by Dr Paul Ratcliffe, Department of Urban Services, ACT Government,
Canberra
Presented at AUSBIKE 92, Melbourne, Australia, March 1992
This paper summarises the history and legal status of footpath cycling in the ACT, and reports on its performance from the perspective of the cyclist, pedestrian, city administration, police and road safety official.
Following the adoption of the neighbourhood principle for residential area planning by the National Capital Development Commission in 1958, it was accepted that local footpath networks were needed for pedestrian and cycle movements to neighbourhood facilities, especially local shops and schools (1).
The practice of providing a comprehensive off-road movement system became an essential feature of residential neighbourhoods in the new towns of Woden and Belconnen in the 1960's and early 1970's. The system however generally only catered for intra-suburban cycle trips to schools, shops and local recreational areas. At that time it was considered insufficient demand existed for inter-suburb and inter-town off-road trips, that is, for many commuter, tourist, visitor and post-primary education trips.
Although the neighbourhood paths are generally referred to as pedestrian paths, it was always intended that cyclists should be able to use them, despite their uncertain legal status. It was only in 1974 that the position was clarified by legislation which permitted cyclists to use footpaths.
At the same time that the legislation was clarified, the NCDC responded to the bicycle boom of the early 1970's by planning a network of pathways specifically designed for longer distance recreational and commuter cyclists. The first purpose built 2.5m wide path, 5.5km long, between the inner northern suburb of Dickson and the Australian National University was opened in 1973, and followed in 1976 by the establishment of a program for a Metropolitan Cycleway Network. This 100km network was planned and designed around the principle that cycling should be entirely segregated from road traffic, with no physical connection or interrelation between the two networks.
Legal authority to enable cyclists to use all footpaths was provided in a 1974 amendment of the ACT Traffic Act 1937 (2), which stated that:
"A person shall not - ...drive, ride or wheel a vehicle, other than a bicycle... on a footpath"
This amendment was constrained by only two other sections of the Act. Firstly, that a person should not ride a bicycle on a footpath where "No Bicycles" signs had been erected, and secondly, that "a person should not ride a bicycle within 10 metres of a shop doorway at a time when that shop is open..."
Since the enactment of the above legislation, there has been only one instance where it has been deemed appropriate to install "No Bicycles" signs on footpaths. This was where the city administration wished to discourage bicycles within the congested City bus interchange, where the bus operators considered cyclists to be a safety hazard to buses moving through the interchange.
In addition to this blanket approval to cycle on footpaths, the 1974 legislation went further in providing for the gazettal of "Bicycle Paths". These are paths restricted to use by bicycle riders only. All other persons, whether a pedestrian, vehicle driver or a person leading an animal were to be excluded. In practice however, the "Bicycle Path" legislation proved unworkable in terms of definition and enforcement, and the Section was repealed in 1990.
The present position in the ACT is therefore that all footpaths are available for joint use by pedestrians and cyclists.
Footpaths can be considered for the purposes of this paper to be any track, path or trail that is generally not designed for motorised vehicle use. They range from the standard concrete 1.2m wide neighbourhood footpath, through 1.5m and 1.8m concrete paths located in higher use areas such as close to schools and shops, to 2.5m wide asphalt, purpose built cycle paths. In addition, wide pedestrian precincts at shopping centres and narrow gravel forest and recreational area tracks are part of the footpath network. Specially designed pathways constructed in different materials are found in the more formal urban parks.
A network of footpaths generally suitable for cycling has been identified in the Canberra Cycleways Map, which was published in 1990. It identifies 240km of path greater than 1.8m wide (ie, generally purpose built cycle paths), connected to 580km of path less than 1.8m wide. There are many more kilometres of path less than 1.8m wide in the ACT that are available for cycling, but not identified on the Cycleways Map.
It is not surprising that footpaths are used by a wide variety of persons, following an equally wide range of pursuits. In addition to commuter, recreational and school cyclists, these footpaths are regularly used by pedestrians, from toddlers to aged persons, who may be walking to shops, bus stops and offices, or who may be strolling for recreation (with or without the family pet). Other defined groups of users include joggers, either individuals or in groups up to major cross country events; triathlon competitors; roller skiers and roller bladers; skateboard riders and equestrians . Then there are the wheelchair athletes, the dog exercisers, the impromptu cricketers, and parks and gardens maintenance and watering trucks and mowers. In the residential areas cars are sometimes parked in driveways across the footpath.
