Bicycle Network: Metro Routes

Lanes of Plenty in South Morang

21 February 2013. The recently opened Plenty Road duplication in South Morang includes bike lanes along the 2.4k section.

Plenty Road is an important north-south road link, connecting inner Melbourne with growing suburbs some 23kms to the north and is on the Principle Bicycle Network.

As part of the Plenty Road duplication project an on-road bike lane has been provided for the length of the project, connecting to the existing on-road bike lane from the south.

“The 2.4 kilometre duplication from Gordons Road to Riverdale Boulevard also includes bicycle lanes and bus priority lanes to improve alternative transport connections in the north,” Roads Minister, Terry Mulder said.

The on-road bike lanes are asphalt and 1.8m in width. This dimension is within the acceptable range of the Austroads guides for an 80 km/h posted speed limit road (according to the Austroads guides, 2m wide is the desirable width when designing on-road bicycle lanes for new roads in an 80km/h zone). More here.

In some sections, profiled edge line marking has been applied to enhance visual and tactile separation.

The Plenty Road duplication project runs through a mix of urban and rural landscapes. In the urban sections fronted by residential homes, standard solid (thermoplastic) line marking has been used to separate the bike lane from motor vehicle traffic. In the rural sections, profiled edge line marking has been used, also known as 'rumble strips' or 'vibraline'.

Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Craig Ondarchie said local residents would benefit from the increased safety.

“As a local South Morang resident and daily user of Plenty Road, I'm delighted to see the opening of the duplication.

"It has made the roads safer for local residents, visitors and in particular for parents during school drop-off and pick-up time,” Mr Ondarchie said.