Mornington Peninsula Shire
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Council updating Bicycle Strategy
22 September 2008. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council have been busy doing research on what riders want improved across their network.
Historically this Council has been a leader in effort and funds for cycling in the area.
With the growing tourism attractions and high intensity riders venturing further south from Beach Rd, rider numbers have been steadily growing.
You can give your feedback by writing to council. Remember to keep it positive and if possible, be specific
Council commits $10 million dollars
Jul 04 Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has set a new benchmark for local councils and the State Government by committing $10 million over the next two years for shared path linkages in the shire.
This is more than five times the Victorian Government's commitment to shared paths. Congratulations to the shire for commitment which acknowledges the tremendous benefits of cycle paths to the health and wellbeing of the community.
From the June/July edition of Peninsula-Wide, the shire's community newsletter:
'More than 80km of paths - the equivalent of building a path from Sorrento to Melbourne - will be built to provide safe access to schools, shops and services in a number of townships across the Shire. The linkages will also add to the experience and enjoyment of recreational users by "joining up" a number of important shared trails for cyclists and pedestrians.
'Mayor Anne Shaw said Council would borrow the funds over two financial years. "The cost benefit of advancing the construction of more than 80km of shared path linkages and accelerating the program by 15 years, outweighs the borrowing costs," she said.'
Bicycle Victoria has written to the council congratulating them on the initiative.
If you want to see more or improved bike facilities in the Mornington Peninsula or want to show your support for their Shared Path Network initiative please email Council at custserv@mornpen.vic.gov.au.
Hon Robin Cooper proposes bike ban on The Esplanade
Bicycle Victoria opposes a proposal by the the State member for Mornington, The Hon. Robin Cooper, to ban bicycle riding from the Esplanade between Mount Martha shopping centre and Safety Beach. Mr Cooper proposes the ban "in the interests of both bike riders and motorists ... as a matter of public safety" in his July 2004 'Cooper Report' to residents of the area.
It must be said that Mr Cooper does ask that if "a realistic engineering solution" is available "it must be brought forward and implemented without delay". But he does not seem interested in pursuing such a solution and seems to favour a ban on bicycles. See Robin Cooper's website for more.
We believe the proposal is short sighted. The Esplanade is a popular cycling route, especially on weekends. Alternate routes such as the Nepean Hwy are more dangerous, more hilly, less scenic and more circuitous. This section of road is amongst the most scenic on Port Phillip bay and it would be very hard and expensive to successfully implement a ban on cycling. We believe motorists are not unduly delayed by cyclists as they are relatively easy to overtake due to their slow speed and small size. Asking cycling them to be banned on safety grounds is no answer to unsafe driving behaviours.
There are other options open to making the road safer including:
- widening the road to create cycle friendly shoulders
- creating more opportunities for passing slower vehicles, including cyclists
- signage indicating the presence of cyclists on the road and warning people to slow down and share the road with cyclists
- lowering the speed limit of the road.
We urge all cyclists who oppose a ban on cycling to write to Mr Cooper at robin.cooper@parliament.vic.gov.au. Please remember to send us a copy of any correspondence to campaigns@bv.com.au.