Active Transport Strategy

  • Project statusStrategy Adopted at Council Meeting
  • Last updatedDecember 2023
Ebbels-crossing.jpg

Walking, wheeling and cycling aren’t just healthier ways to get around, they make our community safer and reduce our impact on the environment. While we’ve been making a lot of pedestrian safety upgrades recently, an Active Transport Strategy will help us improve pedestrian and cycling infrastructure throughout the whole Borough.

An Active Transport Strategy will help Council:

  • ensure key destinations are connected by cycling and pedestrian networks
  • upgrade infrastructure in a planned way, rather than with one-off improvements
  • understand and remove barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling in the Borough
  • improve the safety and accessibility of our pedestrian and cycling networks. 

Consultation report

Stage 1 external consultation for this project closed at 11:59pm on Sunday 20 February 2022. Click here(PDF, 5MB)to review the results of this consultation. The DRAFT Active Transport Strategy was then released to the public to receive feedback.

The DRAFT Active Transport Strategy was developed amid a thorough community engagement process. Almost five hundred residents and visitors contributed to the online platform, and Council conducted stakeholder workshops with numerous attendees including school crossing supervisors, neighbouring councils, and Vic Police to name a few.

What we heard

Council received submissions in response to the DRAFT Active Transport Strategy across varying platforms. 168 submissions were received, including a petition which at the time comprised over 1700 signatories, 453 living in the 3225 area.

Council has reviewed all feedback received and is using this feedback to inform the next steps. The feedback has been compiled into a Feedback Summary which shares what we've found from the various responses we've received which can be found here. All feedback will be provided to consultants Ratio as they work with Council to produce a revised version of the document, which is anticipated to be shared at the August Ordinary meeting.

Review outcome

The Active Transport Strategy can be found here and will be considered by Council at the December Ordinary Meeting. All those who made a submission will also receive an email containing the final draft.

Council officers have recommended the removal of references to making the Borough the first 30km/h municipality in Australia. The strategy continues to acknowledge the need to improve safety for vulnerable road users (including pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair-users, and others) when forced to share the road with vehicles. This will be addressed through several objectives and design principles that have been retained in the ATS, including the following:

  • Completing the pathway network
  • Finishing the missing links in the rail trail
  • Advocating for the expansion of the Strategic Cycling Corridor
  • Implementing on-road cycling lanes and infrastructure
  • Implementing separated and protected bicycle lanes where possible
  • Improving pedestrian priority at key crossings and intersections

 

Strategy Adopted

The Active Transport Strategy was adopted at the December Ordinary Meeting of Council.

Click on this link to read the ATS in full.