WESTCYCLE said that recent works on the hilly section of Kalamunda Road expanding its central painted island, has reduced it from two lanes to a single wider 3.7m lane with no marked cycling lane.

“The City of Kalamunda has said while long term plans do include a bike lane on the road, the current works were a budget-restricted ‘interim measure’ designed to improve road safety at intersections and along the route,” Westcycle spokesperson Shane Starling said.

“The city has told us the needs of cyclists have been considered as part of these works with the provision of wider traffic lanes and a painted median, noting the median would result in a travel speed reduction.

“It also allows vehicles to safely turn as well as to overtake slower moving cyclists at a reduced risk of encountering oncoming traffic.”

Mr Starling said while the city’s ‘2017 cycling plan’ does call for cycling lanes along Kalamunda Road, the timeframes are not specified and are dependent on financing from local, state or federal sources.

However, these potential funding sources often come with criteria that rule out certain works – for instance WA Bike Network grants do not extend to unprotected bike lanes as they are not deemed to adequately protect bike riders.

“Of concern is that the city has said further works on Kalamunda Road would not come up again for consideration until sometime beyond 2030. In the meantime, it highlighted Gooseberry Hill Road and the Zig Zag as preferred cycling routes into the Kalamunda area,” Mr Starling said.

“The city has told us that the use of Kalamunda Road by commuter and recreational cyclists (i.e. cyclists other than experienced on-road cycling training groups) is very low, given the steep grades on the escarpment, high traffic volumes and lack of cycle lanes.”

On-road cycling training groups typically cycle in larger groups, often riding two abreast. This makes them more visible and helps ensure drivers pass bike riders at a safe distance.

But some cyclists have cast the Kalamunda Road changes as a “wasted opportunity” to better accommodate all road users.

Mr Starling said to comply with the 1.5-metre passing rule (where speed limits exceed 60km/h) especially if a group of cyclists is riding uphill, motorists are obliged to cross the continuous line markings of Kalamunda Road’s new painted island.

This is authorised in the WA Road Traffic Code, although not all motorists may be aware of it.