Routes could be less safe, resident fears

Some residents alongside planned cycle routes are concerned cyclists will actually be less safe on the roads.

Silverton St resident Tubby Hopkins said one design he had seen for his street had a cycleway between the footpath and parked cars and at risk from passengers opening doors.

Silverton St is included in the next stage of the routes to be built, once the council had finished the contentious final section of stage one.

That section - the St Clair end of Victoria Rd - sparked a flurry of public debate last week after plans to build the cycleway on the dunes was dropped in favour of an alternative proposal to use the road.

Mr Hopkins said he and another resident had met council staff to air their concerns and believed there might now be some changes being made.

''In many cases I believe that more hazards will be created for cyclists, vehicles and pedestrians than exist at present.''

Transport planning manager Sarah Connolly was in Adelaide yesterday for a cycling conference but senior traffic engineer Ron Minnema said he did not think a decision had been made on Silverton St.

''I can assure you safety is definitely looked at and in fact is a very big thing for us. The last thing we want to do is build anything and actually increase the risk because that is not our objective.''

Council safe and sustainable travel co-ordinator Charlotte Flaherty said organised rides were being conducted around the new routes to show people how to use them safely.

 

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