July 2026
Monthly Catchup
We'll meet at Friday July 10th at 6pm at Borderlands, 77A Pickett St Footscray for a chat about how we can get some progress. All welcome. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DAwgx7nR8/
State Election Campaign: Strategic Cycling Corridors
Sustainable transport is going to be an issue at the next State Election and we need your support.
Strategic Cycling Corridors (SCCs) are the state's plan for a network of safe bike routes across Melbourne and regional centres. But after decades of talk only a small fraction has been built. That's why BikeWest is partnering with Bicycle Network and other community groups across the state to ask for a dedicated 5% of transport funding for building safe bike routes. Check out the campaign page to find what's been built, what still needs to be done, and send a message to your local MP.
Sustainable transport is not just bikes— we're looking forward to parallel campaigns for public transport, walking, and electrification of road transport.
Strategic Cycling Corridors Map
Here is a fantastic map with lots of information on the the strategic cycling corridors for the upcoming state election including cost estimates. If you contact us we can give you details about the estimated cost in your electorate. This information could be very helpful in the upcoming election when talking to candidates.
Melbourne Airport Rail - Project
Tottenham
Tottenham station is set to be rebuilt by the project, this will include a new pedestrian tunnel separate it from the polluted Ashley St.
Unfortunately, we haven't had any success yet about changing the brief to include cycling infrastructure but we're still trying. People on bikes will be expected to dismount and walk 150 metres. This is despite the tunnel being one of the Strategic Cycling Corridors.
This will only change with an extensive public campaign. We are also enlisting the support of the Bicycle Network CEO, Ali McCormack who will be raising it with the Active Transport Minister Williams in their next meeting.
https://engage.vic.gov.au/airportrail-stage1
Near Miss Map
Please use this map to help us collect data that will be very valuable and persuasive. There are far too many crashes, near misses and other incidents that go unreported so BikeWest has worked with a fantastic colleague Vince to produce the Near Miss map to report these near misses and give us more evidence to advocate for safer cycling. The Near Miss Map can be found here, please use it if you have a near miss and share it widely
Maribyrnong Council
Integrated Transport Strategy
Maribyrnong Council has released the draft Integrated Transport Strategy for public comment. It will set the direction and priorities for future transport network in Maribyrnong.
Based on past community feedback, council aim to work towards six priority areas: Safe streets for all, Connecting our community, A sustainable way to travel, accessible places and destinations, Leading the way in transport innovation and technology, Cultural change and behavioural shifts.
Please give your feedback. BikeWest will be giving a submission in the coming weeks. We are happy to share our thoughts
Franco Cozzo Link
BikeWest are working hard with Maribyrnong Council to join the Hopetoun Bridge with central Footscray. We have been led to believe there has been progress on the section between Whitehall St and the river.
Westlink
BikeWest is continuing our campaign to lever off the opening of the Dixon Veloway and highlight the gap to the shared user path (SUP) on Cross St beside West Footscray Station. There is a 2km black hole between the Veloway and West Footscray Station and we have drawn up plans that utilise much of the designs the ALP took to the 2019 federal election. We are working with Maribyrnong Council and this will be part of the state election campaign. We have also met with the Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino as this is part of his electorate to discuss the possibility of federal funding.
Quarry Park Masterplan
Maribyrnong Council is due to release the draft Quarry Park Masterplan in the coming month. The ask is for extended MTB trails, a crushed gravel running/CX path around the perimeter as well as a Bike Education Centre/Event space with a cafe and deck with the best view in Melbourne. We'll keep you posted.
Climate Emergency Strategy Review
Maribyrnong are reviewing their climate strategy and of course cycling has a significant role to play in any such strategy. The review will be open to community feedback shortly. BikeWest are attending a council workshop to provide our input
Hobsons Bay City Council
HBCC have signed off on the Kororoit Ck trail to Bay project in this year's budget. This project has been discussed for about 10 years and it is pleasing to see it finally come to fruition. Here are some more details as reported by Bicycle Network
Alison Hetherington
Research, International News
Finding resilience and connection: Highlights from Designing Cities 2026
Last month, over 1,000 city transport practitioners met in Minneapolis for the 14th NACTO Designing Cities Conference. Participants spread out across the city and region to learn from award-winning parks and trails, major regional investments in public transit, and one of the best bike networks in the US
https://nacto.org/latest/finding-resilience-and-connection-highlights-from-designing-cities-2026/
Rethinking traffic safety: the case for reducing kinetic energy exposure, not just speed
From the authors who brought you "Killed by a traffic engineer", another great research article. A key to reducing road trauma is to reduce exposure to large mass, high velocity vehicles. This is consistent with one of the themes in the recently launched UN Decade of Sustainable Transport
https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/27/ip-2026-046229
UN Decade of Sustainable Transport
Beyond motonormative punishment: On road safety as environmental regulation
This paper offers a critique of ‘motonormative punishment’—a mix of legal sanctions and a culture of blame that focuses on the individualized responsibility of a minority of ‘careless’ or ‘dangerous’ drivers while accommodating the structural violence generated by regimes of automobility. The author suggests we should decentre criminal punishment as a response to road violence in favour of forms of environmental regulation organized around five harm reduction principles: diversion (away from automobility), design (safer road and car design), distributed agency (the many groups involved in safety), deliberative learning (deeper focus on why collisions occur as per aviation investigations) and the disassembly of dangerous actants (more frequent removal of driving privileges)
These 5 Ds have many things in common with the Safe System but extend it to include cultural, criminal and political norms.
The Global Cycling Network (GCN) have done a great video on it
