Please email me any local cycling news that isn't here already for possible inclusion.

February 2008 

Apologies for my tardiness. I'll endeavour to fill in the missing news soon. I'm committing to some BUG time each week

Email received 14 Feb from the Maroondah City Council included the following update on cycling projects:

August 2007 

I have been keeping an eye on progress at Koomba Park and today (23/8) I found that the laying of the cement path has been completed at the north end and it presumably continues right through to the south end. There is more cement to be laid, at least on the lower section of the path to the pedestrian freeway overpass and possibly a branch path at the north end. The north end only requires cleaning and filling alongside the path so it is possible the main path could open to users in a matter of days, but it will be a longer wait if the side paths must also be finished before the path opens to the public. It looks great!

July 2007 

On 14 July the section of the Mitcham-Frankston Bikeway from Schwerkolt's cottage carpark to about halfway to Quarry Rd, Mitcham opened to the public.

Email received 19 July "Koomba Park Trail Update" from Thiess John Holland:
As you are aware, Thiess John Holland has been working hard to complete construction of the new shared use path in Koomba Park Unfortunately the weather has been extremely unkind to us over the past two weeks and we have been unable to complete the path in time to open it tomorrow. The weather is forecast to be fine over the weekend and our construction team has committed to working both Saturday and Sunday to progress completion of the path as quickly as possible. I will send you another update on Monday afternoon advising you of progress and a likely opening date. Thankyou for your patience.

Email received 16 July "Koomba Park trails" from Thiess John Holland:
The opening of the Koomba Park Trail between Boronia Road and Mountain Highway has been further delayed due to continued rain over the weekend. The final section of the path will be completed over the next couple of days (weather permitting). We will update the signage to say that the path will be completed by this coming Friday 20 July although we will be aiming to have the path open prior to this. I will email you as soon as the path is reopened. Thiess John Holland apologises for any inconvenience caused.

Email received 6 July "EastLink works:  Koomba Park Trails update" from Thiess John Holland:
I write to advise that next week, a temporary detour will be in place on a 10 metre section of the Dandenong Creek trail. The detour will enable a drainage pipe to be installed under a small section of the trail between Boronia and Canterbury Roads, maintaining good drainage in this area during the wet winter months. The work is expected to occur from Wednesday 11 until Friday 13.  Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained throughout the works, via a crushed rock detour path which will be available adjacent to the section of closed trail.  Signage will be in place around the works area. Thank you for your patience during these essential works.

Email received 4 July "Koomba Park Trails update" from Thiess John Holland:
As you are aware, the trails in Koomba Park between Boronia Road and Mountain Highway are currently closed to enable construction of new shared use paths. Unfortunately, due to the extended wet weather experienced over the past two weeks, construction of the path is behind schedule. While we are working as quickly as possible, at this point in time, it is not likely that the trail will reopen next Friday 13 July as planned. We will monitor construction progress over the next week and will advise you next Thursday as to the likelihood of the path being opened on time or not. Thiess John Holland apologises for any inconvenience caused.

June 2007 

Email received 7 June "Koomba Park path closures" from Thiess John Holland:
Please be advised that as of Friday 15 June, the Koomba Park carpark on Boronia Road (melways Map 63 D4/5) and the main trail between Boronia Road and Mountain Highway will be closed for three weeks while the remainder of the new shared use path is constructed. Signage will be posted advising of the closure dates as well as suggested detour routes for cyclists. A copy of the suggested detour is attached for your information. Thiess John Holland apologises for any inconvenience caused.
The attachment was a 2.1MB PDF of a map simply showing that you should use the Dandenong Creek track North of Boronia Rd, Wantirna Rd and Mountain Highway instead.

Thiess John Holland have confirmed the number of signalised level crossings on the Eastlink shared use path. There will be four, located at:
Canterbury Rd, High St Rd, Cheltenham Rd and Railway Pde. SEITA is responsible for the construction of these but we can expect them at about the same time as the completion of EastLink.

We had a successful meeting with Maroondah's new Sustainable Transport Planner, Michael Blowfield, to discuss priorities from the local cyclist's perspective.

May 2007 

Email received 8 May "Koomba Park Trail Closures" from Thiess John Holland:
Please be advised that the main trail in Koomba Park (between Mountain Highway and Boronia Road) will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists for the next four weeks. This closure is required to enable construction of new shared use paths as part of the EastLink project. A detour is in place, however, due to the nature of the surface on the detour track, cyclists are advised to dismount and walk their bikes along the detour path. Cyclists may prefer to seek alternative routes while construction works are taking place. Thiess John Holland apologises for any inconvenience.
More detail including photos is available at a Treadly and Me article.