Footpaths are used extensively by cyclists for a wide range of trip purposes. A recent survey conducted in Canberra for the Department of Urban Services (3) indicated that, of the approximately 100,000 cyclists who ride at least once per fortnight, the great majority use off-road paths, either exclusively or in combination with roads. Between one quarter and one third of all cycle trip types principally use roads, although these can be in combination with paths. In general it was found that commuters to work and cyclists to shops tended to use the roads more than those cycling to schools and for recreational reasons. Regular cyclists who use roads exclusively account for between 7% (to schools) and 22% (for local shopping) of the total.
The use of footpaths for cycling has a wide range of implications; both for cyclists, other members of the community, enforcement agencies and the city administration. These can be categorised under the four standard headings of Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Engineering.
Education: There is a generally accepted view by the community and road safety authorities that footpath cycling provides major benefits to the community, and is especially useful in permitting young cyclists to acquire bicycle handling skills in a safe environment (4,5). In the ACT as elsewhere, on-road cycling by primary school age children is not encouraged due to the inability of young children to understand and apply road safety knowledge. However, early road safety education is necessary to establish correct behaviour patterns, and much training can be carried out safely on the pathway network (6). In addition, the use of footpath cycling can assist as an educational tool in teaching young cyclists a tolerance for non-cycle users. In contrast, the extensive use of footpaths for cycling tends to encourage a negative attitude in motorists against cyclists who use the road network. There is considerable anecdotal evidence that many motorist s consider the construction of off-road facilities for cyclists should be followed by the exclusion of cyclists from the road system , and especially the arterial road network. This attitude is not helped by the sometimes over assertive behaviour of a minority of adult on-road cyclists.
Encouragement: The availability of an extensive off-road network undoubtedly helps to encourage cycling in the ACT. The purpose built cycle path system, especially in scenic and pleasant locations, is a major encouragement for recreational cycling. It gives an opportunity for adults and children alike to familiarise themselves with cycling over long distances in an environment that is perceived to be safe (6). The ability for young students to use footpaths for cycling to school, and for schooltime activities, encourages parents and educational authorities to permit more of this type of activity than would otherwise be the case. By encouraging recreational cycling and by enabling young people to experience cycling on a daily basis, it is more likely that cycling as a mode choice will increase for work trips and within adult groups.
The aspects which discourage footpath cycling relate to the concern of users for low levels of path maintenance, resulting in reduced safety of cycling on such a path; and the concern for personal safety on paths that are either unlit or remote from roads and houses (3).
Enforcement: Enforcement of appropriate behaviour for cyclists on footpaths is recognised as a problem associated with a minority "few who will cause problems for everyone. Reckless riding, excessive speeds and little or no respect for others are common traits of these cyclists" (5) . Even if the antisocial cyclists are ignored, mixing inexperienced cyclists with pedestrians, sometimes in situations of some congestion, can lead to problems that are difficult to resolve through legal means. Apart from pedestrian/moving cycle conflicts on footpaths, other enforcement issues arise from inappropriate cycling through shopping centres, urban parks and across roads, especially at zebra crossings and traffic lights. The careless parking of bicycles could also lead to enforcement issues in the ACT, where parking a bicycle within 50 metres of a cycle rack is prohibited.
Engineering: The main disincentives to cyclists in using the footpath network are usually related to engineering aspects. These include poor maintenance of paths (root intrusion, debris on path, pavement cracking and 'trips', weed ingress and overhanging vegetation); hazardous obstructions on paths (concrete bollards, steel 'chicane' rails across paths, steps, assorted street furniture); poor visibility at driveways from hedges and fences; excessively narrow paths; inappropriate path geometry for cycle speeds; gradients generally more severe than adjacent roads; poor connectivity with other paths or roads; poor road crossing facilities; and path surface generally of a lesser quality than the adjacent road. These issues are usually safety related and lead to a relatively high level of off-road cycle crashes. Recent research has shown that bicycle crashes involving 'significant injury' may occur in approximately equal numbers both on and off-road (6) .
Footpath cycling has been legally authorised in the ACT for almost 20 years. Despite there being little evidence that footpath cycling is significantly safer than on-road cycling, it is supported by the community and the city administration as an appropriate environment for young people to learn cycling, and to encourage cycling as an alternative travel mode to the car. Clearly, appropriately engineered paths will not only reduce conflict with pedestrians but will improve safety and further encourage recreational and school cycling.
Permission to publish this paper is acknowledged.The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the ACT Government.
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Comments to Paul Ratcliffe at ratclif@pcug.org.au