CYCLING VICTORIA STATE FACILITIES STRATEGY 2016–2026 CONTENTS CONTENTS WELCOME 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 INTRODUCTION 4 CONSULTATION 8 DEMAND/NEED ASSESSMENT 10 METRO REGIONAL OFF ROAD CIRCUITS 38 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 44 CYCLE SPORT FACILITY HIERARCHY 50 CONCLUSION 68 APPENDIX 1 71 APPENDIX 2 82 APPENDIX 3 84 APPENDIX 4 94 APPENDIX 5 109 APPENDIX 6 110 WELCOME 1 through the Victorian Cycling Facilities Strategy. ictorians love cycling and we want to help them fulfil this On behalf of Cycling Victoria we also wish to thank our Vpassion. partners Sport and Recreation Victoria, BMX Victoria, Our vision is to see more people riding, racing and watching Mountain Bike Australia, our clubs and Local Government in cycling. One critical factor in achieving this vision will be developing this plan. through the provision of safe, modern and convenient We look forward to continuing our work together to realise facilities for the sport. the potential of this strategy to deliver more riding, racing and We acknowledge improved facilities guidance is critical to watching of cycling by Victorians. adding value to our members and that facilities underpin Glen Pearsall our ability to make Victoria a world class cycling state. Our President members face real challenges at all levels of the sport to access facilities in a safe, local environment. We acknowledge improved facilities guidance is critical to adding value to our members and facilities underpin our ability to make Victoria a world class cycling state. Facilities not only enable growth in the sport, they also enable broader community development. Ensuring communities have adequate spaces where people can actively and safely engage in cycling can provide improved social, health, educational and cultural outcomes for all. For these reasons, we are committed to providing leadership EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 The Victorian Cycling Facilities Strategy has been developed to assist to from Cycling Victoria, Mountain Bike Australia, BMX Victoria, Sport and Cycling Victoria (‘CV’), Mountain Bike Australia (‘MTBA’), BMX Victoria Recreation Victoria, Victoria Police and Local Government Authorities. (‘BMXV’), our clubs and local government to improve the planning and maintenance of facilities. The strategy is aimed at continuing to support The key recommendations are: increased participation in cycling, improve relationships between f Adoption of Key Facilities Policies and Initiatives: Upgrading existing stakeholders and provide larger more sustainable sport at all levels. This facilities should occur in a more regular structured process; strategy articulates the stance CV intends to take with regard to required f Modernisation of current facilities to cater for all: Development or facilities for road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain bike and BMX cycling from upgrade of facilities should ensure a focus inclusion, with specific 2016-2021, aiding local governments and decision makers when engaging importance to Universal Design and appropriate facilities for with cycling. encouraging female participation; While a number of investments have been made to cycling infrastructure f Provision of off-road training and racing facility network: Position cycling the bulk of these investment has been directed towards the development facilities to benefit from existing cycling infrastructure where practical, of bike lanes, paths or commuting. Improvements to bicycle lane such as bike track network for access; infrastructure naturally allow riders to navigate in a generally safer f Muti-Use and Integrated Facilities: Where possible Facilities should environment. While these are welcome infrastructure improvements, many combine cycling disciplines, ability levels and consider the needs of sporting cyclists while training, travel at speeds that are higher than the spectators and supporters. Further, integration of cycling facilities norm for bicycle lanes. Keeping speed differences to a minimum inherently into a shared precincts sharing infrastructure where practical such as reduces risks. Consideration and planning for training routes will need clubrooms, change facilities, café or car parking; to be added to bike network considerations, in order to keep speed f Providing ‘Homes’ for Cycling Clubs: Provide a geographic ‘base’ differences on bike tracks reasonable, while allowing training options for for cycling club activities allowing for club growth through greater competitive cyclists. participation; f Recognition of the development of Cyclo-Cross and BMX Facilities: The key elements of the strategy provide: Cyclo-cross provides a unique low cost option to allow participation in cycling. Further investment in the provision of cyclo-cross facilities is f A needs assessment for cycling facilities across Victoria. required; f A review of the social, environmental and economic benefits of cycling f Provision of off-road training and racing facility network: The provision for the state. of a network of off-road facilities (commonly termed criterium circuits) to f Classification model and hierarchy of current facilities. provide for a growing demand of participation. f Strategic Plan for the development of Victoria’s current cycling facilities over the next decade to capture growth and demand. f Recommendations on building metropolitan and regional off-road The strategy will be monitored on an annual basis by the Cycling Victoria tracks. board with input from BMX Victoria, Mountain Bike Australia and Sport and Recreation Victoria. The plan makes detailed recommendations are made with consideration to currently successful facilities, Victorian demographic data, alignment with government policy and drawing on the wealth of experience available INTRODUCTION 5 research and consultation with State and local government, t’s an exciting time in cycling! Cycling is now one of the and member clubs, for the provision and development Itop three participation activities across all age groups in of facilities. The lack of an overall facilities strategy and Victoria. Inspired by heroes such as Cadel Evans, Shane framework has been partly due to the nature of cycling Perkins, Carol Cooke and Josh Callan participation in facilities being dramatically different in their nature (shared, competitive cycling also continues to outgrow the market. non-shared), up-keep and usage due to the variety of However a recent announcement by the Cycling Promotion disciplines of cycling (road, track, BMX, cyclo-cross, Mountain Fund (2015) showed that while there were record bike Bike). occurring non-structured participation in cycling has been flat-lining and that the lack of proper infrastructure was the main barrier. Despite the strong increases in overall participation organised cycling still continues to lag behind other major codes (AFL, Cricket, Netball) in facility provision. This gap is particularly noticeable with women and junior aged participants. This is especially important as the key limiting factor for cycling participation is the provision of a safe environment. This report will review how the provision of facilities will provide greater participation opportunities for Victorians. Cycling Victoria’s Strategic Plan recognises the need to develop a strategic facilities plan through extensive 6 CYCLING VICTORIA STATE FACILITIES STRATEGY 2016-2026 STRATEGY AIM STRATEGY CONTEXT The primary outcome of the document is the development of a state- People and their ideas and passions help make Victoria, and Australia, a wide strategy that will guide Cycling Victoria, BMXV, MTBA, cycling clubs, strong and respected community. Victorians from all walks of life contribute state government, and local governments to improve the planning and to their communities, the state and the nation. Today’s social and economic maintenance of new and existing facility needs, increasing participation in challenges are complex and require comprehensive, integrated and cycling sport, improve relationships between stakeholders and providing innovative approaches to shape solutions that work. Engaged citizens and larger more sustainable clubs. It will also aid state and local governments stakeholder groups are at the centre of these solutions. and decision-making bodies when engaging with cycling for the planning and development of appropriate infrastructure. This study and resulting strategy leverage the strength, experiences and viewpoints of a wide stakeholder group to suggest a program comprised The strategy is designed to provide a framework for road, criterium, track, of key focus areas, recommendations and projects to offer effective and BMX, cyclo-cross and mountain bike facilities that are needed to advance sustainable solutions for cycling within Victoria. The strategy provides a cycle sport in Victoria. It provides consideration to what facilities currently roadmap to address critical challenges facing our communities and our exist, where they are located, where the growth areas for cycling as a state. It offers clear social, environmental and economic benefits for the sport are (both demographically and competitively), where facilities are stakeholder groups and the state, and is the result of a collaborative effort redundant and recommends a hierarchy of future facility provision. between these groups. This strategy includes further details on the specific objectives and recommendations, and evidence as to the rationale for their STRATEGY METHODOLOGY development. Detailed work on these plus the establishment of a detailed implementation and sponsored implementation