By Christine de Kock
CYCLISTS are urged to make the most of new bicycle paths in the City of Maribyrnong.
Mayor Janet Rice said the $54,000 new on-road bicycle paths project would make it safer for cycling enthusiasts to make their way around the municipality.
“If we want people to get on their bikes more often, then we need to make sure they have the paths and facilities to make it easy and safe for them to travel around,” she said.
The new paths can be found in Footscray, Seddon and Maidstone.
Cr Rice said the path in Parker St in Footscray was an important link to and from Footscray Rd for cyclists heading to the Melbourne CBD.
“We’ve already been contacted by some cyclists thanking council for improving their travel along this truck-heavy route,” she said.
She added that east-west connections across the city would be improved.
“The next on-road path will be Mitchell St in Maribyrnong, between Rosamond Rd and Gordon St.”
“We’ll also be improving routes to and around Central Footscray, and construct both on and off road paths from Footscray to Highpoint,” she said.
The City of Maribyrnong has a number of cycle groups including the recently formed AVA Sports Club.
Jimmy Hung Ly the club’s sports development coordinator said cycling was a growing sport in the Vietnamese community.
“We started the club last February,” he said. “We had 10 people, six months later we had 80 people.
“Our youngest person is six and the oldest 68.”
He said the idea behind the club’s formation was to encourage physical activity among members of the Vietnamese community.
“We research, a lot of people in the Vietnamese community are not fit.
“Not many go to the gym or buy exercise DVD, the elderly people have a problem with the English language.”
Mr Ly applied to the State Government for money to buy 25 cycles, he received $3000 and now he lends the bicycles to members of the club free of charge.
He said people of all nationalities were welcome to join the club, which he hoped to expand.
Club members meet in Footscray. For more information contact 9396 1922.
