Taking the very small positives that come with a prolonged lay-off, I've been pleased to notice a few small changes and improvements along the Gardiners Creek Trail since returning to the commute last week.
Solway Street Bridge re-opened
I actually noticed this one when I took a test ride about a month ago, and the re-opening was mentioned in local media sometime in July I think. Still it was a most tedious delay, with very little to show for the wait: the bridge has simply been propped-up and some new railing attached. It still looks like it'll wash down the valley in the next flood.
Stonnington's night lights - still cute
Well, they aren't new but the night lights that Stonnington installed in May are still cute—and all still working.
Improved visibility near High St
Thick undergrowth and some trees have been removed from parkland immediately on either side of High Street. I don't imagine for a moment that it was done for the convenience of cyclists and other path users, but the side-effect is that there is markedly better visibility across a couple of corners that used to be blinders.
Widened ramp in Brixton Rise
On the city side of High Street there's a short stretch where the Gardiners Creek Trail pops out onto Brixton Rise; at this point the ramp onto the road pavement has been widened and flattened, a considerable safety improvement.
Path realignment in H.A. Smith Reserve
A much-needed improvement the path realignment will eliminate an unnecessary blind corner. It's only happening as part of the Monash-CityLink-West Gate Upgrade, so it's another side-effect but (hopefully) a positive one.
Comments
The little upgrades are fine, but it still drives me crazy that you have to cross the creek so many times between Burke Rd and East Malvern! (Luckily I live past East Malvern station and commute to Monash Uni.)
Well, I ride it daily—and try not to think about it too much (or I would go crazy).
Treadly - I can't totally agree with you re the widened ramp at Brixton Rise. The flair of the ramp is too sharp. Consequently when coming from the city direction, you still have to make a very tight turn when leaving the road. Lots of cyclists just shoot past the bollard on its right side instead of the left. Its a missed oppurtunity to get it right. Heh - go the whole hog and narrow Brixton Rise and make the bike track continuous!
The removal of the blind turn near the Velodrome is a definite improvement. Just by the way the Mapgie near the Velodrome has started swooping already.
On the plus side - improvements have been made to the Anniversay trail here at Warburton Rd where the trail passes under the rail bridge:
Cyclists previously got lost at this point on a regular basis - and still do just further south, near Prospect Hill Rd and Riversdale Rd.
Well, in my defence I only said it was an improvement, not perfect. But Zed's observation is correct—the ramp has been installed as if it were a normal driveway, which doesn't take into account the way bicycle traffic really needs to use it. Even so the extra width is still an improvement, but don't get me started on the bloody stupid bollard: there is no good reason why bollards should not be removed from shared pathways.
As for Brixton Rise, I've thought for a while now that it could benefit from being turned into a shared traffic zone. Bikes already far outnumber cars on that stretch, and a bit of treatment that gives a bit of advantage to cyclists wouldn't hurt.
The Anniversary Trail between Riversdale Rd and Prospect Hill Rd is a bit vague, so anything that can help clarify that has got to be an improvement. In fact when it comes to signage many of the eastern suburban trails could learn a bit from the newer trails like the Federation Trail—if you get lost on the Fed Trail, you really need your eyes tested.