Greater Hobart Commuter Tuesday bike counts 2021
1
Contents
Overview of bike counts – 3 March 2020 ...... 3
Hobart Count sites ...... 4 Access routes to CBD ...... 4 Waterfront ...... 7 Sandy Bay corridor ...... 9 South Hobart corridor ...... 12 North Hobart corridor ...... 14 Intercity Cycleway ...... 17
Glenorchy Count sites ...... 20 Intercity Cycleway ...... 20 Brooker Hwy Corridor ...... 23 Glenorchy CBD access ...... 24
Clarence Count sites ...... 25 Clarence Foreshore Trail ...... 25 Tasman Bridge ...... 26 Clarence St ...... 27 Bellerive Village ...... 27 Rosny Park CBD ...... 28 Cambridge Road corridor ...... 29 East Derwent Hwy corridor ...... 30
Kingborough count sites ...... 31
Gender breakdown ...... 32
Covid ...... 32
2
Overview of bike counts – 3 March 2020
Counts are carried out on the first Tuesday in March each year recording cyclists travelling through a number of selected intersections during the morning peak between 7am and 9am. The direction of travel into and exiting the intersection is recorded.
This report is a summary of the data collected on 3 March 2020. The counts occurred before the Covid-19 interventions were adopted so data was collected under similar conditions to previous years.
Weather: A fine morning with some cloud and low winds. 12 degrees from 7-8am then gradually warmed to 15 degrees by 9am. The forecast was 0% chance of rain.
Counts were carried out at 55 intersections across Greater Hobart:
Glenorchy – 8 sites Clarence – 13 sites Hobart – 32 sites Kingborough – 2 sites
A Kml file containing the data for each count site, for viewing on Google Earth, is available at www.cyclingsouth.org
Overall comments Counters have started noticing an increase in the number of e-bikes and e-scooters. Generally most sites recorded a slight increase over the 2019 counts.
3
Hobart Count sites
33 sites are counted in Hobart
Access routes to CBD
The map (below) shows the volume of riders entering the central Hobart area between 7am and 9am from the count sites. Macquarie St is the only inbound one-way road that is not counted on the city perimeter so it’s unknown how far down Macquarie St riders travel before turning off to enter the city (Harrington, Elizabeth or Argyle St).
41 44
50 53
151 9
7
83
35 102
90
4
From West Hobart and North Hobart to city
53 50
46 54
Four intersections are counted across the north-west side of the city on all the streets that have a lane heading towards the city. Argyle St is not counted as it is one-way and heads away from the city.
Overall there was a slight increase in riders entering the city on all the routes across the north-west of the city, with the exception of Bathurst St which has been slowly declining over the past 5 years.
Riders entering city from West and North Hobart 7am to 9am
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
54 49 50 45 43 44 41 38 40 40 37 32 29 26 26
12 11 10 9 7
Bathurst St (at Murray St (at Melville) Elizabeth St (at Campbell St (at Harrington) Bathurst) Liverpool)
The table (above) shows that the majority of riders enter via Murray St as it is the most direct route from West Hobart and even though it has no infrastructure, it is downhill which makes it easier for confident
5 riders to move with the traffic. Elizabeth St has a similar volume of riders who potentially come from Mt Stuart, New Town and Lenah Valley rather than West Hobart.
The total volume of riders passing through the intersections in all directions at these North and West sites have generally increased overall.
Campbell St at Liverpool St is showing an increase in ridership over the past 4 years, after a drop during the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment between 2016 and 2019. The UTAS Medical Science precinct opened in 2013, which may reflect the higher numbers counted at the intersection in 2014.
Elizabeth St at Bathurst St intersection shows the most consistent and significant growth in numbers.
Total volume of riders at intersections North & West of city centre 7am to 9am
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
93 89 86 85 79 75 72 70 68 68 69 66 64 67 60 62 61 54 57 57 52 50 53 46 49 48 47 46 42 43 43 45 45 44 41 38 40 40 33 30
Bathurst St @Harrington St Melville St @ Murray St Bathurst St @ Elizabeth St Campbell St @ Liverpool St
From South East to City and UTAS Medical Precinct
Brooker Hwy crossings
Rose Garden bridge Bathurst at signals Railway Roundabout
46
18
0
2020
As the Rose Garden Bridge was not opened, it will be interesting to compare this baseline data with next year’s count.