At the first Eastlink Open Day the showbag contained a map of the shared-use path. Not only does Maroondah Highway get an overpass for the path users but Burwood Highway now does too. This may leave only Canterbury Rd, High Street Rd and Cheltenham Rds as the only signal-controlled crossings for path users - this has yet to be confirmed. It is reassuring that they are working towards reducing the number of these crossings.

Maroondah City Council's first Maroondah Environment Forum was excellently facilitated to draw out and record the concerns of the approximately 180 people who attended. One of the 17 discussion tables was for cycling related issues of which there were many raised and recorded. Cycling issues raised included linking up paths, bike parking and implementing the Maroondah Strategic Bicycle Plan. A report examining the issues raised at the forum will be presented at the 18 June Council meeting.

A report in the Maroondah Leader 15/5 on the Maroondah Environment Forum mentioned a response from the council that implementation of the Maroondah Bicycle Strategy has begun, "including new signage along the Tarralla Creek trail and completing missing links".

February 2007 

Maroondah City Council is advertising for someone in the role of "Transport and Sustainability Planner".

The Maroondah Leader published an article promoting local cycling. It is quite a large article titled "Pumped by our natural cycle". We got some free publicity. Sorry my quote ended up being so boring!

The route for the path through the Mullum Mullum valley over the Eastlink tunnel has been finalised. Further information can be found in a Bicycle Victoria article. Thank you Anita for a fantastic letter to the Maroondah Leader 13 Feb pointing out that cyclists are clearly environmentally friendly.

January 2007 

The second edition of the Maroondah cycling map is now available from council service centres. It is 20% bigger, there are 20 items on the legend (up from 13), the table of parks now lists 44 parks (up from 25) and 10 attributes (up from 6). The publication name is Parks and Paths in Maroondah.

We received the following about path access in Koomba Park: "As part of the EastLink project, Thiess John Holland will be constructing two kilometres of shared use paths in Koomba Park and the Dandenong Valley Parklands in Wantirna. The new pathway will commence at Boronia Road and travel through the parks to Mountain Highway. The new path will be three metres wide and have a concrete surface. Construction of the new paths is scheduled to commence mid to late February 2007 and will take approximately nine weeks to complete. To minimise disruption to park users, construction of the new path will be undertaken in stages.  For the majority of works pedestrian and cyclist detours will be in place. There will however be a period of approximately three weeks where the main pathway between Boronia Road and Mountain Highway will be closed while concrete is laid.  The carpark at Boronia Road will also be closed for approximately three weeks (Melways 63 D4/5) while the concrete is laid. Signage will be erected notifying pedestrians and cyclists of detours and upcoming closures. Notices will also be placed in Parks Victoria's notice board at the Koomba Park carpark on Boronia Road."

We also received notification from VicRoads about the Wantirna Rd bike lanes: "VicRoads has reviewed comments from residents, traders and community groups regarding the proposal for the Wantirna Road component of the Principle Bicycle Network. Thank you to everyone who responded. Although the proposal received significant community support, concerns raised by residents and traders will need to be further considered, particularly concerns regarding to traffic congestion in the area. Traffic conditions on Wantirna Road are expected to alter following the completion of Eastlink. Further work on this proposal has therefore been deferred.  VicRoads will continue to monitor traffic conditions in the area. For further information, please contact Carolyn Lindsey on 9881 8043."

December 2006 

The Maroondah Journal is doing a feature on cycling in Maroondah to appear in a Summer edition and possibly other nearby Leader newspapers as well. We had some cycling photos taken - thanks Leigh for helping model (he looks much more the part than I do).

I heard second hand that VicRoads have decided not to proceed with the Wantirna Rd bicycle lanes for now. That's disappointing but not the end of the world (although the delay is contributing to it).

November 2006

Maroondah Journal 21/11 reported that a $3.5million, 75m shared-use bridge will be built over Maroondah Hwy for cyclists and pedestrians using the Eastlink path.

October 2006 

I have confirmed it is possible to go beyond the upstream end of the Dandenong Creek bike path. It requires walking your bike around a fence, trundling 200m down a rough track that is still part of the creek easement then lifting the bike over a lowish treated pine fence that forms part of a driveway that connects to Chandlers Lane. It's only a short ride from there to the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

Awaiting news from VicRoads about the Wantirna Rd Bike Lanes.

