Cardinia Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategy

The Cardinia Shire Council Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategy sets out a vision to provide the premier trail network in Victoria, connecting people to their daily destinations and to the spectacular tourism and landscape features of the Shire. The aim of this strategy is to provide a guiding framework for Council for the incremental development of a comprehensive walking and cycling network throughout the Shire. The strategy will link in with Councils existing Footpath Priority List to help guide the development of an integrated path network. As part of this, Council will seek to provide a high level of service for all ages, parents and carers with prams, people in wheelchairs and people traveling on mobility scooters. Further work will be required when implementing the proposed route network identified in this strategy to consider the detailed design of each of the paths. This detailed design phase will determine the final alignment of the trail and will consider the location of supporting infrastructure such as car parking, seating, shade, toilet blocks and other amenities. The Strategy is supported by and builds on a number of Council studies and policies. The 2017-18 Cardinia Shire Council Plan provides high level support through its objectives to improve health and wellbeing for all, and to provide a variety of recreation and leisure opportunities and transport linkages between townships. The Strategy builds on the existing 2007 Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategy which identified a preferred network across the Shire, as well as minimum standards for the network infrastructure. It also integrates key walking and cycling paths that have been identified in Precinct Structure Plans and township strategies. Council is faced with several key challenges in providing walking and cycling infrastructure across the Shire. The large physical separation between townships and destinations, steep topography, a lack of dedicated infrastructure, connectivity to public transport stops, and many vehicledominated streets are common issues across the Shire. For the growth townships of Pakenham and Officer, a major challenge is the inconsistent provision of walking and cycling infrastructure across residential developments, and large gaps in the delivery of the shared path network. The Shire is experiencing changes in its population, particularly the ageing and young family demographics. This changing population is another challenge that needs to be considered. Whilst the population is growing marginally, the proportion of population over 60 years old is forecast to increase significantly. Ensuring appropriate infrastructure for these groups is important in developing a responsive walking and cycling network. There are significant opportunities for walking and cycling in Cardinia Shire. It has diverse, scenic landscape settings including the forested hills, foothills and waterways that could provide high quality experiences for residents and visitors. It has major employment, community services and shops that provide important strategic destinations within townships and beyond. In addition, there are a number of existing regional trails that are ready to be integrated into a broader walking and cycling network. bicycle, transport, recreation