What is Concord to the Bay Run?

The East-West Regional Cycleway will establish a bike connection between Concord and Henley Marine Drive (The Bay Run). This route will help us to expand our local bike network to provide a safe riding environment for people of all ages and riding abilities.

Updated designs for Lyons Road West

We’re now seeking feedback on a revised concept design for the Lyons Road West section of the regional cycleway. This section is being prioritised as it will provide a key connection along the regional cycleway route.

The updated concept design features safer crossings for pedestrians and bike riders and aims to minimise parking loss. It includes:

• Two new raised pedestrian and bike crossings
• New separated cycleway along the north side of Lyons Road West
• New footpath along the north side of Lyons Road West, enhancing access to the foreshore
• Upgraded access to bus stops

The construction of the separated cycleway and footpath would require the removal of approximately 46 parking spaces on the north side of Lyons Road West (between Regatta Road and Friend Avenue). Most of the parking on the south side of Lyons Road West will be retained, however 4 spots will be need to be removed to make room for the pedestrian and bike crossings. A parking survey is currently being undertaken to better understand parking impacts, and will be reviewed alongside community feedback.

The design also requires the removal of one tree at the corner of William Street and Lyons Road West, which would be offset with planting at suitable locations.

Take a look at the updated concept design and provide your feedback by Sunday 28 July 2024.

The cycleway has been divided into six segments to assist in planning and communicating its construction.

Project background

The City of Canada Bay has been working closely with key stakeholders to design a regional cycling route that will suit the needs of our community as much as possible. The identified route runs from Patterson Street, Concord, through to Canada Bay and Five Dock, and to the popular Bay Run. It will provide access to several schools and sporting facilities, as well as to existing and planned cycle routes.

The cycleway will include:

• Separated cycle lanes
• Off-road shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists
• On-road riding on quiet streets
• Traffic calming improvements intended to ensure that vehicle speeds on those quiet streets are not excessive
• Intersection and signage upgrades to enhance safety and wayfinding.

Council has been developing the route since mid-2019, focusing on being as low impact to residents and as functional as possible. The route and the treatments along it have been identified based on analysis of factors including minimising impacts such as loss of parking, current cycling and vehicle traffic, anticipated future trends, site constraints, and more. To read about the process, download the Cycleway Concept Development Summary here.

Why have cycleways in the City of Canada Bay?

Bike riding brings many health, environmental, economic, and social benefits. Our population is anticipated to increase from approximately 89,000 in 2016 to 121,000 in 2036. To support this population growth, a shift away from private vehicle ownership is required, focusing more on walking, bike riding and public transport usage.

In 2016 just 1% of all trips in the Council area were via bicycle; Council's Local Movement Strategy has a goal of increasing this to 5% by 2036. To achieve this, new and upgraded bike riding infrastructure is required to ensure routes are safe and get people to where they want to go.

Why is this cycleway project good for the City of Canada Bay?

This $7 million project is the biggest cycling project in the Council area since the Bay Run. It provides the opportunity to deliver substantially safer bike riding conditions for all types of riders, new and existing.

A lack of bike riding facilities and high traffic volumes on major roads are currently a significant barrier to bike riding. Whilst confident riders currently ride through the general area despite this, these movements don't reflect routes and infrastructure needs required to suit the significantly larger portion of bike riders who are less confident.

This project will connect east-west cycling movements across the Council area, as well as provide local connections to schools, parks, recreation facilities, and commercial areas. By connecting along Lyons Road West, this project will also capture bike riding movements to/from areas such as Rhodes to the northwest.

As part of this project, there will also be significant improvements to pedestrian infrastructure such as new and upgraded facilities to assist with crossing roads, new and wider paths, etc.

In July/August 2020, we asked for the community’s feedback on detailed concept plans for the cycleway. During this round of consultation, the cycleway was split into six segments as outlined below, to make it easier to convey information and collect feedback.

This consultation was advertised through a letterbox drop to properties along the route, posters along the route, social media posts and emails. Due to COVID lockdowns, two virtual forums were held instead of in-person drop-in sessions.

Feedback found that 79% of respondents support the route, with many providing several suggestions. For more details about the consultation process and feedback received, take a look at the community consultation report.

This report also includes data on survey responses, a summary of key themes identified in feedback received and responses to those themes. Some of the feedback received relates to detailed design matters and as such, this feedback will be considered as part of the detailed design process.