Alexandria
Bourke Road, Mandible and Bowden Streets separated cycleways
Bourke Road, Alexandria, is a completed separated cycleway running 2.1 kilometres from Wyndham Street to Gardeners Road and along Bowden and Mandible Streets it opened in March 2010.
The Bourke Road (Wyndham Street to Gardeners Road) section is part of an important link for the overall Bourke route, a 6.8 km north – south cycling corridor from Gardeners Road, Mascot to Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo.
Alexandria and Beaconsfield have the second highest percentage of residents cycling to work in the City of Sydney. Between 2001 and 2006, there was a 74 per cent increase in people cycling to work from Alexandria and Beaconsfield. More than half of workers in Alexandria and Beaconsfield live within 10 kilometres (a bike ride of less than 30 minutes) of their workplace.
Nearby connections
The Bourke Street (Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo – Phillip Street, Redfern) separated cycleway is open.
To complete the overall 6.8 km Bourke route (Woolloomooloo – Mascot), the community has been consulted on a proposed shared path on both sides of Bourke Street between Phillip Street, Redfern and Botany Road, Green Square.
When the City has assessed community comments, we will tell you about any changes we will make to this proposed cycleway plan and project timelines.
The Bowden and Mandible Streets cycleways, connecting with Bourke Road, give local bike riders a vital connection from southern Alexandria to Green Square, and Green Square to the Airport.
Bike trips have grown
- Independent bi-annual bike counts conducted at key intersections across the city show the number of bike riders at the intersection of Bourke Road and Gardeners Road in Alexandria rose from 51 to 178 in the morning peak travel period, in the first year of the cycleway opening (March 2010 to March 2011) - an increase of 149 per cent.
- Independent monthly bike counts continue to show increasing numbers of riders on Bourke Road cycleway. In January 2012 bike counts conducted during the morning and afternoon peak periods from 6am-9am and 4pm-7pm, counted 321 cyclists at the intersection of Bourke Road and Bowden Street, a 42 per cent increase since December 2010.
- Alexandria and Beaconsfield have the second highest percentage of residents cycling to work in Sydney. Between 2011 and 2006, there was a 74 per cent increase in people cycling to work from Alexandria and Beaconsfield. More than half of the workers in Alexandria and Beaconsfield live within 10 kilometres (a bike ride of less than 30mins) of their workplace.
More bike riders mean faster travel for short trips, fewer cars on the road, less overcrowding on public transport, better air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Useful tips:
- At intersections, bike riders on the cycleway should cross within the designated bike crossing on the green bike signal;
- Riders should watch out for cars, particularly when cars are turning left;
- Riders must always give way to pedestrians and are not allowed to ride bikes on pedestrian crossings;
- The cycleway should not be blocked or used for storage (garbage bins, skip bins, construction materials, removalists etc). Garbage bins are to be left on the footpath near the gutter. Bins will be collected from the footpath and returned to the footpath;
- People should not walk on the bicycle path unless they are crossing by the shortest route, or they are in a wheelchair or helping someone using a wheelchair; and
- Remember to look left and right before crossing a cycleway.
What you should know
Safety Messaging
Educational campaigns
Did You Know…..?
37 km/hr is now the average speed on Bourke Road
Traffic cushions, installed in March 2010, have successfully reduced average traffic speed adjacent to the speed cushion locations on Bourke Road from over 60 km/hr in 2009 to 35-40 km/hour, in 2011.
Slower speeds mean fewer accidents, less congestion and improved safety.
Everyone benefits from slower speeds along city busy corridors, like Bourke Road.
Safety on Bourke Road has improved
In the five years prior the Bourke Road cycleway opening, total Bourke Road crashes averaged 21 per year, in the past 12 months there were six.
Crash data reveals improved driver, walker and rider safety along Bourke Road, when comparing 2010 with the previous 5 years.
|
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
30 |
15 |
28 |
18 |
14 |
6 |
Source: Police and Roads and Maritime Services (formerly RTA) crash data.
Improved amenities
Bourke Road users have benefited from the following:
- Five upgraded bus stops have improved access and traffic flow;
- Traffic calming cushions have reduced congestion and improved safety;
- Four new bike kerb ramps and four new pedestrian ramps have improved rider and walker access and safety;
- More plants contribute to less pollution, cleaner air and improved aesthetics;
- Storm water upgrades and drainage improvements have reduced flooding in this low lying area; and
- Separated cycleway means more bikes resulting in faster travel times for shorter trips, fewer cars on the raids, less overcrowding on public transport, better air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
An Alexandra Canal cycleway is part of the plan
The Cycle Strategy Action Plan adopted by the City in 2007 reflects a long term vision for the development of a network of cycle paths throughout the local government area including Bourke Road and a proposed cycle path along the Alexandra Canal.
The proposed Alexandra Canal will complement the Bourke Road cycleway.
Bourke Road, Mandible and Bowden Streets give local riders a vital connection from southern Alexandria to Green Square and connect:
- Westward to Erskineville and Newtown via Harley and Ashmore
- The Bourke Rd connection with Bourke Street cycleway creates an almost seven kilometre bike corridor between the southern parts of the City and the City Centre.
About the area
Bourke Road is a local street which had been carrying too much traffic before the City of Sydney introduced calming features to encourage slower and less traffic.
O’Riordon Street and Botany Road are the main through roads in this area.
Alexandria and Beaconsfield have the second highest percentage of residents cycling to work in the City of Sydney.
Between 2001 and 2006, there was a 74% increase in people cycling from Alexandra and Beaconsfield.
57% of workers in Alexandria and Beaconsfield live within 10km (or a bike ride of less than 30 min) from their work place.
Education programs for all road users
The City has been working hard to educate all road users - walkers, riders and drivers - on safe and courteous behaviour, particularly in areas where we have cycleways. Our StreetShare program has delivered personalised safety messages to over 4,500 walkers and riders. We’ve also distributed over 90,000 maps with safety messages and bike course details to riders and walkers this year.
For More information
Cycling Communications Co-ordinator
Tel: 02 9265 9333
Fax: 02 9265 9780
Email: prioritycycleways@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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Last Updated: Friday 13 April, 2012
