The Western Australian Government will add more than 50km to the Western Australia Bicycle Network (WABN), with $7.6 million in funding.
As part of the annual WABN grants scheme, the State Government matches funding with local governments, who have successfully applied for the funding.
The grants program assists local government authorities with the planning, design and construction of bicycle infrastructure, with funding split evenly between metro and regional areas.
This funding will support 27 projects across metropolitan Perth, including a new 2km link along Gilmore Avenue in the City of Kwinana and a 3.4km connection in the City of Rockingham along Ennis Avenue and Dixon Road. Both projects connect schools, tertiary institutions and recreational spaces, with the City of Rockingham project also greatly improving access to the train station.
WA Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti, said that better access to bike paths was important for the welfare of the residents.
“There are countless benefits to walking and riding, which is why the WA Government continues to add to its record funding of cycling infrastructure through the WA Bicycle Network grants scheme,” Ms Saffioti said.
“To get more people riding more often, we need to build safe and accessible facilities, which is why we have prioritised facilities that connect communities to the primary cycle network and public transport hubs, such as Rockingham Station, Glendalough Station and the future Forrestfield Train Station.”
In the City of Kalamunda a new connection along Berkshire and Dundas roads will connect the new section of PSP being constructed between Kalamunda and Berkshire roads to the future Forrestfield Station.
Projects are also planned across the regions, including in the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance, as well as the Pilbara and Kimberley. This includes major shared path and tourist trail projects in Chittering, Manjimup and Port Hedland, all of which are more than 5km long and provide essential connections between town sites and key local destinations and facilities.
“This year we’ve invested in tourist trails in Chittering and Manjimup which, in addition to connecting local towns, are also great for attracting tourists to our regional areas,” Ms Saffioti said.
A new shared path following the Buayanyup Drain is also proposed in Busselton, connecting the popular foreshore and caravan park to the Wadandi Track.
In addition to local government infrastructure projects, funding has also been committed to continue the Your Move Connecting Schools program, which aims to improve bicycle access, wayfinding, bicycle education and end-of-trip facilities at schools.
The full list of funded projects is available at here.
