The Victorian Government has announced that pop-up bike lanes on Heidelberg Road between Fenwick St in Clifton Hill and Arthur Street in Fairfield will be made permanent, providing greater safety for active transport users.
The pop-up bike lane trial commenced in December 2020 and was intended to make it easier and safer for people to cycle in inner-Melbourne. The now-permanent bike lanes include a range of cycling infrastructure changes including:
- Bollards used to separate bike lanes from traffic on major roads
- New signage to improve navigation
- Reshaped roads and repainted bike lanes
- New speed cushions to reduce vehicle speeds
The trial was an overwhelming success, with over 600,000 bicycle trips made on Heidelberg Road between January 2021 and April 2023. 88 per cent of riders said that the pop-up routes made them feel safer.
Yarra has been advocating to the Victorian Government to make these pop-up bike lanes permanent as a key outcome of Council's Advocacy Action Plan and Transport Action Plan.
Yarra City Council Mayor Edward Crossland spoke about the community benefits of the new cycling infrastructure.
"We want all people who travel through the City of Yarra to feel safe on the roads, regardless of which travel option they choose," Mayor Crossland said.
"We are thrilled to see the uptick in people choosing to take active transport options since the beginning of the trial. We will continue to grow our City in a way that provides visitors and residents with the ability to make that choice."
