The Woden–Civic Cycleway should not have to wait for light rail
A safe and direct cycleway between Woden and the city has been discussed for years. Riders are still waiting for a complete route.
Recent debate in the ACT Legislative Assembly has again put the Woden–Civic Cycleway on the political agenda, including a call for the project not to be delayed by the timeline for Light Rail Stage 2B.
Light rail and active travel should strengthen one another. Stations work better when people can reach them safely on foot or by bicycle, and a high-quality cycling route would give more people a practical alternative for journeys along the corridor.
But the cycleway should not be treated merely as an accessory to a much larger project.
Light Rail Stage 2B remains subject to planning, approvals, a business case, funding decisions and a long construction process. People riding between Woden and central Canberra need safer connections now.
A route divided between projects and agencies
The problem is not that nothing has been planned.
Preliminary work has occurred, sections of the wider network have been improved and the draft Southern Gateway Planning and Design Framework considers active-travel links through the corridor.
Responsibility for different sections, however, is spread between multiple agencies and projects. Infrastructure Canberra, the City and Environment Directorate, the Suburban Land Agency and the National Capital Authority may all have roles.
For the person trying to make one continuous journey, those administrative boundaries mean very little. A rider does not experience four government responsibilities. They experience one route, and every missing, narrow or confusing section along it.
A high-quality path through Woden is of limited value if it leads to an unsafe crossing. A future connection beside light rail will not help someone who needs to travel today. A well-designed section can still fail as transport infrastructure if the route disappears at either end.
The Woden–Civic Cycleway needs a clearly identified coordinating body, an agreed alignment and a funded delivery program for the entire journey.
Build the cycleway as an independent project
Pedal Power has previously called for the Woden–Civic Cycleway to be completed independently of Light Rail Stage 2B.
That does not mean separating cycling from public-transport planning. It means refusing to make one valuable project wait indefinitely for another.
Delivering the cycleway sooner would provide an immediate transport option while light rail planning continues. It could also improve access to future stations and help establish active-travel patterns before major construction begins.
There is another practical reason to proceed early. Large infrastructure projects often create temporary path closures, detours and disruption. A continuous alternative route would make it easier for people to travel through the corridor during future construction instead of being left with improvised diversions.
A cycleway is more than a line between two centres
The value of the route would extend well beyond people travelling the entire distance from Woden to Civic.
A continuous corridor could connect residents with employment, schools, Canberra Hospital, local shops, town centres, bus services and surrounding community paths. People could use one section for a short local journey while others travel much further.
To work properly, the route needs:
Safe and direct intersection treatments.
Adequate width for growing numbers of riders and other path users.
Separation in busy locations.
Lighting and wayfinding.
Logical connections to local streets and existing C-routes.
Secure bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities at major destinations.
Safe access to current and future public-transport stops.
These details determine whether a route becomes part of daily life or remains a line on a planning map.
Canberra should not wait for the perfect project
The ACT Government has described the Southern Gateway as an opportunity to reimagine the corridor with better walking and cycling connections. That vision is welcome.
What is still needed is a delivery commitment.
The Commonwealth Avenue Bridge works, rising transport costs and continued growth in the inner south all strengthen the case for giving people another reliable way to travel between Woden and central Canberra.
A completed cycleway would not compete with light rail. It would expand the number of people who can reach it and increase the value of the broader transport corridor.
Pedal Power is calling for the ACT Government to nominate clear responsibility for the complete route, publish a staged delivery plan and fund sections that can proceed before Light Rail Stage 2B.
Canberra should not have to choose between better public transport and safer cycling. A growing city needs both and people should not be left waiting years for a journey that could begin improving now.
Explore Pedal Power’s advocacy work and read more about our priorities for a safer, better-connected Canberra.
