Melbourne unveils plan to boost CBD bicycle traffic to 25% by 2020

A plan to vastly improve bicycle access to the Melbourne CBD, and thus reduce the number of four-wheeled traffic, has been released by the City Of Melbourne, for consideration by Council next Tuesday.

The finalised Bicycle Plan 2016 – 20, to be released to the public on Friday afternoon, aims to improve connections into and through the city centre along four strategic cycling corridors.

Its ultimate aim is to have bicycles account for one in four vehicles entering the central city in the morning peak.

If approved, the plan would create neighbourhood routes in the inner Melbourne suburbs of Kensington, North Melbourne, Carlton and Southbank, connecting to schools, shops and community facilities.

The plan would also increase bicycle parking by 2000 hoops in key public locations, and install bicycle maintenance stations and counters at entrances to the city.

Measures would also be taken to eliminate cycling related fatalities and serious injury crashes.

Melbourne is not alone in its plans to encourage cleaner, greener bicycle traffic on its roads. Just this month, Norway announced plans to increase the annual number of bike trips by up to 20 per cent by 2030, by investing 8 billion Kroner — or nearly $US1 billion — in an extensive network of bicycle superhighways.

The system will include 10 two-lane bike roadways around Norway’s largest cities, designed for both in-city travel and long distance trips.

And in Italy, the city of Milan is considering paying commuters to ride bikes instead of driving.

“We want to focus the public opinion on the fact that moving by bike is much healthier for them and for the city,” said Pierfrancesco Maran, Milan’s mobility councillor – “to give direct money to those who go to work by bike, or to give them some other sustainable-mobility incentive.

“If we look at mobility all together, for example, even half of the cost of public transport is contributed by national funds. So we will give a little money as an incentive for citizens to know that cycling is healthier than cars, and can be a good alternative in a flat city like Milan.” www.treehugger.com/bikes/polluted-and-congested-milan-may-pay-commuters-cycle-work.html