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Cycling is a great way to get around Darebin and we have lots on offer to make it as enjoyable and safe as possible.

Darebin Creek Trail Shared Path Bridge Replacement

Darebin and Banyule City Councils are proud to announce the opening of a new bridge that crosses the Darebin Creek between Dundas Street in Thornbury and Banksia Street in Ivanhoe.

Darebin Creek Trail Shared Path Bridge 

The new bridge is much wider, has a gentler slope, a wider turn, uses more durable materials, and has additional handrails. All these features make the bridge safer and more user-friendly for weekend bike-riders and commuter cyclists, as well as for local walkers and joggers who use this popular path.  

 One-on-One Bike Skills Training 

> Do you know someone who wants to learn how to ride?
> Would they prefer a personalised approach?
> Do they want to learn at a day, time and location that suits them best?

Our experienced, patient and friendly instructors begin with the absolute basics like how to walk along with a bike, get on and off gracefully, start off, pedal and stop safely.

Our instructors give hands-on support until the new rider finds their balance, and then cheers them on as they gracefully ride off into the sunset. This training is suitable for anyone aged from 7 to 77. 

> 3-hour courses for absolute beginners: $100 
This training usually costs $195. However, Darebin residents are eligible to participate in this training program for the discounted price of $100.

> 2-hour courses for those with some riding experience:  $70 
This training usually costs $140. However, Darebin residents are eligible to participate in this training program for the discounted price of $100

Members of the community who are recipients of Centrelink payments or in social housing may be eligible to participate in this training program at no cost. Please contact green.travel@darebin.vic.gov.au for more information.

The exact date, time and location of One-on-One Bike Skills Training is negotiated between you and your instructor.  For more details and to register for One-on-One Bike Skills Training, please click through to our Eventbrite registration page. 

Bike Skills Workshops
Do you already know how to ride a bike, but need a skills or confidence boost? Our series of bike skills workshops will help you learn more about your bike and how to ride safely on our local streets, bike paths and trails. 

Our current range of workshops include:

  • Women on Wheels (run by a female instructor for women wanting to build their confidence)
  • Basic Bike Maintenance (for those wanting to learn how to look after their bike)
  • Back on the Bike (for new riders wanting to develop their bike handling skills)
  • Urban Cycling Confidence (for those wanting to develop their on-road riding skills)

These workshops are held in Autumn (February, March & April) and in Spring (September, October & November) every year.

For more information, dates, times and to register, please click through to our Eventbrite registration page. 

TravelSmart Maps
Our TravelSmart Map shows on-road bike lanes, off-road riding trails and safe bike-riding routes, as well as walking paths, public toilets, water fountains and public transport information, including tram and train maps. 

You can collect a printed and folded, pocket-sized copy from one of our Customer Service Centres or Libraries.

If you're after a TravelSmart Map for other parts of Melbourne and Victoria, please check out the VicRoads website.

Shimmy Bike Routes
A shimmy is a bike route that wiggles its way through quiet back streets avoiding busy main roads. With directional signage, road markings and maps, it's easy to shimmy your way across Darebin by bike.  We have a map of the new Great Western Shimmy route, as well as a map of our Other Shimmy routes.

You can view all of Darebin’s shimmy routes together in this google map.

Ride2Work Day
Ride2Work Day is Australia's biggest celebration of bike riding and the perfect opportunity to try riding to work. In October every year, you can join the thousands of riders across Darebin already on their bikes and experience the difference riding can make to your daily commute. For a wrap-up of Ride2Work Day 2017, click here.

We also encourage individual workplaces to host a Ride2Work Day breakfast at their premises. If you’re a business owner, take the lead and encourage your staff to ride. If you’re an employee, ask your boss to support the day. All businesses that register for Ride2Work Day with Darebin Council receive a FREE fresh fruit box for everyone to enjoy, as well as promotional posters, bike information and cycling-related give-aways.

It’s free and easy to register and all businesses that get involved are in the running to win some great prizes. Get in early and register your workplace for 2018 via our Eventbrite registration page.

