New plans for St Kilda Road bike lanes that would see cyclists riding down the middle of the boulevard are unsafe and should be dumped, Port Phillip Council says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council says VicRoads wants to move existing traffic lanes from the centre of the road to the side.
Those former car lanes in the centre of St Kilda Road would then become a safety zone for bikes, from Linlithgow Avenue near the National Gallery of Victoria to just north of St Kilda Junction, according to the council.
The bike zone would then switch to "Copenhagen-style" protected bike lanes on the side of the road from St Kilda Junction to Carlisle Street in St Kilda.
However, a VicRoads director said that reducing car lanes would not be a part of the project.
The council has worked with VicRoads on the project since 2015, but is now in dispute with the road authority, saying its proposal is not safe.
"We are concerned this design could deter less confident riders and groups like women, children and older riders," Port Phillip's acting mayor Katherine Copsey said.
"They may find it challenging to cross over from the centre to the sides of the road."
Cr Copsey, a member of the Greens, said research had shown women would be more likely to cycle when there were safe and easily accessible paths.
"St Kilda Road should be a corridor for everyone," she said.
The St Kilda Road bike route falls within both the Port Phillip and Melbourne City Council areas. It is one of Melbourne's busiest bike routes, as it is one of the most direct into the CBD from the south.
St Kilda Road also has one of the highest rates of reported crashes involving car doors and cyclists in Victoria. In the five years to 2015, there were 122 cyclists recorded as injured on the strip.
Cycling advocates have campaigned for years for safer bike lanes along St Kilda Road. Along with 122 crashes involving cyclists there were 74 accidents recorded involving pedestrians between 2011 and 2015.
About 3000 people ride along St Kilda Road each day, and it is also used by 41,000 motorists and 200,000 tram passengers.
VicRoads regional director Vince Punaro said the road authority wanted to ensure everyone's safety, "whether that's cycling, using public transport, walking or in a car".
"VicRoads has been consulting with local residents and St Kilda Road business owners about improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians, while balancing the needs of drivers, public transport users, businesses and the local community," he said.
