Design process

From the outset, Junee Shire Council worked with local cyclists and the Safer Routes to School Program Committee to develop the route plans. In designing the routes, the original objective was to enable children to cycle or walk to and from local schools, the town centre and the town’s various sporting venues.

Assisted by matched funding from the RTA (provided on a ‘dollar for dollar’ basis), Junee Shire Council began constructing its first path in 2000. Since then, Council has gradually extended the path network each year. Over the eight year period in which the paths have been constructed, Council and the RTA have contributed approximately $400,000 each. To date, approximately 11 kilometres of good quality, 2.1 metre wide concrete paths have been constructed.

These infrastructure improvements have been guided by Council’s Bike Plan (2000) and Pedestrian Access Mobility Plan (2006). The Pedestrian Access Mobility Plan has informed access and safety features of the paths to boost utilisation and safety – including safer crossings near schools and modification of kerb ramps to enable easier access for people using wheelchairs, the elderly and those with less mobility. Pedestrian refuge islands and blisters have also been installed to increase safety for pedestrians crossing several of Junee’s wide streets.

The original aim of constructing a path network that connects the town centre, local schools and sporting fields has now been achieved. Council is now intending to extend the path to join other parts of town to these facilities and also to provide a connection to some of Council’s more distant parklands.