Benefits of Riding a Bike to Work
Riding a bike is fast, convenient and fun. There are many other benefits of riding to work, such as:

  • Improving personal health and wellbeing
  • Attracting and retaining staff 
  • Reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity
  • Saving money on petrol and public transport fares 
  • Reducing congestion on our roads
  • Alleviating parking pressures at work
  • Minimising our greenhouse gas emissions

For more information about how to make your workplace more bike-friendly, visit Bicycle Network.

You can also check out the "Four secrets of happiness that only bike riders know" from our friends at the Bicycle Network. 

Be Bright at Night 
Bike riders are some of our most vulnerable road users and we want them to do everything possible to improve their visibility and safety, especially during the winter months and when riding at night.

A white front light, a red rear light and a rear red reflector are essential to help drivers and pedestrians see approaching bike riders.

This video from our friends at VicRoads shows just how difficult it can be to see a cyclist who is not using lights.  
VIDEO: Be seen at night - look bright, use your lights!

A range of bike lights and reflective accessories can be purchased from retailers.  Bike riders can also check out the Bicycle Network's review of the Best bike lights 2017 for advice. 

Please urge your family and friends to wear highly reflective gear and to ride with lights to boost their visibility when riding at night.  

St Georges Road Bike Counter
In partnership with the Darebin Bicycle User Group, we have installed a solar powered bike counter on the St Georges Rd shared path. Sensors in the path detect when a bike passes and the counter shows how many people have ridden past that day, and for the year to date. Over 500,000 bikes are counted on the path every year, and this number is growing! The latest data is also available online.

Public Bike Repair Stations
Our public Bike Repair Stations allow you to easily complete on-the-go repairs on your bike on any day and at any time. The repair stations include a pump and basic tools to help you complete minor maintenance on your bike.

Not sure how to use a bike repair station? Find help online at www.bikefixation.com/help.

  • Merri Creek - near St George’s Road intersection, Westgarth 
  • All Nations Park, Skate Park - Dennis Street, Northcote
  • Opposite Northcote Town Hall - High Street, Northcote
  • Cnr Miller Street and the Northern Pipe Trail (St Georges Rd shared path), Thornbury
  • Reservoir Community and Learning Centre, 23 Edwardes Street, Reservoir

Bike Parking Hoops
Do your ride to your favourite shop or cafe and find it hard to park your bike? Do you wish there was more bike parking near your local school or community centre?  If so, please email us at: green.travel@darebin.vic.gov.au.

If you own or manage a local business or organisation and would like more bike parking for your customers and clients, please complete our Bicycle Hoops Request online form.

Bike Parking at Train Stations
There are Parkiteer bike cages at Preston and Reservoir train stations. Parkiteers offer free, secure, undercover bike parking right near the station entrance. Access is available 24 hours by security pass which requires a $50 refundable deposit. Sign up at Parkiteer or call 1300 546 526. 

Free Portable Bike Parking Hire
Local schools and community organisations can hire our ace portable bike rack at no cost. It can accommodate up to 10 bikes, fits in the back of a car and is easy to set up. It's a top way to encourage visitors to ride to your event. Email us at green.travel@darebin.vic.gov.au for more information.

Local Bike Shops and Mechanics

Community Bike Groups

  • Darebin Bicycle User Group - a local group that campaigns for better cycling conditions and organises rides to suit cyclists of all abilities.
  • Wecycle - a volunteer group that recycles and re-conditions unwanted bikes and re-homes them with people who need them.
  • Wrenchworthy - an autonomous space for women, non-binary and gender diverse people interested in bike maintenance and learning how to fix bikes.

Other Useful Apps and Websites

Related Links

Further Information
Ph: 8470 8683
Email: green.travel@darebin.vic.gov.au
A short video about Darebin's bike Shimmy routes

We are working towards creating a walkable community in Darebin.

