Bicycle Network puts bike budget forward
Bicycle Network has lodged a Tasmanian Government budget submission calling for spending of $20 per person on bike infrastructure and incentives to buy electric bicycles.
The state government has only pledged to spend $8 million over four years on on-road cycling infrastructure for the whole state, which equates to $3.75 per person per year.
Upping that amount to $20 per head per year would provide $50 million over four years which could establish separated cycleways in our major urban centres.
As well as building safer cycleways the government could be helping more people take advantage of electric bicycles by providing no-interest loans or direct grants to help more people buy e-bikes and offer salary sacrificing and lease schemes to help its employees access bikes.
The submission also requested funding for Ride2School and Ride2Work programs, planning scheme requirements for bike parking and end-of-trip facilities, better bicycle and public transport links and more funding for rail trails and bicycle tourism.
Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park Masterplan
Dirt Art are developing a masterplan for the Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park and want to know what you want to see happen.
This includes where new trails and features should be built, what sort of new infrastructure is needed and what can be removed and links with other bike infrastructure such as the Intercity Cycleway.
The survey is open until mid January and if you fill it out you go in the running for a day pass to the Maydena Bike Park or free lesson.
Channel Highway ideas open for feedback
Earlier this year the Tasmanian Government called for ideas to improve the Channel Hwy between Margate and Huntingfield and now they are asking what you think of a draft plan for road.
For bicycles they are suggesting:
- a feasibility study into an off-road path between Margate and Huntingfield that would follow the Coffee Creek fire trail rather than the Channel Hwy.
- road shoulders widened and sealed to a consistent quality
- pedestrian and cyclist bridge across North West Bay River
It doesn’t include a connnection to Kingston shopping centre, but there is ample room on Channel Hwy between Huntingfield and Kingston for a separated cycleway.
You can make your comments before 20 December on the online map.
Engagement reports online for Huon Rd & kunanyi tracks
City of Hobart has put public feedback reports on the Huon Road shoulder sealing project and shared paths on kunanyi/Mt Wellington online.
Thanks to everyone who responded to these projects, more than 1000 people on the shared paths and 169 on the Huon Rd project.
Most respondents supported more bike track being built and some tracks being just for bike riders, but many also said they were happy to keep sharing. While the Huon Rd project was overwhelmingly supported.
And Hobart City Council approved the Huon Road project at its meeting on 16 December, with work ideally happening in April-June 2020 but will depend on contractor availability.
New Hobart bridge opening delayed
The opening of the new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Brooker Highway joining The Glebe and Bathurst Street has been delayed until next year.
The City of Hobart and builder VEC are trying to sort out problems with the non-slip surface coating on the pathway, which means the bridge cannot open.
Second-hand bikes from hard-working collective
If you want to buy a sustainable Christmas present it’s difficult to go past the Risdon Vale Bike Collective’s second-hand bike sale this Saturday 21 December.
They have several children's bikes and a wide variety of adult road and cruiser bikes so you can grab a present while supporting a great initiative.
The collective has been around since 2006 working with young people to increase their work readiness and recreational opportunities through the bike workshop where they restore and maintain bikes and constructing and maintaining the Blue Hill Trails for the local community.
The sale is at 26 Sugarloaf Road, Risdon Vale, at 9 am.
