Our voice heard
A large Fire and Ambulance station is being built at the south end of Clunies Ross Street. Pedal Power was consulted before construction started and our advice on how to allow for safe cycle traffic was accepted.
Clunies Ross Street goes from the bottom of the hill on Barry drive, past the west side of ANU and the Botanic gardens down to Lake Burley Griffin. There is a cycle path alongside the road which is heavily used by riders commuting between Weston Creek and ANU and the City.
The recent win is particularly sweet as work in the area has not always come with acceptable changes to cycling infrastructure.
During April 2021 the cycle path was removed to allow for the replacement of a large water pipe that was below the path. Pedal Power advocated for a viable alternative cycle route to be put in place during the works. Sadly, that time our input was ignored and no suitable alternative was installed, sometime leading to cyclists having to ride along the wrong side of the the road during peak hour! Many people were very concerned.
Today’s temporary cycle path is fenced off and where construction vehicles have access across the path from the road to the building site, traffic calming chicanes have been installed to slow and alert cyclists. The whole length is being monitored by traffic control staff.
Pedal Power is pleased and impressed by the planned, serious approach to maintaining the active travel route. The route is still heavily used by cyclists, indicating the route is still seen as safe, reliable and convenient, despite the building works alongside.
