The ACT Government is building the walking and cycling infrastructure our growing city needs, with construction set to begin on a trial of cycling infrastructure on Bowen Drive in Kingston separating cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
"In the 2023-24 ACT Budget and subsequent mid-year review, the ACT Government announced a significant investment of more than $30 million in active travel improvements bringing the forward estimates to over $94 million," said Minister for City Services Tara Cheyne.
"This program includes not only new and upgraded infrastructure but also an increase in maintenance of existing infrastructure to ensure its continued reliability into the future. One of these projects is the Kingston Cycleway, a two-stage project delivering new and upgraded cycling infrastructure from the Kings Avenue Bridge through to Cunningham Street."
Construction is beginning in the coming weeks on the first stage of works, a trial of a two-way protected cycle lane on Bowen Drive between the Kings Avenue Bridge and the Bowen Park carpark. A recycled separation kerb will provide physical separation between cyclists and motorists.
"We have heard calls from community and advocacy groups about the need to invest in separated cycling infrastructure to improve safety and accessibility and encourage more people to choose active travel," said Minister Cheyne.
"This was evidenced in consultation on the Active Travel Plan 2024-2030 and the Design Guide. The first priority in the Plan is safe infrastructure for walking and riding which was highlighted by the community as a fundamental barrier to getting more people active, walking and riding in Canberra.
"The protected cycle lane will provide much-needed additional capacity for cyclists to address the current heavy use of the route around Lake Burley Griffin to the Kingston Foreshore. Importantly, it will provide separation between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
"The trial of this infrastructure will influence future decision-making about the roll-out of similar infrastructure in other areas of Canberra."
Pop up cycleway projects are intended to provide the same safety outcomes of traditional infrastructure delivery, the main difference being they are constructed with more temporary materials and are less expensive. This enables faster project delivery, while also enabling Government to monitor and review the operation of pop-up prototypes before they can be considered for transition to more permanent infrastructure in future.
"Construction is expected to take around two months to complete. Once complete, signage will be installed delineating the cycle lane from the now pedestrian-only off-road path.
"We want more Canberrans to choose to walk or ride to their destination and we recognise a key component in increasing the uptake of active travel is in the infrastructure available. Design work will soon begin on the second stage of the Kingston Cycleway which is focused on new and upgraded infrastructure between Bowen Park and Cunningham Street."
The ACT Government has also been making significant investments in feasibility studies and design work to strengthen the future active travel network and make sure priorities reflect Canberrans' travel preferences and support the growth of our city.
"Significantly this includes more pop up and quick-build projects with a consultancy tender currently out to market to identify what is required to facilitate these projects, what they may look like and what locations would be suitable for this type of infrastructure. I look forward to providing an update once this work is complete.
"We want more Canberrans to walk and ride more often across our extensive path network. Providing new infrastructure and enhancing our existing network to make it safer and more attractive is a key deliverable in achieving this," said Minister Cheyne.
