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Strathfieldsaye Road, Strathfieldsaye has topped the list of roads the Bendigo Advertiser readers would like to see improved for motorists and cyclists to share safely.
There were more than 50 responses to a survey on the publication’s website identifying about 40 roads or intersections in central Victoria.
Respondents highlighted a need for a dedicated bike lane along Strathfieldsaye Road, Strathfieldsaye.
“Cyclist has no option but to ride in the left-hand lane because shoulder is so narrow and gravel is rocky,” a respondent wrote.
They had witnessed a number of near misses.
“Where drivers two or three cars behind haven’t seen the cyclist until it was almost too late and merged to the right just in time,” they wrote.
“If a car had been overtaking them at the time, they wouldn’t have been able to merge.”
The Strathfieldsaye Road roundabout in Strathfieldsaye also received particular attention.
“Needs to be re surfaced as is unsafe with all potholes being filled in making the road surface worse,” a respondent wrote.
“To be frank, the whole road needs to be re-done.”
A respondent said there should be a sealed off road path from Strathfieldsaye to Strathdale to encourage commuters.
“The climb up from Guys Hill Road towards Strathdale is horrible, dangerous and scary,” they wrote.
Another took it further and said there should be a lane from Peipers Hill to Kennington.
Tannery Lane in Mandurang was the second most common street name listed in the data.
“Tannery Lane is listed as a bike route on one of the bike maps and it is absolutely terrifying to see a cyclist on the road almost being hit by a car or truck,” a respondent wrote.
“Very dangerous for all concerned – no passing with safety,” another said.
Two roads in Epsom were mentioned: Howard Street was twice identified as having enough room for a bike lane, but being unsuitable for cyclists in its current state, while Goynes Road was labeled “an absolute disgrace, full of potholes and patch ups.”
“For the amount of people that live in the area, they deserve a decent road to drive on and not something that is rougher than most dirt roads in the region,” a respondent wrote.
Meanwhile Junortoun Road, Junortoun, was deemed “unsafe for bicycles”.
One of the respondents summed it up as such:
“Narrow, blind crests, blind intersections, no sealed shoulders, no footpaths and carries increasing volume of traffic at 80 kilometres an hour.”
Intersections with the Calder Highway at Maiden Gully preoccupied people riding and driving through that area.
The corner of the Calder Highway and Marong Road between Maiden Gully and Bendigo Stadium was described as “very dangerous for riding a bike – especially with the amount of kids and teenagers living at Maiden Gully.”
A respondent called for urgent attention at the corner of Edwards Road and the Calder Highway in Maiden Gully.
“Highly dangerous intersection even after VicRoads works,” they wrote.
“Needs to be fixed as soon as possible with the increase in traffic in Maiden Gully.”
Roads around and leading to Lockwood were also cause for concern.
A respondent had the following to say about the stretch of the Calder Highway from Crusoe Road, Kangaroo Flat, to Marong Road, Lockwood:
“A heavily ridden route for cyclists, yet no shoulder, tight space on a winding and twisting road and high speed limit make this a dangerous stretch.”
There was a call for a bike path from Kangaroo Flat to Maldon, along Bendigo-Maldon Road:
“This road has many trucks and kangaroos, making it dangerous for cars and very scary for cyclists,” a respondent wrote.