Issue Summary

Issue summary

Moonee Valley City Councilis seeking support from the Victorian Government to fund the development of a new pedestrian/cycling bridge as part of the implementation of the Maribyrnong River Master Plan.

While Moonee Valley City Councilcontinues to implement significant elements of the master plan for which it has responsibility and control, it requires support to constructa key pedestrian bridge link at Raleigh Road.

Over recent years, Council has, in partnership with VicRoads, Melbourne Water and other agencies, undertaken detailed design, costing and feasibility studies to progress the Raleigh Road Pedestrian Bridge concept.

The Raleigh Road crossing of the Maribyrnong River is an essential project, required to improve connectivity across the river, enhance community safety and encourage community health and wellbeing through walking, jogging and cycling.

This issue has been identified by Moonee Valley City Councilas one of its top 10 priority advocacy issues for the 2015-2016 period.

Outcome sought

Moonee Valley City Councilis seeking support from the Victorian Government to:

Partner with the Moonee Valley City Council, Maribyrnong City Council, VicRoads, Melbourne Water and community groups to implement the Raleigh Road Pedestrian Bridge Project.

Provide $5m in funding for the project in the 2016-2017 State Budget.

Background and justification

Maribyrnong River

The Maribyrnong River is one of Melbourne’s most significant and important waterways, weaving its way through suburbs to the north and west of the city and entering the Yarra River at Footscray. The Maribyrnong River provides a high value public asset for boating, fishing, swimming, rowing and a range of recreational, cultural and economic activities along its banks.

Maribyrnong River Master Plan

Moonee Valley City Councildeveloped the Maribyrnong River Master Plan over the period 2009-2011 to provide a clear vision for the future short, medium and long term design, development and management of the area as the city undergoes housing and population growth. The master plan recognises and responds to the expected increase in demand on the parklands adjacent to the river that will require a substantial improvement in amenity and function.

The master plan identifies and prioritises a range of recommended activities to enhance the precinct in line with an overall design concept.

Raleigh Road pedestrian bridge

The Maribyrnong River Master Plan identifies the Raleigh Road Pedestrian Bridge as a priority project.

The master plan also identifies the need for bridge upgrades to enhance the visual appearance of the existing road bridge, improve user experience, explore the option of creating on road bike lanes physically separated from traffic and separating tram lanes to improve trip times to the city.

The Raleigh Road Bridge (a VicRoads asset) provides an important crossing of the Maribyrnong River for vehicles, trams, cyclists and pedestrians (both walkers and joggers). The bridge currently carries significant volumes of east-west traffic and services nearby Highpoint Shopping Centre. It also forms a key link in bicycle commuting routes into the CBD.

Issues and priorities

The primary issue with the existing Raleigh Road Bridge is its limited capacity to meet existing and future demand and carry vehicles, trams, cyclists and pedestrians safely and efficiently.

The existing pedestrian pathway is narrow and immediately adjacent to the roadway, without any physical separation. Often pedestrians need to step onto the roadway to pass others, in particular if there are prams or scooters. Cyclists are required to share the roadway with vehicles. With trams also sharing the centre of the roadway, the Raleigh Road Bridge can become congested and dangerous for road users, cyclists and pedestrians.

The Maribyrnong River Master Plan identifies that by far the most dominant activity along the river is walking and jogging. The Raleigh Road Bridge forms a key link in the 4km Maribyrnong walking/jogging circuit, acknowledged as one of Melbourne’s great walks.Pedestrian and bike counts confirm that use of the Raleigh Road Bridge is significant. Providing a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, while improving the efficiency of the road crossing for vehicles and trams is a key priority.

Designand cost

The Maribyrnong River Master Plan originally identified the construction of a cantilevered pedestrian and cycling bridge off the side of the existing Raleigh Road Bridge as a potential option. Subsequent design, costing and feasibility studies have concluded that a stand-alone pedestrian bridge adjacent to the existing bridge structure is required from an engineering and flood mitigation perspective.The estimated cost of constructing the Raleigh Road Pedestrian Bridge is $5m.

While a wholesale redevelopment of the Raleigh Road Bridge would be an optimal outcome, constructing an adjacent stand-alone pedestrian bridge presents an achievable and affordable option.

Consultation

The City of Moonee Valley has proactively engaged VicRoads, Melbourne Water, other agencies and the local community in the scoping and planning phases of the project. There is widespread support for this project and the benefits it will deliver.

Community support

Community consultation undertaken by the City of Moonee Valley on its draft Maribyrnong River Master Plan in 2011 revealed that ‘improving bridge connections for pedestrians and cyclists’ was the community’s highest priority for improvement to the river and its surrounding environment.

Benefits

The Raleigh Road Pedestrian Bridge is expected to deliver substantial community benefits including:

Improved community safety
Support for walking and cycling
Support for commuting with sustainable transport
Improved usability of the Maribyrnong walking circuit and attraction of visitors to the precinct

Improved community health and wellbeing
Improved pedestrian amenity
Improved access to Highpoint Shopping Centre
Improved vehicle and tram efficiency
Greater east-west connectivity across the Maribyrnong River

MOONEE VALLEY CITY COUNCILCONTACT: NAME NAME

ADVOCACY PRIORITIES 2015-2016 NUMBER