Darebin Walking Strategy 2018-2028
A quality walking environment is critical to the success of a sustainable, functional and liveable place to be. The Darebin Walking Strategy 2018-2028 was adopted by Council on November 8th 2018, and provides an evidence-based approach to kick-start the long term investment into walking in Darebin. This important Strategy supports important social, environmental and economic outcomes, specifically those relating to wellbeing, social inclusion, and sustainability. For more information, feel free to view or download the Darebin Walking Strategy 2018-2028, or contact us for more details. 

Walking maps
The Merri Creek Trail map provides information about the local walking and cycling routes, leisure facilities, public transport and parklands along the Merri Creek shared path.

Our TravelSmart Map shows bike-riding routes, walking paths, public transport information including tram and train maps, public toilets and water fountains to help you get around. 

You can collect a printed and folded, pocket-sized copy from one of our Customer Service Centres or Libraries.

If you're after a TravelSmart Map for other parts of Melbourne and Victoria, please check out the VicRoads website.

Walking Groups
We support many Walking Groups across the municipality. These groups are run by volunteers and aim to get more people out and about walking in a friendly environment. 

A Walking Action Group may also interest you - these groups help improve the local environment for walking. Visit Victoria Walks for more information.

Visit our Community Directory for a listing of Walking Groups. Contact details for some of these groups are also provided in our TravelSmart Map (above). To create your own group, contact us for more details.

Improving Our Paths
We are currently developing a Principal Pedestrian Network which will prioritise and guide the way the we upgrade our walking infrastructure. We also commissioned the St Georges Road Share Path Safety Audit in 2013 which has highlighted areas for us to improve, and also supports us when advocating to other stakeholders that are responsible for the path and its surrounds. 

 

The City of Darebin is well serviced by public transport.

In Darebin we have the South Morang and Hurstbridge train lines, the 11 and 86 tram lines, and many bus routes.

To obtain information about a particular service use the Public Transport Victoria website – it is excellent for planning trips and obtaining route and timetable information.

A detailed map of all the public transport options can be viewed here.

Alternatively you can call PTV on 1800 800 007 for timetables and route planning advice. For TTY, call (03) 9619 2727.


Information in other languages
To receive public transport information in other languages, you can call the translated phone numbers listed on the Public Transport Victoria website.

Tips for using Myki
Myki is Melbourne's public transport ticketing system. Myki passes are used to travel on all trains, trams and buses in Zones 1 and 2.

For information about using Myki including where to buy one, which type to choose, topping up, touching on and off or registering your Myki visit: Public Transport Victoria or call 1800 800 007.

TravelSmart Maps

Our TravelSmart Map shows bike-riding routes, walking paths, public transport information including tram and train maps, public toilets and water fountains to help you get around. 

You can collect a printed and folded, pocket-sized copy from one of our Customer Service Centres or Libraries.

If you're after a TravelSmart Map for other parts of Melbourne and Victoria, please check out the VicRoads website.

 

Whether you would like to walk, cycle, or scoot it to school, we have lots of information on how to make active travel education, events and programs simple and fun for your school.

Kick start healthy, active travel for students at your school with these initiatives and resources. 

It’s a wrap for Walk to School 2018

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL PARTICIPANTS!

Twenty-one schools took part this October and recorded over 78,800 walks, rides and scoots to school – we could have run a relay race around the earth and gone half way around again!

St Mary’s Primary School, Thornbury almost doubled their result from last year taking out our top prize of a Samba School style workshop and parade led by Darebin musician Neda Rahmani. Penders Grove, Preston and Kingsbury primary schools came very close behind winning some great prizes including vouchers for bikes & scooters and passes to Bundoora Park Farm.

Although it’s fun to compete for prizes, the real prize is always having fun and taking part in a great program – and growing a healthy active generation of kids.

VicHealth Walk to School is finished for 2018, but it will be back again next year. For any information about the program or to find out how your school did, please contact: safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Delivering Bike Ed in your school
Bike Ed is designed to help children in grades 3-6 develop skills to ride safely and independently on roads and paths. It involves a mix of practical and classroom activities. We fund teachers to undertake accredited Bike Ed instructor training, as well as the provision of casual relief teachers. We can also source volunteers to assist teachers with Bike Ed delivery. 

