Pedal Power ACT calls for 30km/h speed limit among recommendations

It stopped short of calling for the section of Northbourne Avenue with a 40km/h to be included at this stage, but would ultimately like it to have a 30km/h limit, too.

It says the speed limit change will promote active travel and maintain Canberra's ranking as the city with the the highest percentage of cyclists.

Pedal Power has made a submission to the ACT government ahead of its upcoming budget with a range of suggestions, including building a safe, connected and convenient bike network within the next five years.

It wants suburban streets with speed limits of 50km/h reduced to 30km/h, and for suburbs to be selected to trial a concept known as low-traffic neighbourhoods, with additional measures.

Pedal Power said the concept has been implemented successfully overseas, where some streets priority was given to people walking and on bikes, over those in cars.

Physical barriers like planter boxes would be installed to separate cyclists and cars, while drivers would be filtered away from the neighbourhoods "making car use more difficult but still possible".

Reducing speed limits to 30km/h is a World Health Organisation recommendation, designed to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and improve population health.

The intent of low-traffic neighbourhoods is to encourage biking and walking for shorter trips and make local streets more accessible to that cohort over drivers, the Pedal Power submissions says.

Pedal Power ACT executive director Simon Copland said ideally Northbourne Avenue would be reduced to 30km/h through the city in the future, though that isn't the focus of this submission.

"We recognise this as a special segment of road, which that would require some significant conversation with the community to make that happen," he said.

Mr Copland said there were major problems in the way the 40km/h limit was brought it, including the government's failure to implement infrastructure upgrades.

He said bringing Northbourne down to 30 km/h would require "traffic calming measures" such as speed bumps or chicanes.

"I understand that people were really angry because the street still feels like a 60km/h street," Mr Copland said.

"Then people started getting speeding fines."

Pedal Power's proposed changes also include converting on-road cycling to segregated bike lanes on all streets with speed limits above 60km/h.

Pedal Power ACT says protected cycling lanes built on Northbourne Avenue, Bowen Drive and Commonwealth Avenue, followed by all trunk roads including Belconnen Way and Drakeford Drive, would be the first step.

The submission also includes a number of suggestions to improve cycling infrastructure around the ACT, including increasing the maintenance budget for Stromlo Forest Park by $300,000 annually and delivering on the 2020 election promise to build a flow style mountain biking trail from Stromlo to the Cotter Recreation Area.

Mr Copland said often getting from a suburb into a town centre in the ACT was difficult, which was a barrier for people considering cycling.

"We're not expecting people to ride from west Belconnen or north Gungahlin or south to Tuggeranong into the city," he said.

"But the ability to ride to their local shops, or ride to their local health centre, or ride to the town centre and hop on public transport, that will significantly increase people's cycling participation and that is the core thing we want people to focus on."

Pedal Power ACT has also called on the government to act on the ACT Climate Change Strategy promise to establish a car-free day in the ACT by 2021.

"Around the world, car-free days are held annually on September 22 to encourage those who can, to give up their cars for a day to experience the numerous benefits of active travel," Pedal Power ACT says.

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The cycling advocacy group said more people ride in Canberra than any other jurisdiction in Australia, thanks to historical investment in infrastructure.

Despite this, "the car remains king in Canberra", Pedal Power wrote in the submission.

"While Canberra has historically been Australia's cycling city, we are at risk of losing this status," they said.

"The 2023-24 ACT budget is an opportunity for the ACT government to resource a transformation of Canberrans' travel habits.

"This will require a continued commitment to ongoing investment in cycling infrastructure, and support for programs that actively inspire, encourage, and assist more people to ride more often."

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