New off-road shared paths are making it safer and easier to walk or ride than to get in the car and drive in some parts of Lake Macquarie.
Work is now complete on a 230m path at Cameron Park, linking Pasterfield Sports Complex with the suburb's older residential precinct in the east.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the link made it quicker for families to access the sports complex on foot or by bike.
"It also links up to existing shared paths that continue into the heart of eastern Cameron Park, and at the other end to the loop path around Pasterfield," she said.
"These are small but mighty projects that reap significant benefits for the local community, encouraging active transport and healthy lifestyles and reducing our reliance on cars."
Similarly, a freshly completed 820m shared path at Cardiff fills in a missing link, running parallel to Winding Creek from Wilkinson Park off Myall Road to Newcastle Street.
It then resumes at Henry Street and continues to an existing shared path at Frith Street.
Cr Fraser said plans were under development to provide an extra section of path between Newcastle Street and Henry Street to bypass the current short on-road detour.
"Cardiff is one of our city's key growth centres," Cr Fraser said.
"Links such as these provide a direct, off-road route for pedestrians and cyclists and we will increasingly need them under the NSW Government's plan to significantly increase housing density around Lake Mac train stations."
"The link forms part of a much longer regional cycle route that will connect the Fernleigh Track to Richmond Vale via Charlestown, Hillsborough, Cardiff, Glendale, Edgeworth and Minmi."
Both projects were funded by local developer contributions.
Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Asset Management Karen Partington said 103km of the city's 254km Principal Bicycle Network had now been built.
"Planning is also underway for several major projects to further extend that network," she said.
"They include the Charlestown to Whitebridge cycleway and shared paths connecting Cooranbong to Morisset and Cameron Park to Edgeworth. We're also working on an extension to the Greenway Track rail trail that runs from Toronto to Fassifern, and another path from the Fernleigh Track to Belmont foreshore."
The shared path completions follow last month's opening of the Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track, a 3.5km off-road route connecting the Fernleigh Track at Belmont to Awabakal Avenue at Blacksmiths.
Go to lakemac.com.au
