Plans for new bike lane

Council will consider building another Espy bike lane

LESS than five months after ripping out the controversial bike lane on the Esplanade, Darwin Council is considering spending more than $1.6 million to put in another bike path only metres away.

The proposal is part of the council’s master plan and details include adding aesthetically pleasing treatments, such as a mosaic tiled pattern.

Triggered by community concerns, the council unanimously voted to remove the original Esplanade bike path at a cost of $10,000.

Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim then said: “The community really didn’t understand the way the bicycle path should be working” and said there was high level of discontent about its existence.

The cheapest option council is considering for the new path would cost $1 million for a simple plain grey concrete, or $285.70 per square metre.

The Sunday Territorian has been told concreters normally charge about $80sq m to lay concrete. It’s not clear what the additional $205.70 would be spent on.

Lighting of the path is not included in the costings and is expected to cost an additional $12,000 per light.

Alderman Mick Palmer was incredulous the proposal had even been brought up.

“I would hope council won’t even entertain this idea,” he said. “I think this is, and I hope this is, the end of it all.

“This shouldn’t get up and that should be the end of discussion.”

Mr Palmer said he thought the community had had enough of such ideas.

“How can you say it nicely: the community would be less than embracing of it,” he said.

“There are a lot of better things council could do with $1m to improve the city, the amenity of the city and the whole of the city.”

Despite council requesting the report into the bike path considering design, costs, staging and stakeholder engagement, the report does not cover usage of the two existing paths through Bicentennial Park or the footpath on the CBD side of the Esplanade.

Darwin Council capital works manager Nik Kleine said in the report: “No analysis has been undertaken on preferred travel paths or the number and types of path users of existing or future path network, therefore it is difficult to determine the economic and social costs and benefits.”

Wayne Thomas lives on the Esplanade and said the story of council putting in a bike lane, then taking out a bike lane, then putting in another bike path sounded like a sitcom.

“After the last experiment, council should find something better to spend ratepayers money on,” he said.