To encourage more Canberrans to walk and ride, the ACT government has released the Active Travel Plan 2024-2030, focusing on improving walking, cycling, and micromobility infrastructure for transport, recreation, or social activities.

The plan prioritizes safe pathways, outlines a cycling network, and encourages active travel through secure bike parking and programs.

An additional $4 million funding, part of a 50:50 agreement with the Australian government, brings total spending on active travel to more than $94 million.

Key projects include the Kingston Cycleway, connecting the Inner South to the City; new pedestrian crossings; and cycle route improvements.

The Kingston Cycleway will connect Kingston and the Inner South through to the City on the C2 cycle route. It will be delivered in two stages. The first stage, a pop-up bi-directional protected cycle lane on Bowen Drive between the Kings Avenue underpass and Bowen Park, will start commence construction in the coming weeks. The second stage will connect Bowen Park with Cunningham Street via Eastlake Parade.

A new pedestrian crossing on New South Wales Crescent will improve safe access to Telopea Park.

Improvements to the City to Woden C4 cycle route via the Lake Burley Griffin cycling circuit on Alexandrina Drive in Yarralumla include raised crossings, lighting, and signage.

Improvements to the City to Belconnen C3 cycle route through a new raised crossing on Bauhinia Street in O’Connor.

Upgrades to the cycling crossing point on the Adelaide Avenue on-ramp at the Hopetoun Circuit intersection including a pedestrian crossing and cycle lane improvements.

Pedestrian safety improvements include a new raised pedestrian crossing on Bowman Street, Jamison, and on including two new kerb ramps to facilitate crossing Beasley Street at the bus stops in front of the Torrens shops.

“Canberra consistently ranks highly as one of Australia’s best destinations for cycling and walking, and we know that by making the right investments now our city will benefit for decades to come,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

“Giving people more ways to get around – be it through investing in safer infrastructure, building more links whether it be major cycling routes between town centres and employment hubs or providing better local access or supporting behaviour changes in our community – benefits our entire community and improves our quality of life.”

“More Canberrans will walk and ride if it is safer, more accessible, convenient, and enjoyable,” Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and Planning, said. “This starts with strategic vision and basic design of our city’s streets.”

However, cycling advocacy group Pedal Power ACT said that without timelines, budget, or targets, the Travel Action Plan seemed little more than a wish list the Government did not seem committed to actually implementing.

“At first glance, we should be happy,” executive director Dr Simon Copland said. “The Plan claims to support numerous improvements we have been advocating for. These include a commitment to converting on-road cycle lanes on priority routes to safe separated cycleways; providing secure bicycle cages in every Town Centre; progressively building the identified priority missing links and more.

“Sadly, in practice, without targets, an implementation plan or allocated funding, this document is more a wish list than an actual plan. In doing so, we fear it will end up sitting in a drawer gathering dust, making it potentially worth little more than the paper it is written on.”

Dr Copland said that the time it has taken shows the Government just is not taking active travel seriously. 

“This plan has been on the drawing board for over 18 months. In that time, the town of Seville, Spain, built an 80 km separated bike network, and their cycling rate shot up from near zero to 10 per cent. While other cities are getting on with it, we can’t even produce a meaningful document.

“Given how long it has taken to get this plan out, there is rightly a perception in the community that the Government is not committed to improving our clearly inadequate cycling infrastructure. It seems that for the ACT Government, producing the plan is the achievement, and delivering on it is secondary, even during the ACT’s climate emergency.

 “Until we see some actual rapid investment on active travel, there is at least one use for the document: Next time you are cycling on a main road, unprotected from traffic, you could use a copy of the Active Travel Plan to shield yourself from a fatal collision. Good luck!”

 Pedal Power will advocate for a clear, funded implementation plan with rapid, mass, building work to follow as soon as possible.