Ord Street bike lane put to the test

The recently completed protected bike lane along Ord Street has been put to the test by the City of Fremantle’s Bicycle User Group.

The protected bike lane has been designed to improve safety for cyclists through the installation of a series of traffic islands along the southbound cycle lane to create greater separation between cyclists and cars.

Most of the work was carried out in July in conjunction with scheduled road resurfacing works between High Street and Knutsford Street.

The finishing touches were added by the City earlier this week following the completion of line marking by Main Roads WA.  

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt, councillors and City staff tried out the new bike lane with members of the Bicycle User Group (BUG) during a test ride earlier this morning.

 “The City is keen to promote cycling as a healthy, fun and environmentally-friendly mode of transport,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“The BUG is a group of bicycle enthusiasts in our Fremantle community who the City regularly engages with to discuss and identify possible improvements to our bicycle infrastructure.

“During COVID-19 we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people getting out there and riding a bike, and that’s something we want to continue to build on.

“Ord Street is identified as a key bike route in the City’s Fremantle Bike Plan so it’s terrific that we’ve been able to improve safety for cyclists along that stretch by installing the protected bike lane.

“People generally feel a lot safer riding a bike when there is a physical barrier between them and the traffic, so over time we plan to do more upgrades like this to encourage more people to take up cycling.”

Other works undertaken on Ord Street included widening the bike lane on the northbound carriageway through a minor relocation of the existing traffic lights at High Street, and improving the pedestrian crossing points near Knutsford Street by increasing the size of the refuge islands.

Other improvements to the City of Fremantle’s bike network in recent years have included widening the bikes lanes on Parry Street, the introduction of headstart boxes at intersections with traffic lights and increased bike parking.

The City of Fremantle’s Bike Plan 2019-2024 was adopted in September last year and sets the City’s priorities for bike infrastructure projects, programs and promotional activities for the next five years.

To read the Fremantle Bike Plan click here.