Inner: St Kilda to Clifton Hill
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A north-south route that avoids the CBD
This north-south route avoids the CBD and runs parallel to Punt Rd/Hoddle St. It is a relatively direct and speedy route across town and connects with St Georges Rd in the north and Brighton Rd bike lanes in the south. The route follows:
- Chapel St, St Kilda (City of Port Phillip)
- Chapel St, South Yarra (City of Stonnington)
- Church St, Richmond (City of Yarra)
- Gipps St, Abbotsford (City of Yarra)
- Wellington St, Collingwood (City of Yarra)
- Queens Pde, Clifton Hill (City of Yarra)
Chapel St, Stonnington
Apr 05 After a five year campaign for action, the long promised bike lanes on Chapel Street are finally being marked. Linemarking is occurring at night time and should be completed by the end of April.
Marking of the lanes was awaiting the introduction of the 40km/h speed limit on the street and turning on the LED speed signs. This happened in March and the bike lanes are going ahead as we speak.
Chapel St is Victoria's worst cycling blackspot with, on average, one cyclist injured per month in the shopping strip. Nearly forty percent of the crashes with bikes involve a door opened in the path of a cyclist.
The new bike lanes will give more room for people on bicycles, make the space more visible and remind people in cars to watch out for people on bikes, especially when parking and getting in and out of their cars.
Local cyclist, Darren Room is enthusiastic about the lanes. "They are a great improvement," he said.
The one year trial of bike lanes on Chapel St from Alexandra Avenue to Dandenong Rd is being paid for by VicRoads and implemented by Stonnington City Council. A report will be submitted to Council at the end of the trial.
Bicycle Victoria and the more than 500 cyclists who use the street each day welcome the new lanes. We commend Stonnington Council and VicRoads for implementing the lanes.
On 17 November 2003 City of Stonnington voted unanimously in favour of a trial of bike lanes along the full length of Chapel St. But the lanes needed the 40km/h speed designation by VicRoads to be approved. This has since been done.
The bike lane decision have come after a five year campaign by Bicycle Victoria and its over 800 local members which saw two anti-bike-lane councillors voted out at the last council election.
The two new councillors - Cr Melina Sehr (Mayor) and Cr Sarah Davies (Chair of the Traffic and Parking Committee) - are both pro-bike and were instrumental in getting the trial approved. Cr Sally Davis has also been a strong proponent for bike lanes. The unanimous vote shows the support from other councillors too.
The $25,000 trial will involve narrowing the parking bays by 20cm and marking a 1.3m bike lane between the parking lane and the tram fairway line. Bike lanes will be marked the full length of Chapel St from Dandenong Rd to Alexandra Ave.
From Toorak Rd to Alexandra Ave the bike lanes will be clearway bike lanes marked alongside the kerb and sitting under parked cars in non-clearway times.
The decision to mark bike lanes came after council considered a report by consultants Arup Pty Ltd who are preparing the wider Stonnington Bicycle Strategy. As part of the brief Arup was required to investigate the high crash rate of cyclists on Chapel St and review the appropriateness of a bike lane.