On Sunday 3rd November the Victorian state government announced a $1.6 million upgrade of cycling infrastructure for the corner of Albert and Lansdowne streets.
This intersection is already very heavily used by cyclists. It’s in the inner north of the city, bordering Carlton Gardens and a few minutes from landmarks including the city centre, the famous Lygon St restaurant strip, the University of Melbourne, major hospitals and other high cycling demand destinations.
The crossroads will have a separated cycle path, kerb islands to protect cyclists as they wait to turn right and new line markings.
Traffic lights will also be updated to allow cyclists and pedestrians to go through the intersection first, before motorists.
As the first protected intersection of its kind in Victoria, the state government will monitor cyclist safety at the site for four months after it is completed. The infrastructure is scheduled to be in place by mid-2020.
The new East Melbourne intersection is part of a $3.25 million state government package of cycling upgrades, which also includes protected bicycle lanes at the nearby intersection of Albert and Gisborne streets.
Update: In September 2020 the new intersection opened and is now fully operational. You can see video of the new intersection being used here.
Most of this article was first published in the Melbourne Age. For further comment about this article and broader implications to the bike industry around better cycling infrastructure, please see the article in the Opinion section entitled, ‘Why Our Industry Deserves Government Support.’