6
Liverpool St at Menzies
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
45
36 35 34 33 33 34 33 34
26 24 21 22 19 18 17 17 14 10 12 11 8 6 5 3 4 4 0
To Menzies carpark Mistral Place Liverpool St towards city Liverpool St contra flow centre
The counts show that footpaths are being used to travel contra-flow along the one-way city streets.
Campbell St at Bathurst riders 7am to 9am
2020 43
8 9 7
Campbell St towards Campbell St contra Bathurst St contra Bathurst St to waterfront flow towards North flow to city Brooker Hobart
Waterfront The number of riders at Mawson Place has declined slightly, while the number of riders counted at PW1 has increased. IMAS was open for the 2014 counts and bike lanes were marked on Sandy Bay Road and a shared path connected to Marieville Esplanade in 2014, which may indicate why numbers have gone up at PW1 side of the waterfront.
Waterfront 300 250 200 150 100 50 Cyclists Cyclists 7am 9am to 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Waterfront - Mawson Place 222 218 244 250 223 224 215 227 214 (Davey/Argyle) Waterfront - PW1 149 151 174 158 174 175 204 215 214 (Morrison/Murray/Castray)
7
• PW1 Morrison/Castray/Murray - This is a major route on the bike network with 80 riders heading north and 106 heading south. A total of 28 used Murray St.
Over time the number of people passing through the Mawson Place intersection has declined while the number 80 passing PW1 has increased. 106 25 Counter notes – On the Morrison St shared pathway were 81 male riders and 32 female riders. 11 riders crossed 15 Morrison along Brooke St. 9 Riders were counted passing me on Morrison St (1) after turning into Murray (3) but immediately entering Parliament Gardens to head to Salamanca Place. Not counted were 3 E scooters, 1 E skateboard and one person on Rollerblades.
106 83
32 38
30 • Mawson Place Argyle/Davey 114
This is a major intersection on the bike network with the bulk of riders coming from the Intercity Cycleway direction and continuing towards the 112 waterfront/Salamanca. Of the riders heading up Argyle St, 22 of them came from the Salamanca direction, 9 from the Intercity Cycleway Sandydirection Bay and oneRoad from corridor Davey St west (contra-flow). Counter notes - Counted 26 ebikes (included in tally), 6 e scooters and 4 e skateboards (not included).
8
Sandy Bay corridor
Sandy Bay Rd commuter cyclists 7am to 9am
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
175 151 150 142 145 147 135 136 132 129 122 126 128 117 120 114 104 101 102 107 100 99 95 93 96 84 84 83 84 72 78 72 72 72 71 64 71 46 47 46
Sandy Bay Rd at Davey St Battery Point - Sandy Bay Road Sandy Bay - Sandy Bay Road @ Lower Sandy Bay - Sandy Bay @ Hampden Road Marieville Esplanade Road @ Churchill Avenue
• Sandy Bay Road at Churchill Ave shows small growth over the past 4 years. 85 riders (79%) were inbound and 22 riders (21%) were outbound on Sandy Bay Road. Only 4 riders used Churchill Ave.
• Marieville Esplanade intersection has a reasonable growth in ridership (13% increase since 2019 and 28% increase since 2018). 31 riders came from Marieville/Battery Point direction and 54 riders headed towards Battery Point. A total 85 riders used Marieville Esplanade and 90 used Sandy Bay Road (but 34 of those turned off at UTAS). The busiest time was 8.15am to 8.30am. 51 females (29%), 123 males (70%) and 1 unknown (1%).
Counter notes - From 7 to 7:45 there were many early morning dog walkers and walkers on the shared path (I know pedestrians can be a problem especially when they don't keep left). 38 cyclists used the shared path in the two hour period. As traffic increased (after 7:45) a greater proportion of riders chose the shared path along Sandy Bay Rd. When traffic on Sandy Bay Rd became heavy (7:45 to 8:45) most riders who needed to cross did so at a nearby pedestrian island. Two males parked their car in a small all day parking area just behind my position, took bikes out of their cars and rode towards the city. There were 15 school children (including 2 girls), all unaccompanied by adults, with more than half going to Hutchins boys school.