Take a look at the reading below, and find out all the ways Bike Ed can benefit your students:

We can also provide small amounts of cycle parking, advice and grant possibilities for larger bike parking requirements in and around the school as well as prizes if you are running active travel promotions and events. 

Bike ED Evaluation  
As Council supports local schools to run Bike Ed, we wanted to assess the outcomes for students that participate in this program. We asked students, parents and teachers to complete surveys before, immediately after, and three months after students completed Bike Ed. We found the following:

  • The majority of students greatly increased their confidence levels. This was also observed by their parents
  • The abilities needed to ride a bike were all found to improve, including riding in a straight line and using brakes
  • The number of parents confident in their children’s road rules knowledge increased by 150%
  • More than two thirds of students said they were riding more and 43% of parents observed their child riding more
  • 71% of parents are confident that their child can ride a bike safely - an increase from 63% in the before survey
  • 93% of parents felt the course had met their expectations

See the full evaluation report

For more information and to run Bike Ed in your school contact us.. 

Metro Trains Community Education Unit
Metro Community Education Unit will come out to your school to talk about safe travel on public transport and teach students about journey planning, ticketing and behaviour. Presentations can be tailored to areas of interest including assisting Grade 6 students with the transition to high school.

Walking School Bus - How to get started
A Walking School Bus is a group who walk to and from school along a set route picking up ‘passengers’ along the way. The bus is accompanied by at least two parents with one at the front, and another supervising at the back. It is a fun, energetic way to travel to school while also learning about street safety.

To find out how to run one, visit the VicHealth website. A Walking School Bus can run everyday or as little as one morning or afternoon a week. Consider dedicating one day to Walk Once a Week or Walk on Wednesday.  Victoria Walks Smart Steps initiative features great ways to engage your family and school community in walking more. 

School Travel Plans
School Travel Plans support an increase in students’ active travel to school whilst reducing the pick-up and drop-off traffic problems schools face. 

Your school can also create a School Travel Plan to outline your objectives and approach.  The Creative Communities website also features a Traffic Tamers School Program Manual which is another approach to encouraging active travel in schools.

Octopus Schools

Congratulations to Newlands Primary School which has been selected as Darebin's next Octopus School!  Council will be working with Newlands Primary staff, students and community during 2019 to develop programs and infrastructure to support active travel to and from school.

Reservoir West Primary School has been piloting the Octopus School Program during 2018. This has included intensive consultation with the school to determine an approach to increase the numbers of students walking, cycling and scooting to school. The school is now running Bike Ed for all students in Grade 3 to Grade 6, with the use of their brand new fleet of 18 bicycles, stored in their newly built bike shed. The Student Representative Council have been running a weekly active travel competition, and earlier this year a competition was held to design decals that were applied to the road surface outside the school. All programs are aimed at creating a safe travel precinct through better and safer travel routes around the school. The image below shows the active travel mural that students help design as part of the program.

Reservoir West Primary School Active Travel Art Mural

Resources

Further Information
Safe Travel Officer
Email: safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au
Phone: 8470 8383

If you would like to make an enquiry or complaint about transport issues in your area, please contact our Customer Service Team. You can also find information about how traffic complaints are handled at the Traffic Concerns page. 
Phone: 8470 8888
Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au

We are committed to safer speeds and conditions for all, with a focus on those who are particularly vulnerable including people who are walking and riding, children and the elderly.

Safe Travel Strategy
The Safe Travel Strategy 2010-2015 was a great success, and you can read our Outcomes and Achievements report outlining the great work that happened during the life of the Strategy. The new Safe Travel Strategy 2018-2028 is now available to view or download. This Strategy aims to make travel safe and easy for all, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable road users in our community - pedestrians, bike riders, children, people with disabilities, and older adults. Aligned with the Towards Zero policy, we hope our work results in less crashes and serious injury to our road users, and increased use of sustainable modes of transport.
 
