Merri-bek BUG

Meet State Election Candidates – Brunswick & Pascoe Vale
Meeting # 1 – ALP Candidates – Jane Garrett & Christine Campbell
7:30pm, Thursday 26th August 2010
Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick
(in the private dining room out back)
RSVP: ms.phuong.l@gmail.com

Dear Moreland BUG,

Come hear from your state political candidates on their stance on cycling issues.

At the Moreland BUG we believe there is a lot that can be achieved for cyclists and cycling infrastructure by state government. We have therefore invited the candidates from the major parties contesting the upcoming November state election to come and meet with the BUG.

It will be an opportunity to hear from each of the candidates and to put questions and raise issues of concern.

As the Moreland local council area is largely covered by two state electorates we have asked the candidates from Brunswick and Pascoe Vale to come and meet with us.

On Thursday August 26 Jane Garrett and Christine Campbell, ALP candidates, will join us at the Edinburgh Castle at 7:30pm.

We have also invited candidates from The Greens and the Liberal Party to meet with us during proceeding months and more information will follow as the parties confirm their availability.

The response to the Local Council draft budget was fantastic in achieving better outcomes for Moreland cyclists. This is another great opportunity to demonstrate to our state government the importance of cyclist issues in our area. So please put the date in you diary and come along.

For those that have not come before we meet in the back meeting room at the Edinburgh Castle from 7:30 to 9pm.

Yours Sincerely,
Stephen & Phuong

Works are progressing to upgrade the M80 Ring Road between Calder Freeway and Sydney Road. These works are being delivered by the Tulla Sydney Alliance which is a partnership between VicRoads, Thiess, Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) and Hyder.

As part of these works, a new bridge will be built over the Moonee Ponds Creek to the north of the existing alignment. The bridge will be approximately 250 metres long, 7 lanes wide and approximately 7 metres higher than the existing road alignment.

To ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists during construction, the shared user paths to the north of the M80 Ring Road and underneath the freeway bridge will be temporarily closed. While the path is closed, the project will provide a detour to maintain pedestrian and cyclist access through the area. Please see attached diagram for the proposed works and detour.

In mid August 2010, we will start to construct a new shared user path on the south of the M80 Ring Road, along the VicRoads road reserve linking the Moonee Ponds Creek trail to Langton Street shared user path.

Works will be delivered progressively during August and September to construct:
• A new crossing over the Moonee Ponds Creek on the south of the M80 Ring Road bridge. These works are expected to take one week to complete.
• A new shared user path on the north of the M80 Ring Road guiding pedestrians and cyclists from the existing path west towards the Katrina Drive pedestrian crossing. These works are expected to take one week to complete.
• A new shared user path along the road reserve to connect Beckett Street North to the Moonee Ponds Creek trail. This work is expected to take one week to complete.

The detour is expected to be opened to pedestrians and cyclists from mid September 2010 and will be in place until the Tulla Sydney Alliance works are complete at the end of 2012. While the detour is in place, the shared user path on the north side of the freeway and under the M80 Ring Road is expected to be closed to pedestrians and cyclists from mid September 2010 and reopened at the end of 2012.

The works will take place during the day between 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Should the project experience bad weather, the works will be rescheduled to the next available day.

Once the path under the M80 Ring Road is re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists, this temporary shared user path diversion will be removed and the area will be revegetated as part of the wider project landscaping strategy.

If you have any questions, please contact the project on 1300 297 090 (chose option 2 followed by option 2 again) or email community@tullasydney.com.au.

Yours faithfully
Ebony Fisher
Stakeholder and Communications Manager
Tulla Sydney Alliance

From: Kate Simnett – Kate.Simnett@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Hi there,

On 17 August 2010, Yarra Council will undertake works at Canning and Pigdon streets, North Carlton, to restore the roundabout rules at the intersection.

As you may be aware, Council changed the intersection in April 2010 to give priority to cyclists, with the aim of reducing potential conflict between cyclists and vehicles on this busy commuter route. Council has closely monitored this intersection and it is apparent that the works have not reduced the number of accidents and near–misses as had been hoped.

Restoring the roundabout rules will quickly remove any confusion experienced by drivers and cyclists, and increase the overall feeling of safety.

Cyclists and drivers are reminded that roundabout rules now apply at the intersection. Council will continue to monitor the intersection and investigate further improvements that could be made.

For more information, please contact myself via the details below or;

Jane Waldock, Manager Strategic Transport, on 9205 5733 or at Jane.Waldock@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Bhavin Shah, Traffic Engineer, on 9205 5778 or at Bhavin.Shah@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Please pass this on to your networks.

