Djerring Trail Talk

[Matt1]

I rode this path from Caulfield East to Huntingdale not long after it opened. Some sections were still closed for construction work at that time so it took a bit of manoeuvring to get around it all. I got to the pedestrian underpass at Oakleigh station and rode through, slowly and considerately in case of potential pedestrians. As I popped out the other side some PSOs started yelling "Oi" and "Mate". I doubt they were referring to myself, since I don't have any mates, so I just kept riding. I pulled off the trail near Huntingdale to avoid any more potential law and order aggravation to ride back home along the Scotchmans Creek Trail.

Is the trail complete now? I should have some time on my hands over the next couple of weeks so a cruise down to Yarraman should be good. Too much desk time and not enough riding for me this year.

[Dalai]

Will be interested in your thoughts on the trail once you have a clean run.

[fixie]

I rode it on 21st Nov. Pan flat beautiful fairly wide concrete surface. Good sight lines though it meanders a bit from side to side of the sky rail.Quite an interesting ride. When I rode it there was still some work going on and there were some small detours/closures in place. I am unsure if the crossings of the major roads have been finalised, but work needs to be done there. Some signage would be helpful and the way through some stations is a complete mess. I may try it again this or next week.

[Matt1]

Thank you for letting us know fixie. I think they are still working on the Dandenong line skyrail over summer as some services are being replaced by busses. I am back in Melbourne now but I will wait for the weather to cool down a bit before making a trip down this path in full.

[Matt1]

I rode the full length of the trail this arvo. Very clean, smooth and and no hills. It was open all the way, with no detours required. Road crossings did not take too long but that might change during peak hours. I hope they extend it all the way to Dandenong one day, not too much going on around Yarraman station, although it does connect up with the Eastlink trail. An enjoyable ride through the rust belt of Melbourne.

Start of the trail at Caulfield East Reserve:


Huntingdale/Clayton forestation:

[GreenAlias]

For the people who regularly ride this trail - what's your preferred route from Caulfield to Mebourne CBD?

[Matt1]

I don't qualify as a regular trail user but from Caulfield to CBD I would take Inkerman Rd to St Kilda Rd and then ride St Kilda Rd all the way to the city.

[megascape]

Is the trail complete now?

I rode the 18km trail from Yarraman station to Caulfield in October 2018 as part of an LXRA organised ride. It was complete then, subject to some minor diversions to avoid works around stations. I assume those works have now been completed.

It's a pleasant ride, though if you are after a family ride with no particular destination you'd be better off going to the bike path off Beach Road. The new sections are all first rate - wide, quality surfacing, and even some bike maintenance stations (allen keys, pump, etc).

However, the trail includes older existing sections that need upgrades such as between Huntingdale and Oakleigh (which includes a narrow, dangerous blind bend near Huntingdale station).

Also you are required to dismount at Oakleigh station to go through the underpass. Hopefully they fix this when they rebuild the station in the next few years (Labor promised the rebuild in their Nov 2018 election commitments).

If you are expecting an almost continuous ride along the trail you'll be disappointed as there are many pedestrian crossings to stop at along the way.

It's a great new facility and everyone who lives within cycling distance of it should give it a go.

For the people who regularly ride this trail - what's your preferred route from Caulfield to Mebourne CBD?

Depends if you are working at the west end (Docklands, Southern Cross Stn etc) or the centre or east end (Parliament, Swanston St etc). For the west I would take Inkerman Rd or Glen Eira Rd to St Kilda Rd, then Canterbury Rd and Ferrars St to South Melbourne, then the Clarendon St Bridge to Spencer St. For the centre and east I'd start the same way and take St Kilda Rd into the city.

[Matt1]

If you want to have your say on extending the trail to Hotham St, this survey is your chance: https://www.haveyoursaygleneira.com.au/ ... one-survey. Survey closes Monday 1st April.

Obviously a bike lane will result in the destruction of the entire neighbourhood: https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 519ef.html

[Daicos Mullets]

The hysteria in that article is ridiculous. I always find the "safety" issue mind boggling. People seem very happy to accept the actual dangers of motor vehicles (38 pedestrian deaths in 2018), but not the supposed danger of bicycles (1 death more than 10 years ago). If I lived in that street, I'd be very happy to see a reduction in and calming of motor traffic. I'd be less likely to be killed or injured by a driver, and my street would be quieter and less polluted. Who in their right mind wouldn't want that?

[Claude Cat]

The hysteria in that article is ridiculous. I always find the "safety" issue mind boggling. People seem very happy to accept the actual dangers of motor vehicles (38 pedestrian deaths in 2018), but not the supposed danger of bicycles (1 death more than 10 years ago). If I lived in that street, I'd be very happy to see a reduction in and calming of motor traffic. I'd be less likely to be killed or injured by a driver, and my street would be quieter and less polluted. Who in their right mind wouldn't want that?

The usual NIMBYs nutters.

[Matt1]

Wonky reasoning runs rampant when any issue regarding bicycles arises. On the one hand "thousands" of bikes will be taking over the street, on the other the corner store goes bust because a couple of cars can't park immediately in front of the shop. Inkerman is probably already the better east-west cycling route out of the nearby alternatives (Balaclava, Alma, Dandenong and High), so I would expect any increase in bike traffic to come from people who aren't riding at the moment. Surely a good thing.

The council's own parking analysis would suggest there is sufficient parking on side streets to cope with the removal of parking from Inkerman Rd/St. No excuses there.

[Matt1]

I saw a few of these signs around today, mostly concentrated near the milk bar. Obviously no residents ride bicycles

[Matt1]

The Glen Eira Council have voted to use Inkerman Road as the preferred route for the Djerring Trail extension towards St Kilda Road. Next step is to come up with a design and then in the middle of next year the council will decide if they go ahead with it.

You can find the details here:
https://www.haveyoursaygleneira.com.au/safe-cycling

[Matt1]

Formal community discussions to reach agreement about the Inkerman Safe Cycling Corridor, due to take place in the first half of this year, have been postponed. I don't have any info on when they will resume, but AFAICT this project will not make any progress until they are satisfactorily completed. The waiting game begins...