• At Hampden Road intersection numbers were up slightly on previous year (145 riders). 86 riders travel directly along Sandy Bay Road (both directions) with the majority of the remaining riders (42) using Montpellier Retreat to turn onto Sandy Bay Road (26 riders), off Sandy Bay Road (12 riders). 4 riders crossed Sandy Bay Road to/from Hampden or Montpellier. Sandy Bay Road at Hampden/Montpellier 7am to 9am riders 80
60
40 2019 20 2020
0 Sandy Bay Road towards Sandy Bay Road towards Hampden - (both Montpellier (both City Sandy Bay directions) directions)
9
The intersection at Sandy Bay Road/Harrington St and Davey St has had steady ridership for the past several years, which indicates that the increased number of riders further along Sandy Bay Road are turning off earlier.
Inner Sandy Bay
26
Strava heat map 27 Inner Sandy Bay
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 73 76 72 65 57 58 57 58 58 55 48 49 47 50 47 51 41 43 46 42 42 41 42 41 46 44 32 23 26 11
Byron Street @ Fitzroy Regent Street @ King Regent Street/ Antill Street Place Street @ Fitzroy Place
17
Digney St – Fitzroy Pl – Albuera St is a pleasant, quiet local bike route but the road crossings are challenging.
Regent St has more riders heading south than north in the morning peak.
King St had 7 riders heading east.
Counter notes at Regent/Fitzroy - NB 2017 traffic management works installed kerb cuts and a traffic island with a bike channel to facilitate bikes crossing at Regent St but (over)confident riders just ride across Regent St because the kerb cuts and crossing are frequently blocked by queueing cars. To cross Regent St the bikes have to go over the cement traffic island where Digney meets Regent, then cross 2 way traffic including a turning lane! Risky situation requiring timing, acceleration, reflexes etc. Accident waiting to happen unless the Regent St crossing is improved or removed!
Counter notes at Byron/Fitzroy - Fairly narrow main road carrying most of the traffic with no space for a bicycle lane or even a shoulder giving a bit of space for cyclists. The largest number of cyclists were crossing over the busiest road (Byron Street) and utilised a small island in the middle to facilitate doing this. Most riders were dressed in lycra and looked comfortable navigating the traffic and cycled quite aggressively in the traffic. A few dressed in going to work gear were more cautious and used the footpath and pedestrian island to get across the road rather than engaging with the traffic. Two cyclists were towing trailers for carrying children. (Albeura St Primary school is close by). 10
UTAS Sandy Bay
Grosvenor at Alexander 21 25
15
Churchill at Fre nch
Churchill at Nelson
Overall, numbers counted around the university between 7am and 9am were not particularly high and have dropped since some of the schools relocated to the city. There is not a lot of cycling on Churchill Ave (14 riders) compared to Sandy Bay Road. 21 riders came from Sandy Bay Road up Earl St. 5 riders came from Mt Nelson.
On Grosvenor St, 7 riders counted in 2020 were Hutchins students.
UTAS Sandy Bay
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
63 58 59 51 51 50 51 46 44 42 41 44 40 38 37 28 2931 29 29 24 25 18 20 21 16 15 15 14 9
UTAS Sandy Bay - Churchill Avenue @ UTAS Sandy Bay - Churchill Avenue @ UTAS Sandy Bay - Grosvenor Street @ French Street (TUU Building) Nelson Road Alexander Street
11
South Hobart corridor
• From Davey St/Southern Outlet to Macquarie St This intersection picks up riders coming from the Davey St/Southern outlet direction. It is presumed that the bulk of riders have come from Davey St rather than the Southern outlet.
Macquarie St/Southern Outlet intersection riders 7am to 9am
Macquarie St - towards city from South Hobart shops (downhill) Macquarie St - towards city from Davey/Southern Outlet (downhill) Macquarie St - towards South hobart shops (uphill) To Davey St/Southern outlet (uphill)
71 63 60
28 30 21
6 42 4 3 4
2018 2019 2020
This year there was a slight percentage of riders coming from the Davey St/southern Outlet and a slight drop in riders from Upper Macquarie St. Counter notes - No conflicts but many riders (approx half travelling into the city) used the footpath on Macquarie St to bypass the traffic lights and congestion on the road. This footpath is also busy with pedestrians so riders were often stuck behind peds at walking speed or overtaking very closely.