Cheers,
Kate Simnett
Acting Transport Coordinator
City of Yarra PO Box 168 RICHMOND 3121
Monday – Thursday
T (03) 9205 5734 M 0438 616 097 F (03) 8417-6666
E kate.simnett@yarracity.vic.gov.au
W www.yarracity.vic.gov.au

The construction firm working on the Western Ring Road have advised Council that they will be working on the bridge over the Moonee Ponds Creek in early August. As a result of these works the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail will be closed at the Western Ring Road between 9am and 2pm on Friday 6 August.

During the closure please use the detour via Langton Street as shown on the attached map.

Please direct any queries about the works to the construction contractors using the contact details listed below.

Patricia Chiuariu | Senior Communications Adviser
Tulla Sydney Alliance
Direct Telephone | (03) 9289 4066
Mobile | 0427 626 984
Fax | (03) 9289 4199
Email | pchiuariu@tullasydney.com.au

Regards
Simon Stainsby
Sustainable Transport Officer
Moreland City Council.

Dear Moreland Cyclists,

There will be a temporary road closure in Railway Place, Coburg this week to allow a crane access to the former Union Mills/McNuts site at 37-41 Munro Street Coburg

The closure will occur 7am-4:30pm on Tuesday 27 July and Friday 30 July and will affect cyclists on the Upfield bike path. It was not possible to leave the 2.5m minimum width on Railway Place for bikes to use, however there is a separate detour for bikes (as opposed to cars) which will use the laneway bounding the work site. The detour will only take cyclists 35m away from the path and the detour will be signed for cyclists and have traffic controllers at the North and South end of the closure to assist cyclists in finding the detour. Railway Place will remain open outside of the above mentioned times.

If you wish to discuss this further please contact Gordon Blake, Traffic Engineer City of Moreland, gblake@moreland.vic.gov.au.

Regards
Simon Stainsby
Sustainable Transport Officer
Moreland City Council

The Moreland City Council – Proposed Budget 2010/11 recommends a disappointing $3.49 per head expenditure on bike infrastructure. This is a significant decrease on previous years and much less than the modest $5 per head recommended by Bicycle Victoria.

If you think that the Council should spend more on cycling, now is the time to send a submission to the Council.

Details are available on the council website.

Note that submissions are accepted until Friday 9 July 2010.

It would be a good idea to send a copy of your submission to your local Councillor. Their contact details and profiles are available here.
It might be worth reminding them of their personal commitments to the environment, sustainability, climate change and healthy living and the Council Strategic Focus Areas of “A Sustainable & Just City, a Proud City, a Healthy & Educated Community, and a Responsive Organisation”.

Council will receive and hear all submissions at a Special Council meeting to be held on 12 July 2010 at the Municipal offices, Bell Street, Coburg commencing at 6pm. If you wish to be heard by Council
in support of your written submission, please state this clearly in your submission.

If you need ideas for your submission, you can see the 2009 Moreland
Bicycle Users Group submission.

The Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards were presented in Canberra yesterday.

Brunswick Cycling Club received an Honourable Mention in the category of Special Achievement Award by a Bicycle Organisation. Well done!

No comments

Please click on the attached plan for details of a diversion if you are going to ride the Western Ring Road Trail in Gowanbrae in the next 12 months.

The plan shows a diversion route whilst works are going on at the Gowanbrae Retirement Village. The cycle path is located on Vic Roads land and will be used for construction vehicles for a period of 12 months commencing within the next two weeks.

Dear BUGees

You are invited to an informal launch of the EB Shimmy.

It’s happening next Tuesday, 8 June at 10am.
Location is Amess Street at the Capital City Trail: Melway 29 K10
There will be a short speech from Mayor Stella Kariofyllidis and Carlo Carli MP followed by a photo opportunity for the press.

Hope to see you there
Nicholas

Nicholas Elliot
Transport Projects Officer
Moreland City Council

1: Kingfisher-Harrison-Albion path widening
2: Murray Road Bridge Repairs

The attachment shows the area affected around CERES. The detour route has been chosen to avoid sending cyclists on to busy Nicholson Street. Cyclists have been observed taking this route. Follow detour signs. Hopefully the closure won’t be as long as is shown on the map but the works are weather dependent.

The other closure is under Murray Road. The bluestone balustrade on the bridge above needs to be repaired after a car ploughed into it and knocked out a lot of (big, heavy) bluestone flagstones. Scaffolding will be erected under the bridge but the path will remain open except for intermittent short periods (minutes I’m told) when users will be stopped by a flag person if there is danger of objects falling from above. It was very lucky that no one was under the bridge at the time it was hit!

Any questions, contact me.

Nicholas Elliot
Transport Projects Officer
Moreland City Council
90 Bell Street COBURG Vic 3058
(Locked Bag 10 MORELAND Vic 3058)
Tel: 61 03 9240 1294
Fax: 61 03 9240 1205
nelliot@moreland.vic.gov.au