Leading community members banded with local councillors for an exploratory bike ride through Bendigo the gauge the possibilities for a Bendigo Creek pathway.
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The council’s vision is to connect existing bike paths to create a continuous ride between Kangaroo Flat and Epsom.
Mayor Peter Cox said the “missing link” was a connection pathway north and south of Bendigo’s CBD.
One option already underway is a bicycle underpass, granting cyclists safe passage below below the McIvor highway where it meets Baxter Street.
Cr James Williams said another point of the meandering ride was to consider restoring parts of the creek to its natural state.
He said the current narrow concrete system meant in times of flood, water flowed thick and fast and could be dangerous.
But a smoother grading of the creek bed, as well as natural plants, would give space for water to pool and slow down.
Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation CEO Rodney Carter said it was exciting to be a part of a project that showed kindness to the environment.
“To us, what we want to do with landscape ... is restoration and the healing of country,” Mr Carter said.
City of Greater Bendigo strategy manager Trevor Budge said 70 per cent of retail floor space was closely connected to the creek – in the CBD, Epsom, and Golden Square – and there were 16 schools along the creek.
A fitted bike path, he said, would make it easier for students, teachers, workers and shoppers to ride to their destination safely, away from busy roads loaded with trucks.
“It’s the glue that holds the whole city together,” Mr Budge said.
Cyclists from Bendigo Health and Community Health, La Trobe University, Renew and the North Central Catchment Management Authority joined in on the winding route, taking time to talk about the broader social and health benefits of a more bike-friendly city.
Ride to Work Day is on Wednesday, October 14.
There will be a free community breakfast for locals in Hargreaves Mall from 7.30am and 9am.