Safe Cycling Corridor Pilot

The first step in the design process (selection of road scenarios to progress to further design) is drawing to a close. Meetings have been held with the Community Reference Group, the Technical Advisory Group and the Strategic Transport Advisory Committee, as well as local traders and the Glen Eira Bicycle Users Group.

To assist stakeholder exploration of the options, an independent Report has been produced by ARUP. The Report explores issues, opportunities and considerations that could be investigated and has been produced to add to the discussion. It can be found here. An event report, minutes and working notes from the first CRG meeting are available in the library to the right.

As communicated previously, in December 2019 Council resolved to progress an exploration of design options for a corridor along Inkerman Road and to receive a project plan for this work at a Council meeting in early 2020.

This project plan outlines how a draft plan for the Corridor will be developed, which will include analysis of issues, concerns and opportunities that have been raised so far in the project.

Following last Tuesday night’s Council Meeting, we are now sharing the steps outlined in this plan that will be undertaken:

Step 1 – Selection of corridor scenarios (February to March)

• Identification of priority road scenarios
• Confirm corridor scenarios for further exploration

Step 2 – Development of a draft plan for the Corridor (April to May)

• Development of a preliminary draft plan
• Technical analysis of a draft plan
• Finalise a draft plan for consultation

Step 3 – Consultation on a draft plan (June-August)

• Seek community feedback on a draft plan for the Corridor
• Review feedback
• Present feedback and recommendations to Council

Steps 1 and 2 will be supported by engagement with a range of stakeholders:

• A Community Reference Group with membership of local community members
• Meetings local traders and organisation representatives
• Meetings with Council’s Strategic Transport Advisory Committee
• A Technical Advisory Group with government and interest group membership

In Step 3, the wider community will be invited to provide feedback on a draft plan prior to finalisation and presentation at a Council meeting later in the year for a decision on whether to proceed further.

You can read more about these steps by visiting the Safe Cycling Corridor Pilot project page.

The full Report from last Tuesday night’s Council Meeting is available here. Video footage of the meeting can be viewed online.

Thank you for your interest in the project, we appreciate your involvement and look forward to ongoing engagement with you.

If you have not already subscribed to the Safe Cycling Corridor pilot project page to receive updates, please consider doing so, so that we can keep you up to date with new information on the project.

At the 17 December 2019 meeting, Council will consider endorsing a route as the Safe Cycling Corridor. Information gathered from the community and stakeholders, together with a technical analysis of the route options will be considered.

The Council report and attachments that will be considered on Tuesday 17 December 2019 can be viewed and downloaded via the links below:

• Council report

• Assessment of routes

• Letters from Department of Transport and Councils

• CoDesign Community Engagement Report

• CoDesign Community Engagement Report Appendices

Following the Council meeting, a further update will be published.

We would like to thank everyone who got involved with the project and shared their views with us over the last few months, including those who completed a survey, those who came to a listening post, a drop-in session, sent an email, phoned Council or attended a focus group.

Should you have any questions, please contact the project team via cityfutures@gleneira.vic.gov.au or phone 9524 3333.

We have heard the community's concerns and will now be thoroughly exploring the following four routes between Caulfield Station Precinct and the St Kilda Road Corridor:

• Dandenong Road
• Inkerman Road
• Alma Road eastbound and Inkerman Road westbound (one-way)
• Inkerman Road/Alma Road (two-way)

Over the next few months, we will be undertaking detailed analysis of each route and as per our commitment at the 30 April Council meeting, will fast track discussions with the Department of Transport and neighbouring councils, to identify the most feasible possible corridor.

This will be a significant undertaking and we are aiming to present a report to Council on 3 September that includes a comprehensive analysis of each corridor and the outcome of our discussions with the Department of Transport and neighbouring councils. We will keep residents informed along the way and will formally notify those who may be affected by any of the alternative routes, inviting them to share their views with us.

We are still committed to establishing a Community Reference Group and are currently considering how the increase in scope to consider 4 routes may impact Reference Group membership.

Our philosophy behind our Integrated Transport Strategy acknowledges that for many people, driving is the only option. With this in mind we aim to make alternative transport modes more attractive to those who can travel in other ways, with the intention that this will result in fewer car trips, thus reducing congestion on the roads. This needs to be weighed up against the local amenity of the residents of any road affected by the proposed changes, which would consider many factors including the issues raised. Taking this all into account, Council will assess which route may be suitable.

Feedback and questions can still be submitted via this page or contact our City Futures Department on 9524 3333.

On Tuesday 19 March, Council resolved to request a report from officers which analyses alternative protected bicycle corridors to the Inkerman Road protected bicycle corridor.

The report will focus on Dandenong and Alma Roads as alternatives and is expected to be presented at the 30 April Council meeting. Further information can be found in the 19 March meeting minutes at www.gleneira.vic.gov.au

Due to this recent request, we will be extending the current stage of community consultation until the end of May 2019, with the Community Reference Group expressions of interest also extended to be open throughout this period.

The Community Reference Group will now be appointed in early June with a meeting scheduled to occur shortly after.

To express your interest in joining the Community Reference Group, click here.

Over the past two weeks, we have reached out to the most affected community members along and nearby Inkerman Road. This involved door knocking and a letter inviting more than 7,000 community members in the area to last week’s community information session.

We thank you for your continued interest in the project and attendance at our information session last week. We had approximately 200 people attend and tell us their views.

At the community information session, we heard that:

· there is significant concern regarding potential loss of parking;

· other routes should be explored such as Dandenong Road; and,

· the residential access and road safety concerns of the local Inkerman Road community should be prioritised.

We’d like to thank all attendees for the many questions, issues and suggested opportunities we received at this session. As outlined, no decision on design has yet been made, and all options and issues are being carefully considered. We will now take the time to review the feedback thoroughly and, as promised, we will publish the meeting notes over the coming weeks.