Melbourne's inner west has a reputation as one of the most hostile parts of the city for bike riders, with wide industrial roads filled with fast-moving container trucks and a shortage of paths across the Yarra River, a report has found.
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The report pinpoints the many missing links in the west's patchy bike network: on-road lanes that funnel riders into heavy traffic or which disappear beneath the wheels of parked cars; bike paths that end abruptly and force riders to navigate across major freight routes.
Getting the West on Track was commissioned by the Victorian Greens as a guide to how Melbourne's west could catch up with other parts of the inner city, where cycling is booming thanks to safer paths.
It argues building better bike links would reduce the area's heavy dependence on car travel, cut road congestion and improve health problems linked with a lack of exercise and higher vehicle emissions.
Victorian Greens MP Colleen Hartland said there were many people in the western suburbs keen to ride a bike and the government had a responsibility to make it safer for them.
"The inner western suburbs have just one safe cycling CBD commuter route," Ms Hartland said.
"This is just not good enough, particularly when you consider that, in the inner northern suburbs, every second road features a bike lane."
Cyclists mix with heavy vehicles in Yarraville. Photo: Getting the West on Track
The report maps out the main shortcomings in Melbourne's three inner-western municipalities: Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay and Moonee Valley.
There were 422 reported bike crashes in those three cities from 2009 to 2013, which equalled 7 per cent of all road injuries, VicRoads crash statistics show.
Analysis by Bicycle Network has found part of the problem is thatwestern suburban councils appear unwilling to devote their resources to improving bike lanes.
In 2012, Bicycle Network compared local government bicycle expenditure and found the City of Maribyrnong spent less per head of population than any other council in Melbourne, just 91 cents.
Five dollars per resident was rated a pass mark, which Hobsons Bay also failed to reach.
A cyclist rides along Dynon Road. Photo: Getting the West on Track
One symptom of the west's sketchy bike network is a relative lack of women getting around by bike, which is seen as a key indicator of the health and safety of a city's cycling environment.
Emma Byrne does brave the west by bike, cycling most days from her home in West Footscray to her job as an office assistant in the CBD.
Ms Byrne takes the busy Footscray Road bike trail - which is the only off-road path between the city and the western suburbs - even though it is an indirect route for her and she often finds herself inhaling dust and fumes from trucks.
A cyclist crosses the Maribyrnong River on Dynon Road. Photo: Getting the West on Track
The most direct route, along Dynon Road, has a 60 km/h speed limit and no bike lane.
"It would definitely be a more direct route but I just don't feel safe because cars go so fast and there should be a divide there [between vehicles and bikes]," Ms Byrne said.
According to the report, the lack of good paths means many cyclists avoid the roads, cycling illegally on the footpaths instead.
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