Lane Cove LGA

Funding Required for Lane Cove Bike Plan

UPDATE 18 JUNE 2010

The Cycling Budget being presented to Council for final approval at its meeting next Monday night 21 June proposes no change from the Draft Budget of $100,000 which went on display for public comment a month ago. This is despite 42 submissions from cycling supporters asking for $420,000 annually if the Bicycle Plan is to be implemented over 10 years. ( see Agenda on Council's website)

Supportive Councillors have asked that we attend to speak in favour of increased funding. It is the only way they can overcome the resistance to increased spending on cycling.

This is d-day for the bike plan . If we don't confront the opposition to cycling in this second year of the bike plan, then we can expect token allocations of funding in future with Lane Cove falling further behind.

We need everyone who cares about cycling in Lane Cove to attend. You can just read your points for anything from 1-3 minutes - it is quite easy and the Councillors listen politely without interruption.

The Lane Cove Bicycle Advisory Committee, volunteers who are committed to making Lane Cove a better place for cycling, has been working hard to try ensure there is adequate funding for cycling infrastructure in this year's council budget. So far Council is only offering funding at a rate that will see the Lane Cove Bike Plan completed in more than 40 years. This is simply not good enough. You can act now to get Lane Cove Council to increase its allocated budget and get behind some badly needed bicycling initiatives in our area.

Send an email or letter now or at least before June 14th can make a difference. Write your own or use the sample remembering to add the date, your name and address on the letter. You dont need to live in Lane Cove to make your opinion heard.

TAKE ACTION

Please send emails to Lane Cove Council

and copy to Council Management

and any or all of the following councillors

Backgroup

Lane Cove Council is not putting money where its mouth is!
Lane Cove Council has put its plan and budget on public display and says it will implement bicycle routes as prioritised by the Bicycle Committee. But Council failed to allocate anywhere near enough funds to fulfill this commitment.

Lane Cove needs to budget much more for cycling infrastructure
Lane Cove has budgeted only $50,000 of its own money, and assumes another $50,000 from RTA to bring the total bicycle infrastructure spend to $100,000 per year including design costs

  • BUT RTA have said they no longer automatically provide matching funds
  • RTA say they will only fund specific bike projects if councils show they are serious about cycling by committing more funds themselves
Lane Cove Council is allocating less than 0.2% of its budget to cycling infrastructure. Even if RTA does provide equivalent funding, then Lane Cove cycling infrastructure funding will be only 0.3% of the total Lane Cove budget.

The annual spend required by Lane Cove Council’s own Bike Plan is $420,000 infrastructure PLUS design costs. At its current rate of funding, it will take Lane Cove Council more than 40 years to build their planned bike routes even if RTA provides matching funds.

Lane Cove will not be able to build decent cycle paths or cycle routes unless council commits more funds to its own cycling infrastructure.

For example $50,000 would only buy us a green bike lane on Longueville Rd for less than half the distance from Longueville to Lane Cove. Even if RTA agrees to match Lane Cove Council funds, we still would not have enough money to fund the design and construction of bike lanes all the way along Longueville Rd from River Rd to Lane Cove shops. This is only 1 of many bike routes that the Lane Cove Council’s Bike Plan recommends to be properly constructed and upgraded for the safety of cyclists.

Sustainable transport deserves Sustainability Levy funding
The 2010-11 sustainability levy budget does not have any allocation to sustainable transport, ie: nothing to cycling. Please urge Lane Cove Council to view cycling as a sustainable activity, and to allocate at least some of the sustainability levy to encourage cycling in Lane Cove.

Now is the time to write to Lane Cove Council
Please write to Lane Cove Council urging them to allocate significant funds to bicycle infrastructure. Please urge Lane Cove to allocate at least $400,000 to cycling infrastructure in 2010-11.

This will also show RTA that Lane Cove is serious about building its cycling infrastructure, and will encourage RTA to assist Lane Cove with funding.

Please act now but the DEADLINE for Letters and submissions must be sent to Lane Cove Council before June 14th

Sample letter - dont forget to include you name and address and the date.

Last update: 03/04/2009— Copyright © 2007