• Davey St at Lynton Ave In 2020 there were 43 riders who travelled downhill on Davey St from the Lynton Ave intersection towards the City. Further down the hill at the Macquarie St/Southern Outlet intersection 31 riders were counted coming from the Davey St direction. Davey St at Lynton - riders 7am to 9am
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 54 49 46 48 40 33 28 26 22 19 18 16 14 15 13 15 15 5
Downhill from Huon Road Turn off at Lynton Ave
• Hobart Rivulet Track at Molle St Counter notes - Molle Street is a one−way street and very busy − almost all the Molle to Collins St riders were male as that leg requires taking a lane. The one−way street meant there was quite a bit of footpath riding. I witnessed a near crash because of the lack of safe crossing across Molle Street. A female rider going crossing Molle nearly got hit by a car turning right into Molle St from Collins St. Very busy pedestrian precinct − far outnumber bike riders. 12
Collins St / Molle St / Rivulet Track intersection - 7am to 9am riders
Rivulet Track inbound Collins St inbound Rivulet Track outbound Collins St outbound Molle St - From Macquarie St Molle St - Contra-flow
119
100102 94 87 83 82 78 74 72 69 62 58 52 47 45 46 39 31 28 25 23 17 17 16 17 19 16 11 12 11 1010 1213 8 7 6 8 9 2 3 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Riders coming from Macquarie St (light blue line) have declined since 2017, with more people accessing Collins St from the Rivulet Track. The number of people using the Rivulet Track (dark blue line) is almost the same as the number of people using Collins St (red line). There are a number of riders using the footpaths to travel contra-flow on one-way Molle St.
Comparison of intersections of on-road and off-road routes to the City from South Hobart The Hobart Rivulet Track is more popular with more riders going through the intersection than at Macquarie St at the Southern Outlet. The Rivulet Track is a slower route and Macquarie St offers a speedier, downhill ride for confident riders as they can move at a similar speed to motor vehicles. A gap in the data is the evening peak when some morning downhill road riders may prefer the Rivulet Track for going uphill on the way home.
Rivulet Track Vs Macquarie St riders 7am to 9am 180 160 140 120 100 80
Axis Axis Title 60 40 20 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 South Hobart - Molle Street @ 73 76 112 104 125 165 126 122 146 Collins Street South Hobart - Macquarie Street @ 79 88 100 79 87 97 97 99 100 Southern Outlet (Davey St riders)
13
North Hobart corridor
30
75
Comparing Argyle and Elizabeth St in the morning, 36% passed through the Argyle St intersection and 64% passed through the Elizabeth St intersection. As Argyle St becomes one-way at this location, riders turn down Burnett to access the Campbell St bike lanes. The proportions have not changed much since 2014 where 62% of riders passed through the Elizabeth St intersection and 38% passed through the Argyle St intersection.
North Hobart
100 80 60 40 20 0
Riders 7am 9am to 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Argyle St @ Burnett St 54 53 44 55 58 37 52 Elizabeth St @ Burnett St 86 72 79 95 70 76 93
Murray at Warwick – Elizabeth College
Elizabeth College - Warwick @ Murray 60 40 20 Axis Axis Title 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Elizabeth College - Warwick @ 53 39 44 44 45 42 48 Murray
14
18 14
16
39
Riders are reasonably evenly split between Warwick St (both directions) and Murray St and continuing down Murray St. Numbers passing through the intersection have remained steady. It is presumed that the riders travelling West along Warwick St have turned off from Elizabeth St. Lenah Valley-New Town
The bulk of riders come from Augusta Road. Very few are heading towards the city using 75 New Town Road and presume they turn off at Argyle St before they reach the count site.
83 The counter recorded that there were quite a few school kids using the footpath.
North Hobart - Augusta Road @ New Town Road 140 120 100 80 60 40
Riders 7am 9am to 20 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 North Hobart - Augusta Road @ New 40 43 72 97 99 83 118 84 89 107 Town Road
15
Lenah Valley
31 riders were counted at the Forster St intersection heading towards New Town Road. At New Town Road this number had increased to 75 riders.
Lenah Valley riders 7am to 9am
Intersection TOTAL: Forster St @ Augusta Rd Eastbound towards city on Augusta Rd @ Forster
50 45 45 42 41 34 35 30 30 31 31 31 23 23 25 20 22 16
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
New Town
Forster St intersection - 7am to 9am riders
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
22 19 13 15 15 13
Forster St - Valentine
Bike lanes were installed on the lower section of Forster St after the 2020 counts.