Speed Limit Changes in Darebin
Lower speed limits are demonstrated to make our streets safer, and more inviting for people of all ages to walk or ride. According to leading research from the Monash Accident Research Centre, a driver who travels at 50 km/hr in a high pedestrian activity area exposes pedestrians to, on average, a four-fold increase in the risk of death in the event of a collision, compared with a travel speed of 40 km/hr.

The Darebin Council Plan 2017-2021 commits that we will reduce the speed limit to 40 km/hr across 30% of the municipality. We are now implementing these speed limit reductions in local residential areas with existing vehicle speeds, road layout, presence of traffic management devices and VicRoads criteria for speed limit reductions guiding the project.

We are currently lowering the speed limit to 40 km/hr on local residential streets in Fairfield/Alphington within the boundary defined by the Hurstbridge Train Line, Darebin Creek, Heidelberg Road and Victoria Road. The following roads are not affected by this change: Victoria Road, Westgarth Street, Heidelberg Road, Grange Road and Station Street. Further information on the next stages of the project will be distributed as we work through the statutory processes with VicRoads.

This document outlines the changes that have taken place in Darebin, including; reductions from 60 km/hr to 50 km/hr, reductions to 40 km/hr in shopping strips and around schools, and area wide reductions to 40 km/hr in local residential areas.
 
We have a history of advocating to VicRoads for reduced speeds on local roads, in particular those that feature high pedestrian and cyclist use. This commitment to safer speeds is mandated in the Darebin Transport Strategy 2007-2027. We are encouraged by the growing community support in this area.

School Zones
40km/h speed limits around schools are in place to protect children as they walk and ride to school. The Victorian Speed Zone Guidelines were updated in 2013 to allow the extension of these 40km/h zones around schools to include major crossing points for students.  
Street Events
If you are planning a street event you can find out how to go about it in our Street Parties Kit. The kit also includes information about applying for free public liability insurance.

Further Information
We have more information about traffic issues at our Traffic Concerns page. 

If you would like to make an enquiry or comment on transport in your area, please contact our Customer Service Team.
Phone: 8470 8888
Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au

We are working on creating high-quality places for people to walk and ride, with inviting streetscapes and improved road safety.

What is Streets for People? 

Council is committed to increasing sustainable transport through safer streets for walking and cycling. As a result, we have commenced working towards the transformation of a number of key active transport corridors across Darebin. The “Streets for People“ program will re-imagine what a local street in metropolitan Melbourne can be for the community and its various users. This includes the following visions and objectives:

  • Prioritise sustainable transport modes, through safe, functional and inviting streets for those who live, work or study in the local area.
  • Introduce streetscaping, landscaping and place-making designs that ensure lower speeds.
  • Provide high quality corridors for those who walk and ride, connecting to public transport and across major roads.
  • Work closely with the community and respond to local issues, as a leading example of how this work can be done.

Northcote-Thornbury Corridor

The selected area for the inaugural Streets for People corridor stretches along the South Morang train line, from Miller Street in Thornbury to Merri Parade in Northcote. This includes Ethel Street, Stott Street, Herbert Street, part of Westbourne Grove, Park Street and part of Charles Street.

Following an extensive study of the area, and working directly with the local community and through a feedback process, the Streets for People Northcote-Thornbury Final Strategy was endorsed by Council on Monday 15th October, 2018. 

The development of this project was majority-funded through VicRoads' funding under the Safe System Road Infrastructure Program (SSRIP) which is part of the Towards Zero 2016-2020 Victorian Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan. 

More information on the consultation process and the next steps for the project can be found on the Your Say Darebin page.

