By Callum Ludwig
A pair of road crossings on the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail in Wandin North continue to attract the ire of cyclists with an ongoing national survey already cropping up complaints.
The Amy Gillett Foundation and CrowdSpot’s BikeSpot 2023 survey have created an interactive map where cyclists can point out ‘Unsafe Spots’ for upgrades or improvements or champion ‘Safe Spots’ where they feel safe when riding.
Director and Founder of CrowdSpot Anthony Aisenberg said it allows every Australian to mark and drop a pin where they feel safe riding their bike and where they feel unsafe riding their bike.
“This is the third time we’ve run the project, the first two times in 2016 and 2020 were just in metro Melbourne and Victoria respectively and this is the first time that we’re going national with the project,” he said.
“We’re engaging communities and collecting data around cycling safety until January 31, at which point we’ll produce a number of different reports and make the data publicly available so that planners and decision-makers have this important data set to factor into their decision making.”
The crossing of the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail at the Warburton Highway in Wandin North has multiple pin drops as an ‘Unsafe Spot’, with cyclists pointing out that the ‘heap of traffic’ makes for ‘long crossing times’ and that the speed of cars coming downhill, lack of visibility around the bends and no refuge in the middle’ make it dangerous without its own crossing.
A Department of Transport and Planning (DOTP) spokesperson said the safety of all road users is their top priority.
“We will continue to monitor the road network to determine where upgrades are needed most,” they said.
“We have delivered pedestrian controlled traffic signals at key points along the Warburton Highway, to improve safety at popular pedestrian and cycling crossing points including on the Warburton Rail Trail.”
Warning signs have been installed by the DOTP to alert drivers that a crossing linking the trail is approaching. In the five years leading up to 31 December 2022, there were no recorded crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists along the Warburton Highway at the crossing.
Mr Aisenberg said he has ridden the trail a couple of times and that is an amazing asset for the region.
“Anything that can promote usage of the trail, which includes safety because we know that people’s major concerns are about cycling safety, we should,” he said.
“These intersection points can cause stress and have an impact on people’s behaviour, so whether it be a priority crossing or a raised crossing, anything to promote priority for the trail would be really useful for the region and the community.”
The crossing of the trail on Sebire Avenue concerned other riders who face the challenge of running the gauntlet of a blind corner for traffic coming from Wandin North just before the trail crosses the road. Sebire Avenue is managed by Yarra Ranges Council.
‘We appreciate the community bringing this to our attention and we will investigate accordingly,” a Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said.
Anyone can add a spot on the interactive map by visiting bikespot.org.
Mr Aisenberg said he thinks giving advanced warning to drivers at the Sebire Avenue site could help.
“Coming around the corner at such speeds, if there’s riders crossing, it’s going to make for potential incidents or close calls, so anything to make the road environment more predictable will be better for drivers and riders in the area,” he said.
“Often in the past, the human experiences have been left behind when making decisions, usually on historical crash stats or volume data, old engineering ways, but we need to take into account all forms of data sources and the human experience is a really important one,”
“Crash stats will tell a top five locations in some respect, and then how people feel will tell a very different story but when we combine them, we’ve got a complete picture to better place priorities around future cycling safety improvements.”