Counter notes - Most bikes were riding considerately of other road users and younger kids were with guardians and used the crossing to cross. Most dismounted when they went across the streets. More "serious" riders before 8.15 AM including some higher price road bikes. An articulated bike was spotted with a man and a boy. The five-way intersection is an accident waiting to happen for motor vehicles, let alone those on bikes! This is the legacy of the development of New Town and while the surfaces are great for a shared road network, another crossing would be ideal (and was suggested by some parents whom approached me and asked who they could speak with regarding getting some better infrastructure in place).
Bromby St is an important connection to the Intercity Cycleway.
The bulk of riders come from the north (Main Rd and Creek Rd) 22
16
Intercity Cycleway Numbers have remained steady on the cycleway, which is the main route into the City from the northern suburbs beyond New Town and the eastern shore. It will be interesting to see whether improving the connection from the Cycleway to the CBD will see an increase in rider numbers.
Intercity Cycleway 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 Riders 7am 9am to 50 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Botanic Gardens - Intercity 290 308 304 304 346 305 331 306 319 Cycletrack @ Tasman Bridge New Town - Intercity Cycletrack 182 204 213 200 217 213 241 203 211 @ Bay Road Glenorchy - Cycleway @ Elwick 103 98 110 126 123 69 96 95 100 Rd Berriedale - Cycleway @ 58 66 60 58 48 61 54 Berridale Rd
Around 2/3rds of riders come/go from the norther suburbs and one third from the eastern shore.
Riders at Intercity cycleway/Tasman Bridge intersection 7am to 9am
Tasman Bridge Intercity Cycleway only
214 175 187 169 178 222 197 200
133 117 135 132 127 109 109 119
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Macquarie Point
This is the second year that the new path constructed through Macquarie Point to midway along Evans St has been counted. There has been a shift of riders over to the new path.
A large number of riders (41%) have shifted to the Mac Point path as it allows riders to avoid the unfavourable traffic signals at Evans St. The gap between the number of riders using Davey St/McVilley Drive and Macquarie Point path is diminishing, with more riders going through Mac Point. 17
Split of riders at end of Cycleway 7am to 9am
2019 2020
242 247
177 145
102
65
TOTAL at Tasman Bridge Macquarie Point at Evans St Davey St path / McVilley Drive Southbound on cycleway
82 20 43
39
There was almost an even split between riders at Evans St who went around the docks and riders who went towards Davey St.
18
Cornelian Bay - Brooker Hwy East Side
Cornelian Bay is an access point towards they city for residents who live on the eastern side of the Brooker highway and don’t have easy access to the Intercity Cycleway, due to the highway acting as a barrier.
Riders 7am to 9am
INTERSECTION TOTAL Quens Walk @ Risdon Road Queens Walk towards Cycleway & City
26 24 25 22
18 17 18 16 16 15 12 11 9 6
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
NOTE: the 2018 figures are doubtful due to counter being positioned on the wrong side of the highway during the counts.
Counter notes - Most riders come from footpath on north eastern side of Brooker Highway or from east Risdon Road then enter into Queens Walk which would take them to the cycle track.
A pathway connection alongside the sports fields adjacent to the Brooker Hwy batter would provide a decent off-road connection to the Intercity Cycleway from Risdon Road East and eliminate the Queens Walk Hill with blind crest.
19
Glenorchy Count sites
There are 8 sites counted in Glenorchy.
Intercity Cycleway
Glenorchy CBD is located approximately 9km from the Hobart CBD. The Intercity Cycleway is the main cycling route between the two centres. The Intercity Cycleway is fairly steady with numbers over the past 3 years. The difference in the number of riders between the Peltro St site and Elwick Road site seems larger than it should be. As this is the first year that Peltro St has been counted, next year’s count should help to verify the data.
20
On the cycleway in Glenorchy at Elwick Road riders heading to Hobart are the biggest group but there is a healthy number of riders also heading north towards Berriedale. The busiest period is between 7.30am and 8.45am (with 8.30 to 8.45am having the highest levels of use). 82 males and 18 females counted. Numbers exiting the cycleway at Elwick Road and heading towards Glenorchy has dropped slightly. Possibly they are using Peltro St?
