September 2026
Monthly Catchup
We'll meet at Friday September 11th at 6pm at Mamma Chens in Footscray for a chat about how we can get some progress. All welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/events/27791409033848473
Will Richter Memorial Critical Mass
It's about a year since Will Richter's young life was tragically cut short and we are helping to organise a Critical Mass in memory of him on Thursday September 24th starting at the State Library.
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.
MPs will be meeting with the newly appointed roads and road safety minister soon so now is the time to send an email!
Sustainable transport is not just bikes— we're looking forward to parallel campaigns for public transport, walking, and electrification of road transport.
Ride to Work Day October 14
Some of us have mixed feelings about Ride to Work Day (why only 1 day? what about all the other days?) but it's coming up. Something to keep in mind
Bicycle Network are putting on some brekkies as usual
Maddie Ballard
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.
Veloway bumps
The bumpy bits are slowly getting fixed. More to come.
Maddie Ballard
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
Barkly St
The community feedback has now closed. We await with interest the response from Maribyrnong Council
Physical Activity Strategy
Maribyrnong Council have commenced the development of a Physical Activity Strategy and BikeWest participated in the first workshop in early September. Not surprisingly we pushed for the importance of active transport to help the residents of Maribyrnong get their physical activity. However, the strategy is limited to programs and not infrastructure. Despite that, we reiterated our goal for council to have safe bike routes to Schools, Shops, Stations and Social Venues (SSSS) for All Ages and Abilities (AAA).
Cruickshank Park
Maribyrnong Council are in the final stages of developing plans for a pump track in Cruickshank park with input from BikeWest. We are extremely confident this will become a well used and loved community asset much like the one in Wishaw, Glasgow which demonstrates clearly how it can benefit the community.
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.
Moonee Valley Council
Recently Active Transport Moonee Valley / Moonee Valley Sustainability had a win in advocacy for more sensible streets in Ascot Vale.
"The first (happy to stand corrected if not true) 30km/h signposted limits in Moonee Valley are to be installed around Ascot Vale Station on the Craigieburn line, Union Road (57 and 82 trams), and two other streets around a local primary school and kinder following endorsement of a Local Area Traffic Management Plan - say that a few times quickly. Many other improvements made too, integrated with PT of course.Naturally with any proposed change to our auto-first urban form, the MV City Council meeting did get a bit heated.
An amendment was presented to scrap 30km/h in several (but curiously not all?) proposed streets, then voted down in a tiebreaker, an apology was requested then offered over a potential insult, speeches were made, and a 4-4 tie with the mayor casting the substantive vote and passing the plans. (Former) Leadership in City of Yarra helped A LOT too Streets Alive Yarra Inc. Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio on 3CR Bicycle Network Better Streets + many others and of course BikeWest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/activetransportmooneevalley
Well done Active Transport Moonee Valley / Moonee Valley Sustainability
Lead West
Recently BikeWest presented to LeadWest for them to include active transport in their election priorities. They push hard for road, rail and buses but seem to have forgotten that people can also use their legs and that active transport is vital to the success of public transport. The exclusion was particularly odd given LeadWest highlight the importance of Active Transport in their strategy. Hopefully they'll come to their senses
https://www.leadwest.com.au/_files/ugd/4bbd2f_1d311c0494194ddc945afb3434f44565.pdf
https://www.leadwest.com.au/_files/ugd/6492c6_4c9a71e8cf7943f68f9f6166f3597d6e.pdf
Favourite image of the month
Research, Local and International News
Bigger Vehicles, Bigger Problems
The increasing issue of larger vehicles leading to limited visibility and increasing collisions with pedestrians and cyclists is being investigated by the US GAO. Of course this issue can be addressed by good protected intersection design. Something that seems to have escaped their attention.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Safe System Success Stories
The Safe System is almost universally recognised as the best way to address safety on our roads. However, it is implemented poorly and without commitment in most places (including Australia) leading to criticism that it doesn't work. This isn't true. When implemented properly it is incredibly successful as the zero pedestrian deaths in Oslo (down from 40+) demonstrate. Here are some other success stories.
Complete Streets and Stronger Economies
Smart Growth America has documented the safety benefits of Complete Streets for more than two decades, but their economic potential is often overlooked. Their new report, Complete Streets, Stronger Economies, provides the first national analysis of these investments and examines their benefits for local businesses and community economic outcomes.
You can download the report here
Transportation and the Shape of Cities
This book explores how transportation in cities has one undeniable limitation: space. Each mode of urban transportation has inherent spatial properties that no amount of policy or design can change. Designing transportation is always a problem of geometry: if we want to add something new, we need space for it. This is never easy—historically, the decisions about reallocating space have negatively impacted people without power and means. Planning for transportation in cities a design problem requiring thoughtful planners, engineers, landscape architects, urban designers, and policy makers. Understanding the properties of each mode is fundamental to good design in cities.
Home and Work near each other can save on infrastructure costs. Who'd have thunk it?
Ben Holland
Bogota shows traffic calming can work on arterial roads
New Plan for Albion
Alison Hetherington
Queen St path Altona
Alison Hetherington
New Werribee path
Maddie Ballard