The push for more pedal power in Newcastle has gone up a gear following the elected Council's decision to move ahead with an extension of the separated cycleway along part of Hunter Street.
Councillors voted last night to adopt the designs for stage two of the trial cycleway, which will be constructed on both sides of Hunter Street between National Park Street, Newcastle West and Ivy Street, Islington.
Once implemented, it will create a dedicated 2km separated cycleway that will connect Islington, Tighes Hill and Hamilton to the city. The inclusion of a cycleway in this area was identified under City of Newcastle's Cycling Plan and the adopted West End Streetscape Plan.
Community feedback overwhelmingly supported the extension as part of ongoing efforts to deliver safe, connected and convenient cycleways across Newcastle.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said this latest development is part of City of Newcastle's (CN's) plan to become a liveable, sustainable and inclusive global city.
"Changing how we travel is a big part of this shift so we're making a significant investment in new, safe cycleways with almost $5 million being allocated to cycling infrastructure in this year's budget," Cr Clausen said.
"Through our community engagement survey we found that 90 per cent of respondents support stage two of the Hunter Street project and they're happy with improvements to the network in stage one, particularly with the focus on safety.
"By continuing our investment in Newcastle's cycleway infrastructure we hope to support making cycling play an even larger role within our transport mix."
Detailed designs of stage two of the Hunter Street cycleway are due to be completed by April next year, with construction to start shortly after.
The adoption of the Hunter Street design follows the elected council's decision last month to approve cycleway improvements between Broadmeadow and Hamilton, as well as the first stage of the Jesmond Cycleway.
Chair of the Liveable Cities Advisory Committee Councillor Dr John Mackenzie said these improvements are important links in CN's On Our Bikes – Cycle Plan 2021-2030, that outlines the need for safe and connected cycling in the Newcastle LGA.
"We know the main barrier to people getting on their bikes is safety. What this does is it creates the connectivity in a difficult location between existing cycleway networks," Cr Mackenzie said.
"If you can't get safely from one end of the journey to the other then you won't take the cycleway at all. We're building cycleways which are safe for people who are eight to 88 years old.
"This aligns with the Newcastle 2040 Community Strategic Plan which outlined a vision for Newcastle in which walking, cycling and public transport are viable options for the majority of trips."
The Hunter Street project has been made possible with a $1.5 million grant from Transport for NSW under the State Government's Get NSW Active Program.
