With bicycle deaths in Victoria up 71 per cent on last year, RACV is calling on governments to improve road safety for people who ride bikes by rolling out more protected bike lanes in strategic corridors across Melbourne.
Today RACV has released a comprehensive refresh of its RACV Bike Superhighway network, detailed in an updated study and map. The map presents high-priority bike riding corridors across metropolitan Melbourne that RACV believes the Victorian and Federal Governments should prioritise investment in.
The updated study, which builds upon the original 2017 analysis, incorporates new, evidence-based modelling that reflects post-pandemic travel trends, recent bike infrastructure improvements and the growing uptake of e-bikes.
RACV believes the refreshed RACV Bike Superhighway network will help prioritise the allocation of limited active transport funding, to achieve positive road safety, health and transport mode-shift outcomes.
RACV General Manager Mobility Julia Hunter emphasised the critical need for increased investment in bike infrastructure, noting the updated map has been designed to help governments prioritise targeted active transport investment.
"RACV believes investing in separated bike infrastructure will increase the uptake of bike riding and save lives," Ms Hunter said.
"The RACV Bike Superhighway provides a starting point for investment decisions, recognising there may be alternative roads within each corridor that are more feasible to upgrade than others. The main point is, separating bike riders from motor vehicles on corridors where there is highest demand is one of the most effective ways to keep people safe, and to encourage Victorians to ride more often.
"When it comes to getting around, Victorians are increasingly using multiple modes of transport, with 38 per cent having used both public transport and a bike in the past 12 months. However, RACV research shows that many Victorians still feel there is inadequate bike infrastructure, and safety remains a major concern."
RACV encourages both the Victorian and Federal Governments to invest in infrastructure that prioritises bike lanes that are physically separated from cars.
"The announcement today is timely given that the Federal Government's Active Transport Fund has $100 million to spend, a significant portion of which we would expect to see invested in Victoria next year. RACV would like the Federal Government to prioritise that funding with consideration of the refreshed evidence-based Bike Superhighway report," Ms Hunter said.
Key findings and priorities
RACV's Bike Superhighway report identifies several high-priority corridors, including:
- Coburg to CBD
- Essendon to CBD
- Port Melbourne to CBD
- Windsor to Yarra River.
These routes are where there is the most opportunity to increase bike riding, particularly for commuter traffic. Many of these routes also ranked among the most dangerous for bike riders in the RACV My Melbourne Road survey.
The study's modelling takes a safety-first approach and considers multiple factors, including safety, demand, network connectivity, technical feasibility and road congestion benefits.
A key finding highlights that while protected bike lanes are the safest option for people who ride, most of the current Bike Superhighway network lacks this crucial safety feature.
The refreshed RACV Bike Superhighways study provides a strategic framework for transport planning and identifies priority projects eligible for the Federal Government's National Active Transport Fund, aimed at creating a safer, more connected cycling network for all Melburnians.
The refreshed RACV Bike Superhighways is available on racv.com.au here.