Intercity Cycleway at Elwick Road counts 7am to 9am
Cycleway - towards Berriedale Cycleway - towards Hobart Elwick Road heading to Glenorchy Elwick Road heading to Brooker 74 68 57 41 31 19 19 23 14 12 8 8 3 5 7 2
2017 2018 2019 2020
Feeder routes to Intercity Cycleway
The Peltro St site was counted for the first time this year and interestingly nearly as many people are using it to get to the cycleway in the morning (5 riders) as the number of people heading towards the Glenorchy CBD (6 riders).
Peltro cycleway & Barossa Ck Path Cycle commuters 7am to 9am
2020 17 11
Peltro St separated bike lane Barossa Creek Path (difference b/w cycleway riders at Peltro & Elwick)
As this is the first year that Peltro St was counted, it’s been the first time the number of riders using the Barossa Creek Path could be extrapolated. The number seems unusually high and counts done in 2021 will be needed to verify the numbers. It is possible that the counter at Peltro St missed a few riders heading towards Hobart on the Cycleway as they were counting from a car in the Northgate carpark.
21
Main Rd @ Springfield Avenue, Moonah 40 30 20 10 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Cyclists Cyclists 7am 9am to Main Rd @ Springfield Avenue, 14 19 21 23 24 23 13 36 15 18 Moonah
Numbers have dropped slightly overall at Main Road / Springfield Intersection, although there is a slight increase since last year.
Main Rd and Abbotsfield Rd Austins Ferry 25 20 15 10 5 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Cyclists Cyclists 7am 9am to Main Rd and Abbotsfield Rd 13 16 22 9 15 14 13 14 21 17 Austins Ferry
Main Road at Austins Ferry is fairly steady with around 14 riders on average, with slight fluctuations.
22
Brooker Hwy Corridor
Residential areas located east of the Brooker Hwy don’t have convenient access to the Intercity Cycleway so counts have been done to see how people move along the corridor.
Montrose Foreshore Trail at Barossa Creek Trail intersection
A count was done in 2013 and only one rider was recorded, heading north on the Brooker Hwy.
Derwent Park Road and Brooker Hwy This site was counted in 2013.
9
1 8
4 6 6
Bowen Bridge - Goodwood Rd at Howard Road intersection This site was last counted in 2019. 5 20 17
15 14 2 4 7 9 9 9 10 8 8 6 6 5
0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Goodwood Rd @ Howard Rd
23
Glenorchy CBD access
Three sites are counted around the perimeter of the Glenorchy CBD: • Chapel St at Main Road • Tolosa St at Bowden St • Peltro St at KGV / Intercity Cycleway
Unsurprisingly, Peltro St is the main access point to the Glenorchy CBD. At Elwick Road 3 riders coming from the Hobart direction exited the cycleway, along with another 4 riders who rode along the length of Elwick Rd.
The counter at Chapel St/Main Road intersection recorded that “more than half used the footpath because the road felt unsafe”.
There are generally low numbers of workers in the Glenorchy CBD who ride to work. This could be attributed to the abundance of free car parking and hostile road environment around the CBD which is not conducive to active travel.
2
2 5
6 7
1
2
.
24
Clarence Count sites
There are 13 sites counted in Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart. 5 are located on the Clarence Foreshore Trail.
Clarence Foreshore Trail
Clarence Foreshore Trail
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
93 90
79 70 66 63 63 58 57 57 59 52 53 52 53 49 49 46 43 42 40 41 37 37 31 28 25 23 20 21 20 20 21 15 17 15 16
Lindisfarne - Clarence Clarence Foreshore Trail Bellerive Boardwalk Clarence Foreshore Trail Clarence Foreshore Trail Foreshore at Rosny College @ Alexandra Espl/High @ Howrah Rd Trail/Esplanade/Topham St
There is a permanent bike counter installed on the Clarence Foreshore Trail at Kangaroo Bay (it only counts bikes) and a thermal counter has been in place at the same location from October to 30 April which counted 131179 passes. As a result we’re able to get an idea of total trail usage. The formula is 2.14 walkers for every bike rider. The Clarence Foreshore Trail is being used around 20,000 times a month. In January it was used an average of 706 times per day.
Total usage of Clarence Foreshore Trail
25
Figures taken from permanent counter which records bicycles only.
