Thursday, 9 March 2023

Transport infrastructure

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (19:19): (99) Today my adjournment matter is for the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and the action I seek is for this government to commit to lifting spending on active transport from the current 1 per cent of capital transport funding in the budget to the Greens’ proposed 10 to 20 per cent. Since the end of January we have seen the tragic death of four cyclists on both city and regional roads in Victoria. The most recent occurred just yesterday morning in my region of Southern Metro.

It is unacceptable that in Australia a cyclist is killed every nine days and 20 hospital beds are needed every day to care for injured riders. We need the government to reassess its priorities and start taking the health and safety of cyclists seriously. Continuing to prioritise new toll roads at the expense of protected bike lanes and active transport infrastructure is not good enough. We hope that this current government will finally listen to the community and calls from the Greens to hold a parliamentary inquiry into road safety for cyclists.

At the end of February I joined several hundred dedicated and passionate cyclists at the Critical Mass protest, raising awareness about rider safety and bike infrastructure in our state. We rode from the State Library to Footscray along Kensington Road and Dynon Road, both of which are notoriously dangerous for cyclists. My thanks to Critical Mass and BikeWest for their continued advocacy on this issue. I look forward to pedalling hard with you all to get the safe infrastructure you and our fellow Victorian cyclists deserve.

One such project that BikeWest has been championing, which would have a significant positive impact for the community, is that of a bike lane along Hopkins and Barkly streets in Footscray. The existing infrastructure along Dynon Road and across Hopetoun Bridge is a protected bidirectional lane which abruptly stops at Joseph Road, and this essentially renders the path useless as a connection to Footscray and further west. Extending this bike lane would provide an invaluable link for the west, enabling people to safely and confidently cycle between the city and Melbourne’s western suburbs.

More than two-thirds of people in Victoria want to walk and ride their bikes more, but we do not have enough safe bike lanes, footpaths and crossings to enable people to take up the option. So Victoria really needs increased funding for this infrastructure without delay.

Better infrastructure is even more urgent for people living with disabilities. Wheelchair users and those with other accessibility needs face massive challenges in navigating our streets during their day-to-day lives. Increased funding for accessible, walkable and bicycle-friendly neighbourhoods will cut emissions, improve safety and make it easier for people to get around. I do ask the minister to commit to lifting spending on active and sustainable transport from the current 1 per cent of capital transport funding in the budget to the Greens’ proposed 10 to 20 per cent.