

Fears of conflict with golf buggies and uneven traffic flows may not eventuate or can be accommodated if they do.

The long awaited bridge will restore important access for local residents to the East Malvern Railway Station and provide a safer more trafficable connection back to the Anniversary Trail and hence to the Gardiners Creek Trail at the new Warrigal Road underpass.

The design can also be adapted to fit in to a future extension of the Gardiners Creek Trail along the creek on the Stonnington Council side of the waterway.

No way on Solway

9 February 2011. The damage-prone Solway Bridge over the Gardiners Creek has been swept away in the recent storm and the critical connection between the Anniverary, Scotchmans and Gardiners trails will be missing for an indefinite period.

The bridge also linked the Waverley Rail Trail, Urban Forest Trail, Markham Reserve Trail and the Belgrave Rd, and Malvern Rd bike lanes.

As well as serving bike users the bridge was a key pedestrian link to the East Malvern Railway station.

A detour is now in place.

The detour route from the Anniversary Trail is to be via Ryburne Ave, Solway St, Glen Rd, Winton Rd and then back on the Gardiners Creek Trail either downstream to the City or upstream via the repaired path beside the golf course to the south bank of the Solway Bridge.

Riding upstream take the reverse of the above route if heading for the Anniversary Trail otherwise continue up to where the Solway Bridge used to be.

The floods destroyed the bridge despite some $150,000 of strengthening works carried out in 2008 by City of Stonnington.

A new bridge has been planned for some time as part of the Markham Reserve path link to Warrigal Road underpass. But is in the budget for 2011/12 financial year, five years later than first intended.

A new bridge will have to be on an improved alignment and with lesser gradients.

Bike priority on Anniversary Trail crossing

3 August 2010. A new crossing on the historic Anniversary Trail gives bikes priority over cars, greatly improving the tricky approach to Alamein station.

When the Outer Circle Railway line through Alamein opened in 1890, trains had priority; later cars dominated.

Now thanks to Boroondara City’s quality crossing design cyclists have been given right of way. The Laurel Street link road near Alamein railway station has been redesigned, regraded, rebuilt and made much safer for all path users.

Despite Boroondara BUG objections some years ago when the reconstruction of the Anniversary Trail was being planned, the trail was built with steep approaches and poor sight distance resulting in an unsafe crossing.

A new, more enlightened attitude has resulted in an excellent, user-friendly safe crossing. Give Way signs facing motorists make priority clear as does the yellow pavement crossing.

The calming treatment has been observed to be very successful with drivers of vehicles slowing right down which will make parents happier about children using the Trail to get to school .

Missing Link needs to be solved

June 2010 Riders are currently forced to ride along Prospect Hill Rd, cross at the corner of Spenser St (a blindspot for oncoming drivers along Prospect Hill Rd) and then ride onroad along Spenser St to rejoin the path at Riversdale Park. This route is shown in red on the map, right

There is an existing water easement along the western boundary of Riversdale Park which can solve the issue, shown in orange on map right

Outer Circle gets more bike friendly

20 January 2010. The picturesque and peaceful Anniversary Outer Circle Rail Trail now has two new bike priority intersections to get riders across Argyle and Normanby Roads.

Boroondara City was keen to see the amenity of this trail improved and sought funding from the State Government to assist with the project.

The 'Zebra' pedestrian crossing in Normanby Road is 3m wide, on the same road level with modified pram ramps and with bluestone kerb outstand islands to slow and alert car drivers to the crossing.

Motorists' awareness will be facilitated by the zebra crossing signs and a recently installed 150WHPS light. Normanby Road is a bus route so a raised platform crossing was not appropriate.

The crossing in Argyle Road is also 3m wide, but on a raised pavement at the same level of footpath. The Council determined that the low road traffic volumes could be given second priority after Trail users by installing 'Give Way' signs favouring Trail users.

A median island, a splitter island and appropriate signage change all contribute to a cycle-friendly crossing.

No new bridge at Solway Street

Jun 07 The exisiting bridge has now been repaired and is open to path users.

We would like to express our disappointment at this outcome. The bridge is an important connection between the Gardiners Creek Trail and the Anniversary Trail yet the current bridge is very narrow and a hazard for all users.

The bridge was closed for 14 months and unfortunately Stonnington Council then decided to reuse the existing narrow bridge decking rather than build a new bridge.

Please show your support for a new bridge by emailing the City of Stonnington. We need to get as many path users as possible to email the council to ensure they're aware of the number of people that use the bridge.

Click on email me updates above to receive notification of important news and campaign activities.

May 07 Unfortunately the City of Stonnington has decided to not replace the damaged Solway St bridge (Melway 69 B1) with a new structure. Council has decided to secure the footings of the damaged bridge and reuse the existing bridge structure. 

This is very disappointing and concerning because the existing bridge is very narrow, well below engineering standards and is obviously a danger to users.

It is so narrow that bike riders travelling in opposite directions cannot pass each other with ease and it definitely does not provide enough space for the many dog walkers, walkers with prams and people making their way to East Malvern station.

We have expressed our frustration to council and will continue to try for a better bridge for this important link between the Gardiners Creek Trail and the Anniversary Trail.

Oct 06 Unfortunately the process of building a new bridge (Melway 69 B1) has taken longer than originally anticipated. It is expected that the new bridge will be available for use in mid February next year.

The interim alternate crossing of the creek, downstream of the Solway Street pedestrian bridge, accessed from Winton Road remains the closest crossing point. Due to this extended delay, a review of the alternate route is being undertaken, particularly the Winton Road section to improve safety for on road cyclists. The review may result in additional signage and linemarking on Winton Road to improve driver awareness of cyclists.

April 06

The Solway Street Pedestrian Bridge (Melway 69 B1) has been assessed as potentially unsafe following erosion of the northern-creek embankment during recent storms.

Both Boroondara and Stonnington Councils have been planning to replace this pedestrian bridge and have allocated funding for a new bridge to be built 10m upstream of the existing bridge. Unfortunately, the current bridge has deteriorated at a rapid rate. Work on the new bridge is expected to commence and finish in the second half of 2006.

An interim alternate crossing of the creek is available downstream of the Solway Street pedestrian bridge and can be accessed from Winton Road.
Boroondara and Stonnington Councils apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Whitehorse Rd crossing, Deepdene

2004 After many years of lobbying by the local community, pedestrian signals were installed at Whitehorse Rd in Deepdene (picutred right). This was a dangerous crossing point on the Anniversary-Outer Circle Trail.

Now students attending Deepdene Primary School and Camberwell Grammar School, which are on the trail, can safely use the trail to get to school.

Trail audit

In 2003 Bicycle Network Victoria and Boroondara BUG were involved in a trail audit of the Anniversary-Outer Circle Trail.

Our recommendations included:

• Removing bollards from the centre of the path

• Marking a broken centre line along the length of the trail to assist with navigation

• Partially removing cicanes at road crossings on the southern section of the trail

• Investigate installing a pedestrian/cycling bridge parallel to the rail bridge at Toorak Rd

• Improve the trail alignment at Ashburton station

• Investigate improving the road crossing at High St, Ashburton

• Realigning connection through Hyde Park to the underpass on the Main Yarra Trail (Melway map 45 E2).

Solway Street Pedestrian Bridge Closure