CONTINUATION OF ST KILDA ROAD BIKE LANES, JUNCTION TO CARLISLE

History

After a long community campaign, in 2018 the Labor State government announced the construction of protected bike lanes along St Kilda Road, from the city to Carlisle St, St Kilda. The protected lanes between the city and St Kilda Junction were built between 2022 and 2024.

By 2024, these resulted in increasing bike trips by 200-300%.

The scope of the project was down-graded to exclude the St Kilda Hill section, south of the Junction, and the project was wound up without this section.

Planning context

An unprotected bike lane alongside vehicles travelling at more than 30km/hr is not consistent with Austroads guidance.

This route is one of the main (C1) Strategic Cycling Corridors, connecting the city with Frankston. It is one of Infrastructure Australia’s Priority Initiatives (as part of the project Cycling access to Melbourne CBD), supported by the RACV.

User experience

The route over St Kilda hill is fraught with danger. Heading north, people on bikes have an unprotected on-road lane, with heavy trucks directly alongside– heavy traffic from the Nepean Highway tends to turn off onto Queens Rd at the junction, so will be in the left-most lane. Heading south, there is a door zone on-road, unprotected lane. Cyclists are travelling down the hill at speed, giving people opening car doors into the lane less time to make a careful check.

The 2023 Bikespot project captured the community concern about this section.

Campaign requests

• Fund design and construction of protected bike lanes between St Kilda Junction and Carlisle St in the next budget cycle

• Investigate rapid installation of temporary measures to mitigate immediate risk on this stretch

• A funded plan to upgrade all Strategic Cycling Corridors to an acceptable level of safety

Campaign partners

Port Phillip BUG, Stonnington BUG, Glen Eira BUG, Streets Alive Glen Eira, Bike Melbourne.

More info and campaign updates on our blog. This page’s information as a PDF.