Safe Bike Lanes Essential On Lyell Highway

Ensure all road users get value for money from current upgrade.

Tim Morris MP

Member for Lyons and Greens Shadow Infrastructure spokesperson
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
For Comment: ph 6233 8300

The Tasmanian Greens today urged the Lennon government to guarantee that the Australian Standard for bike lanes will be incorporated into the current upgrade works of the Lyell Highway between New Norfolk and Granton, to link that stretch of road with the existing bike lane from Austins Ferry to Hobart, saying that at the moment the carriageways are dangerously narrow with cyclists risking being pushed into the loose gravel at the verges.

Greens Member for Lyons and Shadow Infrastructure spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that he understands that the current Department of Infrastructure road works on the Lyell Highway are estimated to cost $14 million over the next 3 years, and that it would be economically responsible for the Minister, Jim Cox, to ensure that this upgrade caters to all road users, including cyclists.

Mr Morris, who took to the highway on his bicycle to demonstrate the problem, explained that the planned roadworks for the Lyell Highway include having sealed shoulders, but apparently they will be only 1.2 metres wide, which means that an additional 600mm are needed to bring the shoulder up to the Australian Standard for a safe bicycle lane on a road catering for traffic at 80 km/ph or above, which applies to this stretch of highway.

Mr Morris also said that he suspects that there will be an imminent government announcement about the Lyell highway works as the tender process for Stage 1 have closed, but there has not yet been any public notification.

“Minister Cox must intervene in the roadworks planned for this section of the Lyell Highway and require that his department broaden the shoulders by the extra 600mm necessary, where achievable, to bring the planned works up to national standards, as the upgrade works between Granton and New Norfolk provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to provide a safe cycling lane,” Mr Morris said.

“The Department has allocated millions of dollars to this roading upgrade and it makes good economic sense to ensure that such an investment benefits all road users, including cyclists, to ensure the community receives full value for each dollar invested in this infrastructure.”

“Now is the time to get bike lanes established on this stretch of the Lyell Highway as the government has an obligation to make it safe for all road users, especially as people look for opportunities for physical activity and this road would be ideal for cycling; if built to the relevant standard for roads on which the vehicle traffic travels at 80km per hour or more.”

“I understand that there will be a few short sections where it may not be possible to have the full lane width, but this can be resolved with warning markings in the bike lane; but this must not be used as an excuse for not providing lanes at the appropriate standard wherever that is achievable”

“It is currently dangerous to ride a bike on this stretch of the Lyell Highway – both for the riders and for the drivers who have to manoeuvre around the riders carefully. “

“It is a great flat stretch of road between New Norfolk and Granton that in part adjourns the famous and nationally important Murphy’s Flat wetlands, which attracts plenty of riders from the Derwent Valley, Hobart and also the northern suburbs, and would inevitably attract more cyclists if these extra 600 mm are added to the lane width to transform the route into a safe country ride.”

“I call on Minister Cox to accept that safe cycling lanes must be provided and that the shoulder sealing will be sufficiently wide to ensure that it meets the Australian Standard when roadworks of this nature are undertaken.”