Cyclists want separate bike-only paths on Canberra's 'most dangerous' road

Pedal Power ACT executive director Simon Copland said the road was the "busiest and most dangerous" in Canberra for cyclists and the separate path was desperately needed.

"I ride down Northbourne Avenue to get to work and it's often quite scary and it's also very busy at the same time with a lot of people trying to get into work," he said.

"We know that accidents happen along there all the time."

Pedal Power has called for the separate bike lane over several years. Mr Copland said it should have been fitted during the construction of the light rail.

"It certainly should have been fitted earlier and it would have been ideal for this to have occurred during the construction of light rail and we, as an organisation, advocated for a separated bike path to be constructed as part of light rail and the government didn't listen to that," he said.

The organisation again advocated for the path during the COVID pandemic.

"We also advocated for the same thing during the pandemic when traffic was lower and there was a need for economic investment and again the government didn't do it," Mr Copland said.

"I think we're rueing those missed opportunities at the moment."

A government spokesperson told The Canberra Times, in January, the government were not considering the addition of a separate cycle lane at this time due to traffic concerns along Northbourne.

The spokesperson said the road was already going through "a time when there is already disruption associated with major infrastructure projects being built in the CBD area".

But Mr Copland said he was disappointed it was not being considering by the government and he said the government's priorities were wrong.

"We're really asking what's more important here. Is it the safety and the lives of people riding bikes or is it the potential loss of a few seconds of people's commute time," he said.

"It's really disappointing that they're not considering it at this point in time. I think it speaks to a weird prioritisation of the government where they're more concerned about some potential backlash on Facebook from a few noisy folks who are really obsessed with their cars rather than thinking about the broader system and the broader potential benefits to our transport system."

Physical barriers to separate cyclists from cars are likely to be included as part of a new cycleway being built between Watson to Braddon.

The first stage of the Garden City Cycling route will run through different streets and parks along Watson, Downer, Hackett , Dickson, Ainslie and Braddon.

Pedal Power's campaign is being supported by Jo Pybus, whose husband, Paul O'Dwyer, was side-swiped by a car while cycling along Northbourne Avenue in 2022.

He hit his head on the concrete kerb and broke his upper spine in several places and was placed into an induced coma.

"The last 18 months have been the most challenging of our lives," Ms Pybus said.

"This would never have happened had there been a protected bike lane on Northbourne Avenue, a corridor recognised by the ACT government as the highest priority for commuters by virtue of being chosen as the first thoroughfare to get light rail."