Brand-new entry & exit ramp for Port Railyard Bikeway!

1. Railyard Bikeway Renovations: The long-awaited widening and resurfacing repairs for the Port Adelaide Railyard Bikeway are underway. The work is being undertaken by DPTI as part of their work on the Outer Harbour Greenway route (of which the Railyards Bikeway is an important section).

Extensive widening & resurfacing of the Railyard Bikeway.

Thus far we have noted:

• widening of the bikeway, particularly on some of the awkward bends in the path
• repairs to the surface where it has subsided or become damaged by tree roots
• creation of a new and hopefully safer kerbside ramp & exit at the Lipson Street end.

Newly rebuilt ramp at Lipson Street facilitates better exit sight-lines.

New sight-lines available for those waiting.

The new Lipson Street entry & exit ramp provides bicycle users with a safer ‘waiting’ position much further out into the road. This will allow much improved sight lines along Lipson Street, assisting pathway users waiting for a gap in traffic. It will also allow motor vehicle drivers to clearly see those waiting to enter or cross the roadway.

We note of course that the old ‘rest rail’ is yet to be relocated or replaced in a more suitable position. Hopefully there will actually be new, smaller and highly-visible rest rails located on each side of the new ramp adjacent to the roadway entrance! Unfortunately we are not yet aware of the full scope of work to be undertaken. Unlike road projects which are usually canvassed widely, bikeway projects don’t seem to be accorded much publicity or information provision!

We do know that:

• the path is being widened and resealed across it’s entire width
• the bikeway will be lit to a high pedestrian standard via LED lighting.

An entirely new ramp will be built on the opposite side.

DPTI staff also note that the entrance to Lipson Street has been ‘shuffled along’ very slightly to ensure the rebuilt kerb ramp will line up with an entirely new pedestrian ramp to be installed on the other side of the road. The plan is that this new west-side ramp will assist wheel chair and pram users to directly access the footpath on the other side of the road.

New path/old ramp at the Rosetta Street end of the bikeway.

Hopefully the narrow and overly steep ramp at the Rosetta Street (or Rosewater) end of the bikeway will also be replaced. We note that the widened and resurfaced pathway at this end is now much wider than the ramp it ‘feeds’ so it seems reasonable to expect that a new, much wider ramp is in the plan!

No State Bike Strategy – Yet!

2. No State Bicycle Strategy – yet! Earlier in 2014 on the final day of the VeloCity Conference Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan referred to a new State Bicycle Strategy, asking us to ‘watch this space. Unfortunately that was just about the last mention he seems to have made on the subject.

PortBUG has recently written to the Minister offering our recommendations for this supposed new strategy and asking him to release it asap for public consultation. We are yet to hear back from the Minister’s office, but we have heard on the grapevine that:

• consultation has occurred with the Local Government Association (apparently with a joint LGA/DPTI working group formed)
• the new Strategy seems set for release for public consultation during the January 2015 Tour Downunder.

The PortBUG will provide our recommendations for a new State Bicycle Strategy at a dedicated page at our website as soon as possible.

3. PA/E Bike Strategy: Public release of the new Port Adelaide/Enfield Bicycle Strategy – to which the PortBUG has provided extensive input – also appears delayed. We had been expecting Council to release it for public comment and input prior to Christmas but this seems unlikely. We will monitor the situation as best we can and we will also ensure that our recommendations to Council are also available at our web site asap.

Support the work of the PortBUG – your local Bicycle User Group – just by following our Blog or Facebook page and stay in touch with The Port’s ‘bicycle renaissance’!