It’s been a busy few weeks for the advocacy team. Here’s what we’ve been working on, including a behind-the-scenes look at the new Fremantle Traffic Bridge.
Sneak peek: Fremantle Traffic Bridge
WestCycle CEO Wayne Bradshaw and Active Transport Manager Georgia Scott (me) were given a tour of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, alongside urban mobility staff from Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI). After discussing the technical challenges the engineers had worked through for the surface of the path and creating a bridge join that wouldn’t consume the occasional bike wheel, we donned hard hats and steel caps and headed out to site.
On nearby Bracks Street, the project team has been testing different concrete mixes and reinforcing. When the bridge opens, the shared path will run along one side and the PSP (Principal Shared Path) along the other.
Testing concrete mixes and reinforcing at the Bracks Street trial site. Front left: the future shared path. Front right: the PSP.
We also saw a sample of the artwork planned for the barrier along the shared path. The pattern is waterblasted into the concrete, then hand painted. The design incorporates dingo dreaming, in reference to Dwerda Weelardinup / Cantonment Hill at the southern end of the bridge. Many locally relevant stories are planned to be woven into the landscaping and design elements across the project.
A sample of the barrier artwork for the shared path, waterblasted into the concrete, then hand painted. The design incorporates dingo dreaming, referencing Dwerda Weelardinup / Cantonment Hill.
One detail we loved: the team has spent a long time working out a bridge expansion joint that won’t jam a bike wheel (or a foot!). The joint in the carriageway will be covered with a plate (with less of a hard edge than the one on Stirling Bridge), and on the path it shouldn’t be noticeable at all. It’s great to see this level of care for people riding and walking.
An upside-down sample of the bridge expansion joint. Carefully designed so bike wheels (and feet!) won’t get jammed.
They’re also creating an artificial reef as benthic habitat, and keeping part of the old bridge as a nod to its history (alongside previous iterations).
The artificial reef will provide benthic habitat in the river.
The highlight was heading up to the top of the pylon, and DTMI and WestCycle took opportunity of the birds-eye view to discuss the continuation of the PSP through to Fremantle Station, and to observe the route choices riders are making right now (and regretted not thinking to stick a camera up there earlier!).
View of Canning Highway and Beach Street from the top of the pylon.
View of the Containbow and a group of riders from the top of the pylon.
Our CEO, Wayne Bradshaw
Active Transport Manager, Georgia Scott (me)
The PSP itself will be a big improvement on its vertigo-inducing predecessor. Very wide, with extra room near the railing, plus rest stops, benches and lighting on the way.
The PSP will be more than 4m wide (yes, we measured it), with additional space for rest stops and enjoying the view near the railing.
Around the network
We’ve also engaged on:
- QEIIMC: what’s needed to get riders safely and conveniently from the Fremantle PSP across to the hospital site.
- Stephenson Avenue Extension: signage to direct people riding or walking between Stirling Station and the PSP, IKEA or Stirling Gardens (and beyond).
- Reid Highway interchanges: where to put path amenities and what should be included.
- Paganoni Road: feedback on the road design near the new Karnup Train Station and future urban development, advocating for better, safer access to the station for riders, and across the road to biodiverse Paganoni Swamp.
Main Roads WA guideline updates
We’ve provided feedback on five documents:
🗣️ Draft Speed Zoning Policy and Application Guidelines (pushing to keep the focus on safety over speed and traffic flow, so WA can actually meet its goal of zero road deaths by 2050)
🗣️ Safe Active Streets Guidelines
🗣️ Scooter Policy and Guidelines
🗣️ Signs and Pavement Markings Guidelines
🗣️ Path Closures and Detours.
State Trauma Education and Injury Prevention Working Group
We were invited to join this working group by the East Metro Health Service. It’s a great opportunity to connect our core advocacy (safe places to ride) with the people who respond when things go wrong.
At the first meeting, we raised the collection of crash data involving bikes, e-bikes and eRideables. We’re still seeing plenty of misinformation in media reporting about device types like e-bikes and e-motorbikes and whether they were legal, so we’re keen to understand how crash data is collected, by whom, and what happens to it. This is important because that data goes on to inform policy and legislation that directly affects riders.
We would love for more health workers to join us in advocating for slower speeds, safer places to ride, and more people riding. Whether its preventing falls or road trauma, the quality of the public realm matters for keeping people safe and active across their whole lives.
Calling all models
We’ve engaged a professional photographer to build our library of candid images of people using bikes and e-scooters. If you’d like to be a model on morning commute, or have suggestions for places and times to capture riders doing their thing, please reach out at info@westcycle.org.au
A win: wayfinding to Stirling Bridge
Last year, in collaboration with the Fremantle BUG, we advocated for better wayfinding for riders accessing Stirling Bridge ahead of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closure.
After several meetings, emails and site visits with the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, Main Roads, the Fremantle Bridge Alliance, and the Towns of East Fremantle and Fremantle (including a peak-hour ride around the area with a couple of game traffic engineers from MRWA’s Network Operations branch) agreement was reached for Main Roads to paint bike symbols on Long Term Cycle Network routes on the local streets connecting riders to either end of the Stirling Bridge path.
We were delighted to see bike symbols appearing on streets around Fremantle en route to the river crossings earlier this month.
Want to increase your riding advocacy? Check out our advocacy resources page.
