Engineering Congestion: La Trobe Street Bike Path Risk to Public Safety

The City of Melbourne has published a post Implementation report on the La Trobe Street "Copenhagen" style bike lane.

The report shows a 25% reduction on vehicular traffic throughput since La Trobe Street has been reduced to a single lane road. Congestion in the city has increased and public safety has declined with the number of bicycle accidents on the rise.   

The independent report on road safety, which normally is undertaken prior to implementation, has highlighted a number of deficiencies in the City Engineering Services and Traffic Management departments

Engineering services failed to undertake a survey of business and residents effected by  La Trobe Street proposal.  This has further undermined confidence in the Councils consultation review process, which Councillors Leppert and Oak claim to have been extensive.  Well it would be of you consider holding a serious of discussion of forums in coffee shops with bicycle users to constitute consultation.  

The planning., design and implementation of Melbourne's Bike paths has been subject to ongoing criticism that the City of Melbourne is Engineering Congestion and had failed to give due and proper consideration to alternatives designs.  Instead of constructing over priced Copenhagen style separated bike lanes the Council should have developed bike lanes that utilized less congested streets that provide a higher degree of cyclist safety

The La Tobe Street bike lane has proved to be complete disaster in planning, design and implementation and is a serious public safety risk for motorists and cyclist alike. Commuters parked along  La Trobe Street are at risk with little room for passengers to alight from vehicles run the risk of collision with cyclists, The disabled, elderly and families the most disadvantaged.

With the reduction of traffic lanes and poorly designed interfaces at intersections cyclist safety is at greater risk. The number of serious accidents involving cyclists has increased since the new bike lane has been installed. up from 36 accidents over a five-year period with 9 recorded in the sevcn months since the bike lane was installed. An increase of 200% up from a ratio of 0.6 to 1.2 accidents a month.
 
Mr Geoff Robinson, Manager of Engineering Services, was unable to say where the reduction in traffic volumes has been displaced. When questioned by Deputy Lord Mayor, Susan Riley, Mr Robinson confessed that his department had not surveyed or consulted residents and businesses in La Trobe Street as part of the review

Earlier last year the City Council rejected a proposal by Crs Richard Foster and Jackie Watts to undertake a comprehensive review of the design and implementation of the Copenhagen Bike lanes, The Lord Mayor Robert Doyle claiming that La Trobe Street was a success despite evidence to the contrary.

Council may have to face facts and either pull out the bike path or remove car parking in La Trobe Street so as to allow for two lanes of traffic.

Melbourne's Bike Plan Roll-out in need of review

300m is not going to address issues related with Car Dooring.  The so called "Copenhagen" style bike lanes are not the solution. They will only add to risk of commuter safety. A better and mare prudent cost saving option would have been to install wider open  Chevron line delineated bike paths. For the cost of 300m Melbourne could have upgraded and installed 4Km of bike path in St Kilda Road travelling down both sides.  The City of Melbourne's rejection of a one month delay and a review of the Latrobe Street and Princes Bridge lanes closures is a step backwards.



Latrobe Street is a mistake and remains a risk to both driver and cyclist safety. Swanston Street and Albert Street lanes are also in need of review

An important aspect of any road design is the ability to read the road ahead and gauge the level of traffic management and design that applies.

The installation of wider Chevron line delineated lanes would have been consistent with the design of the Princes Bridge bike lane and  other more successful bike paths such as the one installed in Clardeon Street East Melbourne
 
Instead of Latrobe Street the City of Melbourne should have investigated installing bike lanes in alternative less used smaller side streets such as Abbeckett Street or Franklin Street

As to Princes Bridge I have no objection to the lane closure provided the City of Melbourne provides an alternative traffic river crossing to the East of Princess Bride. 

Swan Street Bridge is already congestion servicing West-East bound traffic.

A new bridge connecting Linlithgow to Batman Avenue Toll way would be in order to allow a further reduction in traffic flow on Swantson Street-St Kilda Road Between Flinders Street and Linlithgow Street.

There were a number of flaws in the Council's consultation process not the least of its failure to properly consider alternative cheaper and more effective designs that address the safety concerns of cyclists and dooring.  Council consulted widely with Cyclist groups but ignored the broader communities concerns in pushing ahead with the design solution adopted including the safety concerns of disabled drivers and passengers.

The segregated lanes in Albert Street, Swanston Street North and recently installed in Latrobe Street are a disaster in design and implementation.  They would have been better had they adopted the alternative chevron design. The money save alone would have allowed the upgrading of a significant number of bike paths within the city not just 300m in St Kilda Road.

A pause for a review to allow assessment of the Princes Bridge and Latrobe Street developments would have been prudent,  responsible and would have allowed for a better roll-out of a safer greater bike plan that is embraced by the whole community as opposed to one that had divided and created hostility towards cyclists.

This is not a way forward but a regressive step to the side