The City of Armadale has received $168,840 in funding from the Department of Transport to create bike paths, which will be a part of the Perth Bicycle Network (PBN).
A $95,220 grant has been given for the development of the Railway Avenue shared path in Armadale, which will run 1230 meters from Armadale Road to Sherwood Train Station.
This will form the first segment of a proposed cycle route along the full length of Railway Avenue, from Armadale Road to Corfield Road.
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READ NOWAn additional $73,620 grant has been given for the development of the 880m Ranford Road Shared Path in Harrisdale, which will run from Wright Road to Warton Road.
The new pathway will complete a large segment of the north/south cycle path route along Ranford Road, with two more sections to be completed in future years.
Once completed, it will form the cycle path route through the City of Armadale from Armadale Road to Warton Road.
Armadale Cycling Group member Geoff Gilmore said the cycle paths couldn’t come quick enough, particularly along Armadale’s main roads.
‘They’re absolutely needed,’ he said.
‘There’s not enough, especially with the amount of traffic on Railway Avenue. It’s just so busy.
‘We don’t have a dedicated bike path from Champion Lakes to Armadale and we have to ride on the road.
Mr Gilmore said cycling was becoming increasingly popular, especially with events such as the City of Armadale Grand Fondo, and it should be catered for.
‘When I started this group five years ago, we had about five or six members and we’ve grown and grown,’ he said. ‘We now have 40 members, both competitive and social riders that range from 25 to over 70.
‘We’ve got the best area for bike riding than anywhere else in Perth. We’ve got the hills, the flats, and around Araluen and Churchman is absolutely fantastic.’
While Mr Gilmore welcomed the news of the new bikes paths, he also raised the point that the existing paths needed to be maintained to a higher standard as riders were often riding over rubbish and glass, resulting in punctured tyres.