A bike route through Hobart’s Macquarie Point will be a great addition to the city’s biggest public space.
But the big question remains: where will it go?
Last week, members of the Hobart City Council’s bike advisory committee inspected the site with Macquarie Pt Development Corporation staff as part of the process to pin down a route.
The site – Hobart’s former railyards – provides a natural connection between the InterCity Cycleway and the waterfront. And the council has already agreed that it should fund the cycleway extension to the Macquarie Pt boundary.
After that, however, it gets difficult.
The corporation is looking at several options: through the middle of the zone to link with Evans St about midway along its length; ending at the Evans St-Davey St intersection; or at the port end of Evans St to join with Hunter St.
Bicycle Network’s view is that the route through the precinct must remain consistent with the current function of the InterCity Cycleway as a separated commuter route that is shared with walkers.
Therefore, the two favoured routes are those that connect with each end of Evans St.
Inevitably there will be riders who would continue to use the current route from the end of the cycleway at McVilly Drive, down the side of the Tasman Highway to join with Davey St and the cycleway around the waterfront. Reason: it’s shorter and more direct.
