New plans for Sturt Street bike path revealed

REGIONAL Roads Victoria has released updated plans for a bike path along Sturt Street and the reaction from stakeholders is mixed.

The latest iteration of the would see the planned bike path run along the south side of the Sturt Street Gardens between Pleasant and Lyons streets, with the median widened to accommodate the route.

RRV regional director Western, Michael Bailey, said the new plans were a result of working with community members and experts, and they took into consideration heritage concerns.

“We understand that the Sturt Street gardens occupy a special place in the history of Ballarat, which is why it’s so important that we listen to the community and get this project right,” he said.

“By opting for this location, we’ll boost safety for pedestrians and cyclists and improve access to the median gardens, while protecting the precinct’s history.

“This outcome demonstrates the importance of community consultation. [W]e’ve listened and now we’re getting on with making Sturt Street safer and more accessible.”

A spokesperson for RRV said 55 responses were received as part of the formal consultation process.

Of those 60 per cent were against the original plan to have the bike path running down the centre of the Sturt Street Gardens.

The new plan was favoured by 29 per cent of the people who provided feedback.

The previous plan, released by RRV in August, had the shared cycle and footway weaving around existing statues and monuments.

City of Ballarat deputy-mayor Cr Belinda Coates was upbeat about the changes and said that quality cycleways were key to overall liveability in the city.

“It is incredibly important for Ballarat to have safe and separated walking and cycling connections,” she said. “This is central to maintaining a liveable, equitable and compassionate city.

“It’s good to see that RRV have responded to community and identified the path running along one of the existing paths, which leaves the gardens unchanged.”

Yet fellow municipal representative, Cr Amy Johnson, was less positive about the updated plans.

Cr Johnson, a long-time opponent to changes to traffic flow along Sturt Street said any bike path down the middle of the thoroughfare was inappropriate and meant that a commitment made by the Premier had been broken.

“Daniel Andrews came to Ballarat and promised he’d scarp this ridiculous plan,” she said. “The fact that this plan is still going ahead is outrageous.

“The Ballarat community have been extremely clear about our opposition to this project and the destruction of our magnificent heritage boulevard.”

A State government spokesperson rejected the claims of a broken promise noting the commitment Cr Johnson was referring to related to previously proposed but subsequently scrapped works at intersections along Sturt Street, and not the bike path itself.

Western Victoria upper house MP and Minister for Roads, Jaala Pulford, said that the new plan was sound and based on community feedback.

“The Sturt Street upgrade is all about boosting safety for mums and dads pushing their prams and kids riding to school, and we’re getting on with it,” she said.

“We’ve always said we’d listen to the community to make sure we get this right, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”

However, Cr Johnson also took aim at the community consultation process saying a lot of people didn’t want a bike path down the Sturt Street median, regardless of the route.

“It’s extremely clear that a majority of Ballarat residents don’t support a path down our Sturt Street Gardens, whether it’s though the middle or on the side,” she said.

Mr Bailey said final drawings of that the new version of the bike path might look like would be released in February and works will start in April.