Tasman Bridge
Tasman Bridge - Eastern Shore 160 140 120 100 80 60 40
Riders 7am 9am to 20 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Montagu Bay - Tasman Bridge at 77 62 77 80 66 59 65 109 Riawena Rd Rose Bay - Tasman Bridge at Topham 56 55 59 52 61 50 44 37 St TASMAN BRIDGE TOTAL 133 117 136 132 127 109 109 146
Numbers were up a bit this year on the Tasman Bridge. The upstream side of the bridge was closed at 7.50am so the Lindisfarne riders had to use the downstream side, which is why there’s a jump in numbers on the downstream side and a drop in the upstream side.
26
Clarence St
Clarence St 100 80 60 40 20 0
Riders 7am 9am to 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Clarence Street @ Cambridge Rd 43 46 51 39 82 29 20 24 34 Clarence St at Wentworth 28 46 33 32 46 29 19 24 26 Clarence St at Shoreline 16 25 13 18 20 31 13 28 19
Historically Clarence St had higher levels of usage than the Clarence Foreshore Trail during the morning peak. The cycle commuters using Clarence St has dropped off over the past 4 years while numbers using the Clarence Foreshore Trail has increased, so that there are now similar numbers on both routes.
Bellerive Village
The ramp by the Bellerive Yacht Club is an important link for riders using Clarence St, as it provides a direction connect to the Clarence Foreshore Trail as part of the main cycling route to the Tasman Bridge. Ramp usage by cyclists 7am to 9am
2017 2018 2019 2020
31
23 22 21 18 19 19 15
6 4 2 2 3 0 0 10 0 1 1
Clarence Street Foreshore (via Bellerive Village Foreshore Trail TOTAL ramp to foreshore (via ramp) to to Foreshore (via ramp) to usage by cyclists ramp) Clarence St Track (via ramp) Bellerive village
27
Through Bellerive Village, most riders come from Queen St rather than from around the foreshore trail, as it is more direct. The majority drop down onto the Boardwalk via the laneway, with a small number riding along Cambridge Rd and down the ramp by the Bellerive Yacht Club.
Commuter cyclists 7am to 9am - Bellerive Village
Bellerive boardwalk to/from Foreshore Track Bellerive Village to/from Foreshore Track (via ramp)
25 21 15 17 7 3 4 2 2017 2018 2019 2020
Rosny Park CBD There are gaps in the counts dara for riders heading towards Rosny Park. It is unknown if any riders use Kangaroo Bay Drive or Rosny Hill Road
The Rosny Hill Road path was 6 completed after the counts were 6 done. Next year it would be interesting to count the 6 intersection of Rosny Hill Rd path 4 and Kangaroo Bay Rivulet Track at the overpass.
6
28
Commuter cyclist counts 7am to 9am at Bligh St
Gordons Hill Rd - Bligh St 22 17 18 16 16 15 13 14 10
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020
Cambridge Road corridor
Mornington roundabout
This is one of the most difficult and dangerous intersections for cyclists in Clarence. The majority of riders are travelling on Cambridge Road from east to west. Most stay on Cambridge Road, rather than crossing to the pathway that leads to Bligh St.
This site was not counted in 2021 as there is adequate baseline data and until improvements are made, there is unlikely to be much change in usage.
Cambridge Rd / South Arm Hwy 25 20 15 10 5 Cyclists Cyclists 7am 9am to 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Mornington roundabout 20 13 9 6 13 10 11 12
Belbins Road Interchange
Belbins Rd interchange
Belbins Rd interchange
10 7 4
2010 2011 2012
There are only a handful of riders commuting. The most recent count was 2021 where 2 riders travelled towards Cambridge village and 2 riders travelled towards Hobart.
29
East Derwent Hwy corridor
The Clarence Foreshore Trail offers the best cycling conditions for people travelling from Lindisfarne to the bridge.
East Derwent Hwy corridor - Lindisfarne
East Derwent Hwy - Gordons Hill Rd Clarence Foreshore Trail/Esplanade/Topham
70 58 52 53 49 46 42 37
16 12 8 11 10 8 6 4
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020
1 2 1 4
25
3 24 5
1
1
Clarence Foreshore Trail / Esplanade / Topham St intersection East Derwent Hwy / Gordons Hill Rd 2019
2019 Counter notes on foreshore trail – The majority of cyclists used the road rather than the adjacent bike track to cycle up Topham Street and access the Tasman Bridge (it’s a more gentle hill than going along the bike track and then going up a short steep hill to access the Tasman Bridge). Traffic very light on the road 8-9pm: 4 schoolchildren used bike track to get to Montagu Bay primary school.
