THE region’s first on-road bike lane, which was to be constructed and trialed in the Woolgoolga CBD from July to December 2021, has not eventuated with Coffs Harbour City Council now announcing that work on the unique project will commence in February 2022.

The three-metre wide dedicated on-road bike lane will be built along Clarence Street and Beach Street and will lead into the Woolgoolga town centre.

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The bike lane’s permanence in the town will be decided by the community, following the completion of the trial.

“Installation of the bike lane has been re-scheduled to begin in February 2022 and the grant is being extended to take the new start date into account,” a Council spokesperson stated.

Council was allocated a State Government grant of $550,000 for the new Woolgoolga bike lane, and the original grant approval deadline for construction of the on-road bike lane was December 2021.

Funding for the bike lane has been allocated from the NSW Government’s ‘Streets as Shared Spaces Program’, which is specifically aimed at delivering trial projects that test ideas for more permanent improvements to local streets, paths and public spaces.

Coffs Harbour City Council’s Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Mick Raby said the project was a Government response to last year’s COVID-19 lockdown.

“It came out of the first COVID lockdown,” Mr Raby explained.

“We all discovered walking and bike riding and it became apparent very quickly there wasn’t enough places to do that.

“The majority of shared space is actually roads and carparks in most towns and cities; this is about stealing a bit of that back.”

The new Woolgoolga protected on-road bike lane is one of 59 bike lanes being created across NSW.

It will commence 50 metres past the busy roundabout at Solitary Islands Way and Clarence Street and will continue along Beach Street into the Woolgoolga town centre.

The bike lane will be separated from cars utilising the road with physical protection from parking or traffic lanes.

It will be installed between the existing pedestrian pathway and on-street parking spaces on the northern side of the roads.

At this stage, it is a pilot project and the works are temporary in nature.

Council will ask the local community to help evaluate its success at the end of the trial, with a view to making the arrangements permanent, or removing the works undertaken if required.

Further information about the pilot can be found on Council’s Have Your Say website at https://haveyoursay.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/.

By Emma DARBIN