Serious construction in the City!

Pedal Power has been talking with the Light Rail designing and building teams for a long time. We’ve had successes like a cycle path alongside light rail in the far north, and not-yet successes such as better bike paths alongside Northbourne Avenue nearer to the City.

We’ve been talking with the Stage 2a organisation during the huge preparation work for this stage. Once the rails have been installed there will be no easy way to get under them again to fix wires, pipes or drainage. This is why so much effort has gone into ‘tidying up’ everything that is underground first.

When the massive earthworks of ‘raising London circuit’ was happening, Commonwealth Avenue was moved to one side, then to the other side and then put back in its place again. During that time, roads were moved or occasionally closed. However, the bike paths on both sides didn’t close, and hardly ever got congested. Walking or bike riding remained the easiest way to get around the city centre. With the help of the on-site Civil Engineers, Pedal Power wants to keep it that way!

What’s happening?

Parts of the City Centre are about to become a bigger building site than ever before. It’s been years in the making and a huge job getting ready to do the installation without closing the city down. There will still be reasonable ways to go through the City, however alternatives to car use will make your life easier.

When will it start and for how long?

The work will start very soon. The closures on London Circuit West begin on 04 February 2025. The work is expected to last 3 years. It really is a big, complex job in a confined space while the City continues to work alongside.

Where are the biggest building sites?

London Circuit on the west side mostly, and some car parks or empty spaces will become work compounds with temporary offices, stores and the like.

How can I get through?

There will be narrow walkways and possibly bike access around the outside edge of the London Circuit building sites. The tightest access will be on the southern side of the Melbourne Building beside London Circuit. The easiest way to get past will be either to walk under cover behind the pillars (because there will be no access on the pavement beyond the pillars), or as you approach the area, go around the other side of the Melbourne Building on your bike past the Post Office and then down West Row. 

The area between the Melbourne Building and the building site will be the most congested, and where possible worth avoiding, particularly on a bike.

You will be able to get from West Row (past the Post Office), through the building site and onto the crescent-shaped road (Knowles Place) that takes you to the courthouses and the City Police station. This will be a one-way route that will spit you out again on Edinburgh Avenue to the south-west of the City.

Edinburgh Avenue will remain open for the moment, giving access between the inner south west in the City Centre.

London Circuit to the south east between Commonwealth Avenue and Constitution Avenue is expected to open again in May 2025, including a decent bike path.

How can I stay clear of this congestion?

Clear cycle ways will be maintained,  Cycle paths will be kept open along Northbourne Avenue to City Hill, around the big roundabout on Vernon Circle and then all the way down Commonwealth Avenue on both sides to the bridge. That promise was kept throughout the ‘Raising London Circuit’ works, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t continue to do so.

If you want to dodge most of the roadworks, there will be another cycle route a bit further out. Take the next ring road outside London circuit by turning off Northbourne Avenue just past the very end of light rail onto Alinga St, go past the post office to the T-junction and turn left onto Marcus Clarke St. There is a bike route all the way along that road to the pedestrian/bike bridge over Parkes Way and from there a bike path will take you onto Commonwealth Bridge.

This is a construction site so things will change, and ‘stuff’ will happen. Pedal Power will do its best to keep bike riders informed on how these changes may affect your bike journeys.

 Why is Pedal Power involved?

Car congestion will be pretty severe in the City as the community invests in making the City an easier place to live and work in. The City is committing to making viable alternatives to car use a real option and Pedal Power wants to do its bit to help make bike riding a workable choice for getting around town. We are collaborating to make that happen, for the benefit of all bike riders. We will be helping to make bike riding more convenient with more bike parking, making cycle route as useful as possible and encouraging office buildings to have convenient and secure bike parking and end of ride facilities.