RAC pushes for cycle bridges
The RAC wants the State Government to start planning for a network of bridges around Perth for the sole use of buses, cyclists and pedestrians.
They say the "green mode" bridges would provide dedicated and direct connections to wider networks.
It would reduce the problems created by physical barriers such as the river, busy roads and rail lines.
"These bridges are widely used in other Australian cities such as Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide and provide a more convenient, safe and direct route," RAC general manager corporate affairs Will Golsby said.
He said green mode bridges were already proposed in Perth - the pedestrian bridge from East Perth to the new Perth stadium and the shared pedestrian-cycle bridge at Elizabeth Quay.
At this week's cycling workshop organised by the State Government, delegates proposed a bike-pedestrian bridge on the southern side of the Causeway.
The push for broader planning for green mode bridges is part of the RAC's Budget submission to the Government, which acknowledges that more than 400,000 West Australians ride a bike each week.
The submission says it is vital to improve cycling infrastructure, given growing participation rates in WA. "Increasing cycling participation has wide-ranging benefits applicable to many government sectors, including health and, of course, transport," it says.
"Cycling is undergoing a resurgence in WA.
"Now is the time to cater for, and capitalise on, this demand."
The RAC called on the Barnett Government to:
· Fund and deliver an audit of all on-road cycle routes in the next term of government.
· Develop WA-specific network planning and design guidelines for the Perth Bicycle Network.
· Advance completion of the remaining planned - but unbuilt - high-standard dual-use paths.
The submission said cyclists remained a highly vulnerable road user group.
For more people to choose cycling as a safe and viable transport option, "accelerated investment in infrastructure and behavioural programs that facilitate safer cycling is vital".
The RAC said the Government needed to increase funding for public awareness and education campaigns on sharing the road to highlight cycling safety.
In its cycling business case released in 2012, the RAC said up to $388 million needed to be spent over 10 years to create continuous, convenient and comprehensive cycle networks in WA's cities and towns.
