Moreland City Council
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BIXE win for Moreland Council
29 July 2008 Our campaign to get Moreland City to spend more on bike infrastructure has been successful - thanks to the efforts of local riders and Bicycle Victoria members.Last Monday night the draft budget was up for approval, and as a result of the campaign, the council’s previous limited effort was reversed.
The proposed 2008/09 budget for bicycle infrastructure will now be equivalent to $5.00 per resident—the amount recommended by Bicycle Victoria’s BIXE index. Previously the council had proposed just $2.50 per resident.
Our congratulations go to the many people who wrote, phoned, or met with their councillors to put the case for more generous spending on bike infrastructure. This is a big win.
Moreland councillors, by voting positively, have shown commendable judgement and have positioned the City to get more people riding more often. It will be important over the coming weeks and months to ensure that the funds are spent effectively on the high priority projects.
A better bike budget for Moreland - the short version
20 June 2008 We are asking members, friends and residents of Moreland to write to their Councillors about the Council budget that is under consideration. If you would like Council to double their spending on bikes from around $2.50 per person to our recommended rate of $5 per head, please send a positive note to your Councillors describing the sort of riding you do or would like to do in Moreland and ask them to vote for a bicycle budget of $660 000.
See map on the right to select your ward.
You can attend the Council submission hearing on Wednesday 2 July. See below.
Please pass this link onto other people you know in Moreland.
The longer version
We are working with the Moreland BUG on a campaign to get $5 per resident of council funds spent on cycling.
For a number of years Moreland has had a small bike budget. They have consistently spent less than was recommended in the Moreland Bicycle Strategy. As a result bike riding has not grown as much as it could.
There is no doubt that residents want to ride, the number of residents pedalling to work has more than doubled since 2001. Imagine what it would have jumped to if the Council had been energetically supporting riding.
Last year the Council spent $200 000, or $1.45 per head, well below most other councils. Currently Moreland have prepared a draft budget that would spend around $345 000 or around $2.50 per person on cycling. You can view this proposal here.
This proposed budget is still is only half of the amount we think should be allocated to bikes.
We are supporting a bicycle budget of $660 000 ($4.70 per head)
This will allow Moreland to
• Improve existing on road routes with green paint, rumble lines and separation.
• Establish routes on roads such as Sydney Rd, Lygon St, Nicholson St, Melville Rd, and the Grantham St/Pearson St connection
• Fix up existing paths such as Upfield by implementing the recommendations of the Moreland BUG audits.
• Establish new links such as linking the Upfield Shared Path and the Merri Creek trail to the Ring Road. Extending the O’Hea project through Pentridge to the Merri Creek and west towards the Moonee Ponds Creek.
• Investigate and implement improvements to east-west cycling infrastructure.
• Increase bike parking facilities around Moreland
How do we convince the Council to vote for a bigger bike budget?
On 11 June at the Council meeting Councillor Andrea Sharam proposed an amendment to the draft budget to increase cycling expenditure by almost $300,000 to bring it in line with the $5 per resident benchmark that Bicycle Victoria recommends.
Four councillors voted in support of the amendment (Crs Alice Pryor, Mark Higginbotham, Andrea Sharam and Jo Connellan) and four voted against (Crs Daniel De Lorenzis, Milad El Halabi, John Kavanagh and Mark O’Brien). Councillors Kathleen Matthews-Ward and Anthony Helou were absent. This left Mayor Joe Caputo with the casting vote; he abstained from voting which meant the amendment didn’t go through.
We are asking for your support for the Sharam amendment. You can do this in two ways.
First send a positive email to the Councillors describing the sort of riding you do or would like to do in Moreland and ask them to vote for a bicycle budget of $660 000.
See map at right for wards.
Second attend the submission hearing on Wednesday 2 July 2008 at the Municipal offices, Bell Street Coburg commencing at 6pm. The Moreland Councillors appreciate people coming to meetings. In their mind it adds great weight to the campaign. So please come along if you can make it.
