Prospect council in SA decides no room for cyclists
When I think of cycling in Australia I like to think that whilst we’re no Europe cycling mecca, we’ve at least got it better then a lot of other countries out there.
Having lived in Melbourne I was admittedly spoilt with the abundance of bicycle lanes and large cycling community.
Over in the suburb of Prospect, South Australia things aren’t so good.
Prospect council recently announced plans to remove the bicycle lanes on Prospect road. Currently Prospect road serves as a main arterial road and is single lane both ways with a bicycle lane on either side.
The proposal to remove bicycle lanes has been brought about because the council wants to widen the footpath to make way for outdoor seating. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that charging local retailers for using outdoor space is more profitable then having a non-revenue generating bicycle lane on the road.
As you can see below, with double lines and traffic islands along much of the middle of Prospect road, space is already pretty limited as it is.
For cyclists, the removal of the bicycle lanes will mean cyclists will be required to claim lanes to commute. This will mean the mixing of cyclists, 154 buses and 20,400 vehicles a day on a single lane road.
Whilst I can appreciate the need to increase road width to accommodate local traffic congestion, removing bicycle lanes to increase footpath widths? Cmon guys, this is just another short sighted cash grab that will be costly to reverse in the future.
Most councils seem to be encouraging cycling as a viable form of transport yet here we are in 2010 discussing the removal of bicycle lanes.
Local cycling group, BUG Prospect have organised a campaign to protest against the changes. Currently they have a petition with over 3,000 signatures and a whole bunch of other resources on their website.
Let’s hope they manage to get the council’s plans scrapped.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:56 am Elbowgrease(Quote)
Stupid council.
February 28th, 2010 at 5:08 pm Suzie(Quote)
Very shortsighted.
March 1st, 2010 at 2:50 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Just this morning three cyclists went down on Prospect road;
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/6862337/3-cyclists-hospitalised-after-car-collision/
Yeah, let’s make Prospect road safer for everyone by removing the bicycle lanes altogether…
March 1st, 2010 at 9:05 pm Heather(Quote)
Ignoring the State Govt Cycling Strategy affects all cyclists in SA. Discouraging cycling affects all Australians re Climate Change and Peak Oil. Please email a letter to many politicians. On the BUG website, the file Contact_Politicians includes a form letter if you cannot think of your own words.
Currently the local retailers on Prospect Road do not even pay for outdoor space.
March 19th, 2010 at 6:42 am Hercule Eelbait(Quote)
Well, I’ll just have to ride on the footpath. Hold on to your lattés, cougars.
October 5th, 2010 at 9:28 am John(Quote)
great news. Prospect needs cafe seating. It it well and truly over due. The bike lane is very dangerous. I would never ride on a main road like prospect. I’ve lived in prospect for 25 years and the worst thing the council did was make this bike lane.
Ride on brand rd or churchill rd. Prospect rd has so much potential. I go to melbourne and sydney every month and they are so much in front, you also DO NOT see bike lanes on their main roads.
October 5th, 2010 at 4:33 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
You’re obviously not relying on your bicycle as a primary mode of transport then. The same reasons cars are attracted to major roads apply to cyclists – “I want to get somewhere and that’s the most direct route”.
What on Earth are you talking about? Melbourne has bike lanes on nearly every major road within a 5km radius of the CBD. Only roads I can think of that don’t off the top of my head are Punt and Kings Way, but then there’s St. Kilda Road of course right between them.
June 29th, 2011 at 2:28 pm wah(Quote)
there are 2 roads 50 meters in either direction from where this photo is taken that run parallel to prospect road that are not main roads that you could with minor if any inconvience use – only someone who wants to get hit by a bus,car or truck bikelane or no bike lane would use prospect road with a bicycle the prospet council and executive are both retarded but not for the reasons mentioned here
June 30th, 2011 at 11:23 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@wah
I think you’ll find that if those two roads are minor roads, this is why people don’t use them.
For commuting, there’s a reason Prospect Road is busy. Here’s a hint:
whether you’re cycling or driving, your end goal is the same – to get somewhere quickly. Taking side streets is actually more dangerous in my opinion due to the often increased speeds people traverse them in cars due to a perceived notion that they are deserted.
That and all the traffic lightless intersections that can be disaster zones on bikes.