A pop-up separated bike lane will be trialled on a road in Canberra's inner south, with the results to inform future cycling and active travel infrastructure investments.
Work will begin in the coming weeks to install the two-way cycle lane on Bowen Drive between the Kings Avenue Bridge and Bowen Park car park, with a separation curb to keep the distance between cyclists and vehicle traffic.
The infrastructure for the lane will cost $170,000.
City Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the trial would influence future government decisions on where to install similar infrastructure in other parts of the city.
"The protected cycle lane will provide much-needed additional capacity for cyclists to address the current heavy use of the route around Lake Burley Griffin to the Kingston Foreshore. Importantly, it will provide separation between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists," Ms Cheyne said.
Construction would take about two months and the off-road path would be designated pedestrian only once works are complete, she said.
"We have heard calls from community and advocacy groups about the need to invest in separated cycling infrastructure to improve safety and accessibility and encourage more people to choose active travel," Ms Cheyne said.
"This was evidenced in consultation on the Active Travel Plan 2024-2030 and the Design Guide. The first priority in the plan is safe infrastructure for walking and riding which was highlighted by the community as a fundamental barrier to getting more people active, walking and riding in Canberra."
The trial separated cycle lane will be part of the Kingston Cycleway project, which the government has said will be delivered in two stages to improve the route between the Kings Avenue Bridge and Cunningham Street.
"In the 2023-24 ACT budget and subsequent mid-year review, the ACT government announced a significant investment of more than $30 million in active travel improvements bringing the forward estimates to over $94 million," Ms Cheyne said.
The government said pop-up cycleways were designed to make the roads safer for cyclists in the same way as "traditional infrastructure" but were cheaper.
"This enables faster project delivery, while also enabling government to monitor and review the operation of pop-up prototypes before they can be considered for transition to more permanent infrastructure in future," the ACT government said.
Pedal Power ACT, the capital's peak body for cycling advocacy, last month called on the ACT government to install a separated bike-only path on Northbourne Avenue, declaring it one of the ACT's "busiest and most dangerous" roads for cyclists.
But the government is not considering the separate cycle lane for the road, citing traffic concerns and ongoing disruption "associated with major projects being built in the CBD area".
The government in February released a design guide for future streets, which said, "In every project, the aim should be to maximise space, including preferring the separation rather than integration of different movement types".
