Public responses to the WA Bike Network Plan (WABNP) closed on the week-end.
As a daily cycling commuter, riding from Duncraig to Perth, I use the Mitchell Freeway PSP, as this is my direct route. However, with years of under-maintenance, this is not the most pleasant of trips due to the number of crossings and cracks that are now on this route.
2010 – when some maintenance occurred on this section
My personal response is located here. I tried to provide examples of items that needed to be corrected in the WABPN. I would also like to see more non-PSP infrastructure provided to support local cycling connections to schools and shops, as well as to allow connections to major cycling routes. I gave the example of the Mitchell Freeway expansion which is expected to cost $57M to support additional traffic of 14,500 vehicles per day. There are around 16,000 cyclists riding into the CBD, and with strategies like the National Cycling Strategy to double that number by 2016, similar volume of funding is required to support the WABPN.
I was also pleased to see that my council, City of Joondalup, also provided a response to the WABPN. The City of Joondalup had several points, in particular, that areas outside the 15km radius of the Perth CBD were not fully covered.
Of course there is BTA’s response as well.
If you are aware of other public responses, let us know.
WABNP Cover Image
I think you are on the right track regarding increasing the focus to local traffic. For at least 20 years of WA bike plans and strategies, the focus has been Perth CBD, even the PSPs targetting traffic to the Perth CBD at the expense of the suburbs. The growth stats demenstarte the success of that approach. I favour a focus on school cycling. That probably means educating mums that it is ok for them and their kids to cycle to school, the kids love it , no resistance from them. If we can get primary school age now, then hit them again in 4-5 years with Senior school, 5 years later with Uni and work, we have them commuting for the rest of their lives. But that requires much better infrastructure, path based for Primary schools, as the first priority. Then we need to figure out want we need for senior school age kids, paths, roads??? It has to be roads by the time they leave school, as we have to get adults onto roads. The latter means taming motorists – like taming big cats not sure about how and who should do the training as they can bite back!!!
Your response is very detailed and impressive. Well done. My response was mainly about the stupidly low budget.
Hi, really pleased that others took the time to respond to the WABNP.