Hume Council wants Upfield Bikepath Extension as part of Camp Road level crossing removal

Excerpt from Hume Council walking and Cycling Strategy Action Plan 2010-2015

The Upfield bike path, a shared use path that thousands of cyclists and pedestrians use every day, strangely doesn’t go all the way to Upfield. In fact it doesn’t exist, except as a poor dirt track in places beside the railway line, within Hume municipality. But Hume Council is now on board to make this path happen. Will the Labor State Government come to the party?

The bike path currently finishes at Box Forest Road in Fawkner.

Extending the path up to Barry Road and Upfield station during the Camp Road level crossing removal would make a great deal of sense, opening up to many Hume municipality residents and cyclists a safe route to Brunswick, Coburg and the Melbourne CBD.

Hume Council, at it’s meeting on Monday night (14 August 2017) passed a resolution to write to the Minister for Transport, Jacinta Allan MP, and the Level Crossing Authority, for a shared path along the railway reservation be provided as part of the Camp Road level crossing removal project.

See the full text of the Council motion below excerpted from the Council minutes:

JAC008
CAMP ROAD SHARED PATH
Councillor Jodi Jackson
Moved Cr Jodi Jackson, Seconded Cr Jana Taylor
That Council write to the Minister for Public Transport, The Hon. Jacinta
Allan MP, and the Level Crossing Removal Authority requesting that a
shared path along the railway reservation be provided as part of the Camp
Road level crossing removal project.
CARRIED

Hume Council also voted to “write to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the Hon. Luke Donnellan MP, to have the Vineyard/Plumpton Road shared pathway completed including the section over the Calder Freeway, and that funding be provided this year for this important initiative.”

Sustainable Fawkner endorses this call for the Andrews state government to complete the Upfield shared use bike path to Upfield as part of the Camp Road Level crossing removal, and the completion of the Vineyard/Plumpton Road shared pathway.

The Hume City Walking and Cycling Strategy Action Plan 2010-2015 (November 2010) (See Council Policies page for PDF) included the Upfield Train Line Path, to extend the trail all the way along the railway line to Upfield. In 2010 this was given a priority 3 rating, with an estimated cost of $1,500,000 and funding for this path extension to wholly come from VicRoads. See Hume Council Walking and Cycling Strategy map (2010)

Broadmeadows MP fails to respond to constituents

I wrote to Frank Maguire MP (Broadmeadows) on this issue on 31st July, three weeks ago, and I am still waiting for a response other than an auto-reply.

His office hasn’t responded to my letter from September 2016, similar to information in this article.

Want to lobby Frank Maguire MP about upgrading the Upfield rail line and bike path? Here are the details: