A huge opportunity to reinvigorate and generate economic activity within the city centre area appears to have been missed by the plan thus far, which is to construct bike riding lanes for everyday plain clothed commuters, separated and protected from vehicle traffic, along the length of Hargreaves Street from Golden Square to Nolan Street and Williamson Street from Rosalind Park to the existing wonderful and heavily patronised Back Creek Trail.

Clearly the city centre area and particularly the Hargreaves Mall is a key link in the cycling network and a key destination for people to travel to by bike. 

Research in Australia and overseas indicates that only  7 per cent of the population is willing to ride a bike for transport on a road mixing with traffic (which includes within painted bike lanes).

However almost 70 per cent of the population would be willing to ride regularly if provided with safe and comfortable bike lanes that are physically separated from road traffic (such as with raised garden beds, posts, barriers etc).  

Thus construction of appropriate bike lanes could open up cycling as a viable option for everyday transport to ten times more people than at present, which would significantly reduce the number of people needing/wishing to drive to, and park within, the city centre area.

This would mean that the vehicle traffic that does need to be in the city centre will flow better and those who genuinely need to drive, such as those with limited mobility, will be able to conveniently park.

Surprisingly the importance of cycling has not rated a single mention on the two page Transforming the City Centre Summary document and has only received a couple of brief mentions within the more detailed document.  

This omission is surprising considering the strong and appropriate focus of walking and cycling within the adopted Integrated Transport Landuse Use Strategy (ITLUS) for Bendigo’s future as a much larger city and also the fact that Hargreaves and Williamson Streets are identified as main cycling corridors within council thinking and strategy.  

At present it is illegal to ride through the Hargreaves Mall which should be rectified to allow responsible riding in the pedestrian area at walking pace.  

Furthermore, research that came out of the ITLUS process a number of years ago demonstrated that walkers and cyclists, on average, spend 50 per cent more money within city centre areas than do motorists.

High quality protected and separated bike lanes are exactly what our city centre area retail and hospitality businesses need – providing easy access, bringing in more people and money and reducing car congestion and parking demand, bringing yet more customers.

In 2017 the British Medical Journal published the outcomes of the largest and most comprehensive study to date from 263,450 people, finding cycle commuters had a 52 per cent lower risk of dying from heart disease and a 40 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer. They also had 46 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease and a 45 per cent lower risk of developing cancer at all.  

Thus investing in proper cycling infrastructure can help to meaningfully reduce the approximately $150 million spent by Bendigo Health each and every year treating chronic illnesses. 

Yet again calls from some small elements of the community to return the Hargreaves Mall to a road for cars are misguided and ill-informed.  

In a future vibrant and welcoming Bendigo of 200,000 plus people, our limited city centre space will need to be available to people to enjoy and prosper and not be largely taken up with low value uses such as excessive car parking.

I write in response to Kim Fitzpatrick’s letter in the Bendigo Advertiser (What’s the Bendigo mall plan, council?) from June 27 regarding council’s plans for Hargreaves Mall.

The City of Greater Bendigo is working hard on a range of short, medium and long term plans to reinvigorate the city centre. 

We want to bring more people to the mall, more often. 

Things we are working on include installing a pop-up park to create more shade and colour in the mall, which should be in place in time for spring. 

We are also reviewing the design of the mall, including how we can make it more inviting and comfortable. 

We are looking at options to repurpose the toilet structures that are located in the mall and we are working with Public Transport Victoria to improve the bus shelter space at the Mitchell Street end.

Read more

Residents will soon see works happening on the Beehive building (the old Mining Exchange) which is being redeveloped to create function and retail spaces. 

In the longer term, the city is also looking into ways to connect existing laneways around the city centre, to create more character and event spaces, as well as developing new toilets in the city centre.

We have already made changes like increasing the frequency of cleaning in Hargreaves Mall, installing speakers and having music playing throught out the day and hosting more events throughout the year.

Creating a more vibrant city centre requires a partnership approach between council, traders landlords and agents and we are keen to continue the good work that is underway.

Myer is in the business of retail sales, not property investment, so it's logical that Myer will sell off the Bendigo site in the near future. Their continued presence in the retail sector in Bendigo is purely speculative in the light of current shopping trends worldwide, which online.

Last week’s article pumping up the myth that Myer will be an anchor tenant in a City of Bendigo redevelopment of the misguided mall concept is purely speculative.

Just take a good look at what has become of Bendigo's CBD. An exodus of retail traders with nothing but empty retail space and virtual desolation of the mall. 

The council and public must be bold enough to scrap the mall now.

Try a simple opening up of Hargreaves Street to one-way traffic and the provision of a combination of angle and parallel parking as occurred in Stawell some years back. This rejuvenated their CBD almost instantly. 

After reading the Bendigo Advertiser article on July 13 (Mall design missed the mark) I wondered if I was the only citizen of this great city who noticed that neither the “short term”, “medium term” or “long term” plans for the Hargreaves Mall deigned to mention that a large part of the mall’s problems has been the gathering of anti-social misfits.

They seem to be attracted to the said shopping strip even more than their preference for the exterior of the Bendigo library (some of whom seem to enjoy playing out their antics to those inside the library behind seemingly safe windows) or those who congregate at the main entrances to shopping centres such as the Marketplace.   

There are the arguments about the mall being “sterile”, a “concrete wasteland” and unattractive to potential customers, and these certainly have basis.   

But for mine, walking through the mall daily and having to run the gauntlet through groups of society's driftwood as they perform at the Mitchell Street end bus-stop is off putting in the extreme.

As a footnote to those in charge of our public transport system, I say: "Who in their right mind would climb aboard a bus in the centre of Bendigo with fellow passengers swearing, spitting, yelling and fighting?"  

Am I the only person in this fair city who can see the elephant in the room?

A letter to the editor is one way to have your say in the issues that affect you and the place you live in.

All letters must be signed and carry the name, full address and daytime telephone number(s) of the author. We will publish the writer’s name and suburb/town.

In rare cases, we may consent to withholding a writer’s name and suburb/town.

Letters may be edited for space, accuracy, clarity and legal reasons.

Shorter letters will be given preference.

Letters which are deemed inappropriate will not be published.

Letters can be sent to the Bendigo Advertiser, PO Box 61, Bendigo 3552 or via a digital form at bendigoadvertiser.com.au