Feasibility Study

A further eight Streets for People corridors have been identified across Darebin. In total, this will create 60 kilometres of routes across the municipality connecting major transport links and key destinations. The Streets for People Feasibility Study was conducted in 2018 providing an appraisal of each corridor, and recommendations for the most appropriate responses to develop better active transport and equality for all road users. On Monday 15th October 2018, Council endorsed the next two Streets for People corridors. As a result, in late 2018 and 2019, we will be further investigating the Preston Activity Link (Gower Street/Cramer Street) and Northern Reservoir Corridor (Broadhurst Avenue/Crookston Street) for community feedback and design.  

Carsharing provides a cost effective, convenient and sustainable alternative to car ownership.

What is car sharing?
Car sharing is a service that allows people to hire vehicles on demand for short periods of time. Vehicles are parked in dedicated bays and are available to members 24 hours a day. Members benefit from the flexibility of having access to a private vehicle but do not have to pay the costs associated with owning a car. 

Benefits of car sharing
Research has found that each car share vehicle replaces up to 10 privately owned cars. Members of car share schemes also reduce car use by around 50%. Car sharing therefore helps to reduce traffic congestion, parking demand, and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Car Sharing in Darebin
 There are over 50 car share bays in Darebin provided by FlexiCar, GoGet and Popcar. These bays are mostly in Northcote and Westgarth but there are also bays in Thornbury and Preston. We are working with car share companies to expand our car share network.

How does car sharing work?
You register with a car share company, pay a fee and book a car online or by phone. Once you have registered you have access to a network of vehicles in your area which can be booked on an hourly or daily basis. When you hire a vehicle it must be picked up and dropped back to the same spot. The fees cover all expenses, including petrol, insurance, registration and maintenance.

People who drive less that 5,000 km per year usually find car sharing saves them money. Car sharing is perfect for anyone that doesn't need a car every day, or only needs a second car occasionally. It is also a great option for businesses.

Compare the prices, locations and service provision to work out which car share company suits you best.

Some Darebin residents make their own vehicles available for sharing through neighbour-to-neighbour car sharing platform Car Next Door

More Information
Ph: 8470 8683
Email: carshare@darebin.vic.gov.au

We asked shared path users and the wider community to help us develop a new shared path etiquette for Darebin.

St Georges Road Shared Path Works
Safety works have recently been completed on the St Georges Road shared path between Arthurton Road and McCracken Avenue to reduce the grade of the path as it crosses the tram tracks and separate cyclists from pedestrians. This project was identified as a high priority in the St Georges Road Shared Path Safety Audit.

Feedback
We are seeking your feedback on how we can better communicate to shared path users about works and closures in the future. Please take a couple of minutes to fill in this short survey. 

Darebin Shared Path Etiquette
Darebin has more than 80km of shared paths that are used by thousands of people walking and riding each day. We asked for your help to develop an etiquette that encourages safe, respectful and considerate riding and walking on our shared paths, so everyone can enjoy using them. Four community workshops were held on the St Georges Road shared path during November 2015. Path users were invited to have a conversation and share their ideas for a shared path etiquette. The top 5 have become our new shared path etiquette:

  1. Politely let others know you are overtaking.
  2. Keep left and give space when overtaking.
  3. Ride at a relaxed speed.
  4. Obey traffic signals.
  5. Keep dogs on a leash.

Travel Plans provide information and solutions to reduce car usage in favour of more sustainable modes of transport.

If you are considering alternative forms of transport, they can include public transport, walking, cycling, car-pooling or car share. You may want to check out our TravelSmart Map to help with your planning.

 Benefits of a Travel Plan

  •     Increases the accessibility and marketability of your work site
  •     Reduces the space required for car parking
  •     Staff recruitment and retention improved if there is a range of travel options available
  •     Encourages sustainable travel
  •     Increases personal health and well being
Travel Plans for New Developments

Large developments may be required to submit a Travel Plan as part of the Planning Permit Application process if your development comprises:

  • 20 or more residential units
  • An office component of 500 square metres or more
  • An industrial component of 1,000 square metres or more
  • Retail premises of 1,000 square metres or more

Contact our Transport Team for information and advice on developing a Travel Plan for your business or development.  

Further Information
Sustainable Transport Officer
Ph: 8470 8683
Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au