The City of Mitcham is inviting feedback for community consultation on a proposed Flinders-to-City Bikeway. If implemented, the bikeway would provide a safer cycling route between Flinders University’s Tonsley Campus and the city.

Dan Barker, general manager for engineering and horticulture at Mitcham Council, says everyone in the community invited to participate in the online survey.

“Once consultation closes the feedback will be reviewed and incorporated into the Flinders-City bikeway project where feasible and appropriate,” he said. “Once this has been finalised, a report that includes community feedback will then be presented to council for consideration.”

The current plan aims to divert cycle traffic down streets with a lower density of motor vehicles, creating a safer route for cyclists and reducing collisions between Flinders University and the city.

Mr Barker says that while council did not have exact data on the number of cyclists who ride along the route, creating a dedicated route would create a safer environment for bike riders. “The Flinders-City bikeway proposes a route involving lower vehicle volumes with infrastructure suitable to the casual cyclist,” he says. “The aim is that safer riding conditions will increase the number of residents cycling as a means of transport and recreation. The City of Mitcham is committed to increasing the number of residents who wish to cycle.”

The Mitcham 2030 vision presents the council’s long-term ideas for policy to make Mitcham a more sustainable city where it invests in the community’s future, which includes safe cycling policy.

“The Flinders-City bikeway was envisaged to utilise local roads via the most direct route possible to Finders Uni,” says Mr Barker. “This will connect the recently constructed bikeway along the Darlington Upgrade Project to the Marion Rocks Greenway, which runs along the Seaford Train line.”

The cost of the proposed bikeway is unknown as it is still in its early consultation stages. Once feedback on a potential route has been considered, Mr Barker says further detail will be developed including anticipated implementation costs.

To take part in to online survey, visit the Mitcham Council website at www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au