September 2006 

Spring - a great time to be out on the bike enjoying warmer days and the smell of the blossoms.

On 5 Sept  the Marooondah Journal published the front page headline article "Stuck in the traffic - Dismay over bike lane" - a very negative article about proposed bicycle lanes on Wantirna Rd between Dandenong Creek and Maroondah Hwy.  Maroondah Leader on 12 Sept published a much more balanced article.

We had an email writing campaign to lobby VicRoads. This was extended to all Bicycle Victoria members, at one stage being publicised on their home page. BV reported being inundated with cc'd emails - fantastic work everyone who emailed.

Further reading on this topic:

August 2006 

Bucky's Trading Post in Kilsyth has closed.

July 2006 

The Mt Dandenong Rd bike lanes have been extended west as far as Valda Ave on both sides.

A new bicycle shop has opened in Maroondah:- Pinnacle Cycles at 11 Heatherdale Rd (opposite the station). Refer to the Shops page for contact details and opening times.

June 2006 

The traffic island in Oban Rd for Mullum Creek path users is finished except for holding rails which should be installed soon.

The second edition of the Maroondah Bike Path Map will be out in "a matter of weeks". It includes proposed routes for new paths that will accompany the Eastlink Freeway and some proposed on-road bike lanes - in anticipation that this edition will last for 3 to 4 years.

I now have an electronic copy of the Maroondah Bicycle Strategy. Email me if you'd like a copy of this important document and I will email it to you.

May 2006

Website fun and games - I finally managed to achieve better looking buttons that  aren't considered by Internet Explorer to be a security risk. I have updated the Facilities page big time - it now has some good info and pictures of all of Maroondah's bike paths. I have also updated the Proposed Facilities.

April 2006

April 30 was the first Maroondah Bike Path Discovery Day ride and the first ride the BUG has had for years. It was intentionally the weekend before Bicycle Victoria's Bike Path Discovery Day which culminates at Federation Square in the city. Our ride is intended to show people our local bicycle network as well as meet other like-minded cyclists and have fun.

Three of us braved the forecast of showers to traverse all the known bike path in Maroondah. Fortunately the showers stayed away. My ride schedule went out the window, especially after we stopped to fix a puncture, so we only completed the first big circuit back to HE Parker Reserve, a distance of 40km. I was pleased to get some photos of our bike paths for the web site. Some paths none of us had ever been on before. We discovered that a traffic island is being constructed on Oban Rd to help path users cross. We also had some excitement removing a tree branch that was hanging dangerously over the Heathmont "Rail Trail". It was a fun afternoon and we will have to do the remaining 20km later - perhaps after Winter. I hope to solve the public liability insurance issue so we can promote future rides more extensively.

March 2006

This section of the web site -News- is born. I intend updating it monthly and I hope to publish some news from previous months too.

February 2006

Emailing list cleaned up; result is 14 members.

I discovered that Bicycle Victoria has online news of what local councils are doing for cycling:
Maroondah
Knox
Yarra Ranges
Manningham
Whitehorse

Bike shop news: Goldcross Croydon has moved out of Maroondah - to 282 Maroondah Hwy, Chirnside Park (opposite Bunnings). Ph 97273110 and Bucky's Trading Post in Kilsyth is closing down in about a month after 26 years of trading. All bikes are 15% off and bike parts are 10-50% off. Stock is limited but I saw they have a good selection of helmets and seats.

A new edition of Maroondah's bike map "Discover Maroondah by Bike" is being prepared. It has a lot of updates/corrections. At mid Feb it was almost at the proofing stage.

January 2006

The council sought public comment for the proposed 3.1km multi-purpose path along the O'Shannassy Pipe Track from Bayswater Rd to the eastern boundary of Maroondah. I advised by phone and also rode the existing track and emailed further information.

The following is some older news... more may be added as time permits.

March 2004

27 March 04 - Received a preliminary draft copy of the Maroondah Bicycle Strategy. Yes, things are happening! Email me or contact Don House at the council if you'd like to read the draft Strategy and provide feedback.

February 2004

18 Feb 04 - Launch of the new-look simplified web site. There were too many options on the old web site, many were links to pages with no information on them at all!. I doubt I would have ever found the time to construct them all, let alone maintain them. This new design has what I consider the best options of the old web site - this time across the top - each option a link to a separate page with there being no other pages. Also, I have added a Classifieds section.