Elsie Lange
Cyclists have complained about the lack of cycling infrastructure in the Macedon Ranges after taking routes outlined in a council-endorsed Ride Guide.
Alice Clarke, who grew up in the Macedon Ranges, said she and her wife were excited to discover a cycling booklet available on the Macedon Ranges Shire Council (MRSC) website.
But she said when they went to complete one of the easier rides, there were no bike lanes and they had to share the narrow road with cars.
“The ride we did on Saturday was called the Hanging Rock Cruiser, and part of that was at least a couple of kilometres on a single lane road that had two-way traffic and was really busy,” Ms Clarke said.
“When we were riding, any time that another car was coming, one of us had to pull off the road completely onto gravel, which is not awesome for a bike.
“We had cars missing us by centimetres.”
In a statement, Macedon Ranges council: “The current version of the Macedon Ranges Ride Guide was compiled with the input of local cyclists who helped define the most enjoyable and safe (fewer vehicles and lower speed limit) cycling routes.
“The recent ride guide removed some rides that were considered too dangerous by cyclists.”
The statement said the inclusion of the roads in the Ride Guide does not mean they are designated bike routes or that they have been improved for cycling and that the Ride Guide page on the council’s tourism website includes this safety messaging.
“There are also signs on the popular cycling routes alerting vehicles that bikes share the road,” the statement said.
Ms Clarke said even though she loves the riding routes the council have made available, she wishes they were safer and is “shocked” no one has died on the route she took.
“It’s just not safe,” she said.