30
Kingborough count sites
There are two count sites in Kingborough: • Channel Hwy at Beach Rd, Kingston • Channel Hwy at Schools entrance, Taroona
There was an increase in cycling traffic in the morning peak on the Channel Hwy through Taroona
In Kingston numbers were down slightly, with fewer commuters counted going over Bonnet Hill (which indicates more riders are coming from the Taroona area when counted in Taroona).
31
Gender breakdown
Generally, the more bike friendly a route is, the higher the numbers of female riders. Demographics also play a role, with some suburbs having much higher participation in cycling, based on census data.
Location Intersection LGA Percentage of female riders South Hobart Collins St / Molle St Hobart 39% South Hobart Macquarie St / Southern Outlet Hobart 37% Glenorchy Peltro St cycleway Glenorchy 36% Cornelian Bay Risdon Rd at Queens Walk Hobart 36% Sandy Bay Regent St at Fitzroy Place Hobart 34% South Hobart Davey St at Lynton Ave Hobart 33% North Hobart Elizabeth St / Burnett St Hobart 32% Howrah Clarence Foreshore Trail at Howrah Rd Clarence 31% Bellerive Clarence St at Wentworth St Clarence 30% Sandy Bay Marieville Esp / Sandy Bay Rd Hobart 29% New Town Augusta Rd / New Town Rd Hobart 29% Taroona Channel Hwy at schools Kingborough 29% Kangaroo Bay Clarence Foreshore Trail – Rosny College Clarence 27% Bellerive Clarence Foreshore Trail – Wentworth St Clarence 27% Waterfront PW1 Morrison/Murray/Castray Hobart 26% New Town Intercity Cycleway at Bay Rd Hobart 26% North Hobart Argyle St / Burnett St Hobart 24% Tasman Bridge Both sides 22% Rose Bay Clarence Foreshore Trail at Lenna St Clarence 22% Sandy Bay Grosvenor St at Alexander Hobart 18% Glenorchy Intercity Cycleway at Elwick Rd Glenorchy 18% Derwent Park Springfield Ave and Main Rd Glenorchy 16% New Town Main Rd at Bromby St Hobart 15% Kingston Channel Hwy at Beach Road Kingborough 13%
Covid
Since the Covid-19 restrictions came into effect in March, with gyms, pools and sporting clubs closed, people have been seeking exercise and time outdoors on trails and cycleways.
On Saturday 25 April Bicycle Network Tasmania did a 2-hour manual count. Weather conditions top of 18 degrees with no rain.
The majority of users on the Intercity Cycleway are bike riders. The majority of users on waterside trails (Hobart Rivulet Track and Clarence Foreshore Trail) are walkers. The exception is the Clarence Foreshore Trail at Kangaroo Bay, which forms part of a cycling route between Clarence St and the Tasman Bridge.
32
Counts 11am to 1pm (25/4/20) COVID
% riders % all other users % dog walkers 82 73 75 71 73 48 52 27 25 29 27 18 11 10 2 0 6 7
Intercity Intercity Morrison St at Hobart Rivulet Clarence Clarence Cycleway - Elwick Cycleway - Murray Track - McKellar Foreshore Trail - Foreshore Trail - Rd Tasman Bridge St Kangaroo Bay Lindisfarne Espl
Shared path usage 24/4/20 - 11am to 1pm COVID 600
500
400
300
Track usage 200
100
0 Clarence Intercity Clarence Intercity Hobart Rivulet Foreshore Cycleway - Morrison St at Foreshore Cycleway - Track - Trail - Tasman Murray Trail - Elwick Rd McKellar St Lindisfarne Bridge Kangaroo Bay Espl Other 6 3 8 2 10 10 dogs 6 0 29 39 26 49 Runners 8 24 20 39 24 24 Walkers 74 92 306 219 141 262 Bikes 260 356 145 64 186 130
Clarence City Council has a permanent bike counter on the Clarence Foreshore Trail which showed a significant increase in usage due to COVID 19 (see table below)
33
Clarence Foreshore Trail usage during COVID 2020
May-20 Jun-20
31553 30789 26734 23363 22424 19542 18754 14603 14117 11934
Second Bluff Bellerive Beach Bellerive Bluff Kangaroo Bay Rosny Point anzac Park
Numbers using the Clarence Foreshore Trail dropped back in June during the dark, cold days of winter
34