In August 2024, a 27 year old Southbank man was killed in an (alleged) hit-run on Plummer St, Port Melbourne. He was working as a food delivery rider.

Every death is a tragedy for the family and loved ones. This one is particularly sour as Plummer St is one of the sparse network of roads designated as Strategic Cycling Corridors. Plummer St is partly 4 and partly 2 lane, very wide, and characterised by fast speeds and truck traffic.

Map of strategic cycling corridors, shown in pink and blue. Plummer St highlighted in yellow. — Strategic cycling corridors in Port Phillip. Plummer St top left, highlighted in yellow.

According to State Government, “SCCs are the main routes of the bicycle network, similar to how arterials are the main routes of the road network. They identify the most important routes for cycling for transport that connect to key destinations of metropolitan and regional significance, including key employment areas, activity centres and railway stations.”

However, unlike arterials, the conditions of the SCCs are currently massively unfit for for purpose, and there is no plan for systemically upgrading the infrastructure. Some routes have been upgraded as a by-product of other projects such as the Level Crossing Removal Project (for example, there will be a separated route on Queens Avenue, Caulfield). The local flagship project of the St Kilda Rd bike lanes took over 20 years of lobbying, during which several people were killed. (And that project remains incomplete, with only painted lanes between the Junction and Carlisle St).

Here is a scary clip from Lorimer St (also a SCC).

Screenshot from the clip (the cyclist was not squashed thank goodness).

Given the lack of progress on infrastructure, it’s fair to ask whether these are nothing but lines on the map.

Following the death in August, Port Phillip BUG wrote to Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne, asking her to prevent future injuries and deaths—- including of delivery riders at work—- by upgrading the SCC routes.

In November, we received a response from Stuart Johns, Executive Director of Modal planning.

“Victoria has adopted the safe system approach to road safety, which recognises that we as humans are vulnerable and make mistakes that shouldn’t cost us our lives. ”

“For people riding bicycles or using other micromobility devices, the practical application of this approach means that on-road facilities should be physically separated from motorised traffic in environments where traffic operates at speeds of more than 30km/h. Earlier this year, DTP adopted a policy outlining that any of its new or upgraded projects that occur on SCCs should include treatments to this effect.
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— Stuart Johns, Department of Transport and Planning

“Bicycle facilities, typically off-road shared use paths, are also included as part of all major state transport projects (road and rail) and a combination of off-road shared use paths and exclusive off-road bike paths are being progressively delivered as land develops in our growth areas. The policy also requires turn controls at new and significantly upgraded signalised intersections which will further improve safety for cyclists.”

Link to the new policy.

This is a long way short of a funded, systematic program that would deliver suitable infrastructure on SCC routes within any defined timeline. However it does represent a very very small shift in DTP policy. It’s not clear how many decades it would take for SCC routes to be fixed under this incremental policy.

The response did not share any plans for new or upgraded projects on Plummer St.

The Sandridge rail trail is a shared use path that connects Station Pier in Port Melbourne and City Road, just south of the CBD. It's a pleasant and convenient route, but it falls short of being a high quality off-road route.

This path is well used by people cycling and walking.

Shared path. When I rode this path on a sunny morning it was well used by cyclists and people walking, particularly older people. Shared paths are not ideal. People walking dislike cyclists riding past at moderate cycling speeds (20km/hr), while enforcing a "code of conduct" for pedestrians (e.g requiring that they stay left at all times, avoid walking in groups, and strictly controlling small children and dogs) destroys the pleasure of the walk. On the other hand, requiring cyclists to ride at slow speeds while passing pedestrians decreases the utility of this as a transport route. The best practice here would be to create separate paths for walking and cycling, where space allows.

No crossing at Bridge St. This needs either a zebra crossing (raised) or a signalised crossing with bike/pedestrian priority. At the very least, it should have a "keep clear" zone to prevent vehicles from blocking the route while queuing (the gates of the tram crossing are just to the left of the view above).

I'm not sure what works are being done here at Ingles St-- hopefully a better crossing!

Rails blocking the path. At the tram depot, the path is blocked by yellow rails that are supposed to force cyclists to give way to trams leaving the depot. These rails slow cyclists down and are extremely difficult (if not impossible) for people towing trailers, or riding long wheelbase bikes, or riding trikes. A better solution would be to have gates that close when trams approach, leaving the path unimpeded at all other times.