Local riders from the Moreland BUG are planning to meet for a bite and (touch wood) celebratory bubbles after the meeting.
Cyclovia Sydney Rd - Tour de Moreland – Sunday 13 April 2008
Mar 2008 The City of Moreland have asked Bicycle Victoria to help them with their preparations for Cyclovia on 13 April 2008. Initially they are asking for volunteers to help make the day a success.
Last time was great fun and the volunteer feedback was that people enjoyed hosting a unique event. It's not often you see so many kids riding and rollerblading up and down Sydney Road!
If you can help by volunteering for 3 to 4 hours on 13 April 2008 between 8am and 2pm you can register here.
City of Moreland will provide training, insurance, lunch and a post-event celebration. You must be available to attend a one hour briefing on:
- Sunday 6 April (morning)
- Or Monday 7 April (evening)
- Or Wednesday 9 April (morning)
Click 'Email me updates' (above) to be kept informed as more information becomes available.
Coburg Principal Activity Centre Study
City of Moreland, through consultants GTA, have recently requested Bicycle Victoria feedback on the public transport interchange/services and pedestrian and cyclist linkages to/through the Coburg Principal Activity Centre.
In terms of commuters, Gaffney St (Shared Parking / BikeLane) is the main East-West link on the PBN, with Sydney Road (Wide Kerbside Lane) the main North-South route. There is also the Upfield Bike Path, which runs North-South meeting the Capital City Trail at Royal Park.
The main issue with the Upfield Bike Path is the number of crossing points along the route and the fact that it is disjointed in many locations;
With the local street network really lending itself to shorter bike trips, there would be an excellent opportunity to get people riding to the station, and then commuting by train into town.
The focus then would be on Bike Parking Facilities, where a secure, covered facility could be of enormous benefit. O'Hea Street, where a second generation (separated)path is proposed, as well as Victoria and Munro / HardingStreets would provide excellent feeders to the station and activity centre with good bike facilities in a slower speed environment.
Recreationally, The Merri Creek Path is around 1km away from the Coburg Railway Station. It appears that local lanes have been built which almost link Bell St with the Merri Ck path. An established safe link would also bring activity to the area. Bell Street may currently be a deterrent to cyclists.
Moreland Council election – Candidate survey
At the end of October 2004 the Brunswick and Coburg Bicycle User Groups wrote to all thirty candidates in the Moreland Council elections seeking their support for the completion of the Upfield Bicycle Path.
The letter stressed that this would be one way of getting more people to ride more often and so reduce excessive use of cars and at the same time improve their health and well being.
There is majority support for the project from elected councillors. Responses from elected councillors were:
North-East Ward:
- Anthony Helou: no response
- Mark O’Brien (ALP): support
- Daniel Delorenzis: support
- Andrea Sharam (Greens): support
North-West Ward:
- Kathleen Matthews-Ward (ALP): support
- John Kavanagh: support
- Mark Higginbotham: no response
- Michael El-Halabi: no response
South Ward:
- Alice Pryor (ALP): support
- Jo Connellan (Greens): support
- Joe Caputo: no response
O'Hea St, Coburg
Aug 04 Plans are being developed for a trial bike facility on O'Hea St, Coburg. With a planned reconstruction of the roadway, there is an opportunity to develop a high quality 2-way bike path in the road reserve (with a separate footpath running parallel) which would have right-of-way over intersecting roads.
The path will connect to the Moonee Ponds Creek path in the west and the Merri Ck path in the east and will provide a link for 6 schools and the new housing estate at Pentridge.
Priorities
Main Road priorities in Moreland are:
- Boundary Rd & Rhodes Pde, Pascoe Vale
- Derby St, Pascoe Vale
- Melville Rd, Brunswick
- Grantham St, Brunswick
- Moreland Rd, Coburg
- Gaffney St & Murray Rd, Coburg
- Nicholson St, Coburg.
