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4:10PM Tuesday 02 December, 2008

Noosa paves the way for cyclists

26 September 2008

| By Grant Reynolds

Noosa has come up trumps in its two-wheeled travails, with the state government putting up an extra $2 million to add to a growing network of cycle and pathways.

The money will be used to complete the Riverway Cycleway, linking Noosaville and Tewantin as part of a $4.5 million cycle and pathway program in the Noosa region.

Nigel Walker, who heads up the council’s Travel Behaviour Change Team, said it was part of a broader transport strategy to get residents out of cars as petrol prices increase, the population grows and people become more aware of their impact on the environment.

He said the council had a target figure of about 7% of commuters walking or cycling to work.

“It’s absolutely vital, with the upward trend in the price of oil squeezing family budgets,” Mr Walker said.

The Riverway Cycleway includes 1.6 kilometres of both on and off-road pathways, including widening of the bridge at Doonella near the Noosa Harbour and widening of existing cycle ways in the area.

It will also require the construction of two bridges to create more space between cyclists and walkers.

The project, expected to kick off mid-2009, is part of an $18 million funding boost for bikeways announced by the state government earlier this week.

Council has nine projects on the boil and there could be more on the way if the numbers using them continue an upward trend.

The state government has provided funding for counters to measure the exact numbers of people using the cycle network

The money was approved in the June state budget but the government was waiting for expressions of interest from local councils, who will match the funding for a total of 88 projects that will extend south-east Queensland’s network of bicycle paths by 90km.

Get on yer bikes, says mum

Noosa Heads mother-of-three Anna-Marie Wilson is one resident who recommends trading in the car for a bicycle.

Since making the change herself, Anna-Marie has delighted in the joys of nature, fitness and a few more dollars in the budget.

And she believes that Noosa is a perfect place for bike riding.

“I’m overjoyed at how easy it is to get around in Noosa; it’s fantastic. This place is decked out.”

Anna-Marie rents her home in a central Noosa position and said this was made possible by vehicle savings.

“The money I save on not having a car and petrol allows me to pay a bit more for rent.”

Her average ride is about 110 kilometres a day and this includes her shopping, meeting the children at school and everything else via the bike.

While her eldest two children also have bikes, her two-and-a-half-year-old hitches a ride on an attached buggy, known as a kiddie cart.

“I’m not driving past things now, riding has given me an appreciation of things. I’m in tune with all my senses,” Anna-Marie said.

Recent Comments

Add a comment
Posted by progress from Alexandra Headland
on 26 September, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Noosa gets a bike path. Alex gets a 6 lane highway. Think about it . . .
Posted by hermes from mountain creek
on 26 September, 2008 at 5:17 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Whilst I fully support bike lanes, wherever they are; it does seem a bit odd that Noosa is getting *more* bike lanes, when it already has far better cycling infrastructure than the rest of the Coast. Surely there is a greater need to provide bike infrastructure in the central Maroochydore and Mooloolaba area? Or between the coast and hinterland towns, such as Nambour?

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