Bike Boulevard Stage 1 - Leake Street and May Street

I find the stretch between Guildford Rd and and the primary school to be extremely dangerous and ill thought out. As a parent I would never allow my child to ride on it. The biggest concerns I have are that the bollards in front of the trees are painted black and can't be seen well at night, but more importantly the intersection at Leake and Almondbury is incredibly dangerous. You cannot see cars coming in either direction and the road is not wide enough for cars to be on their own side. I feel it is only a matter of time before something terrible happens if this situation is not addressed.

Even residents don't know what you are supposed to do on this street whether riding or driving. Does anybody on the council understand how it is supposed to work?

Living on Leake Street I find this Bike Boulevard very dangerous and confusing. The signage is inadequate and the blue signs at the top of the street encourage children playing with balls in the middle of the street - what is the park for? The house on the blue sign is even more confusing what is this for? The street parking is dangerous and encourages people to block driveways and reduces visibility even more, that is if people use it as they seem to disregard this and verge park wherever they like. I have yet to see a cyclist use the section between Guildford Road and the river as the hills make it impossible for the novice rider and the speed bumps make it dangerous for the professional rider. I think some clarity about the use of the street (can we all play out there and expect cars/cyclists to wait for us to move out of the way?) some policing to ensure people are following the rules and some greater safety alerts would be helpful. From my point of view it is a dangerous, expensive, poorly thought out plan that has disrespected the residents of May and Leake Streets through lack of considered consultation, poor communication during construction (although they are still constructing river end of Leake Street - I hope as the speed signs are non existent or unable to be seen due to the trees)) and lack of monitoring of speed and parking.

Great project! The boulevard runs right past my house and I think it's excellent. Slows cars right down and am seeing a lot more bikes come past so clearly it is getting used. Even though we have lost a small amount of parking now the street feels much safer with cars slowed down and the parking remaining is clear. Also great to see more trees on the street!

Drove on it for the first time recently, at night. Had no idea what was going on or where I was meant to drive. Dangerous.

I agree with all the other criticisms regarding waste of money due to no one using May St, lack of clarity regarding right of way, dangerous having chicanes at the crest of hills with little visability for approaching vehicles, street parking is a mess- especially on saturdays or if residential building is going on- with vehicles parking in the only area to drive on and in the bike lane; and the difficulties of leaving the boulevard - adelphi st has no provision for bikes and crossing guildford road at robert st is time consuming and difficult when the path is so narrow outside the flower shop.

I would add that there is insufficient lighting if bike riders do decide to use the boulevard in the evening with street lighting only on 1 side of street, often obsured by trees etc.

Really a representive of the council should do a door knock and talk to the residents as the boulevard has created so many dangers that the council will be liable for

I drive on the short section of Leake between Neville and Sutherland daily and since the road changes I feel irritated and annoyed for the following reasons:
1. Inadequate signage to explain what the sections of road are for, it's not really in any familiar format that I can relate to. As a result I am often playing chicken with oncoming traffic putting people's lives at risk.
There is no education to communicate how the new format is to work.
2. Driving on this section of road twice daily I have never seen a single cyclist which makes me question the purpose of the Roadwork. Considering this is partially paid by my rates I feel it's a waste of money.
3. Judging by the bollards that are always damaged, it demonstrates a poor design. Seems to be a case of a forced urban design idea but in an incorrect location.
To rate the intervention I would give this short section of road a 0/10. It has not enhanced the liveability and reduced road safety. It's disappointing to say the least and the 2 way traffic should be reinstated if possible or at least give us some additional road signage to make it safer for all road users.

Love it. Great for cyclists & slows traffic down through areas with lots of kids around. Great initiative City of Bayswater!

It's just made it very confusing. Starts in the middle of nowhere and the lack of understandable signage has made it dangerous. I avoid driving down there, which is probably the aim, but we also avoid riding as drivers don't know what to do and that makes them dangerous. Why couldn't the paths on the side of the street be widened to duel directions like the path along the train station and get cyclists off the road altogether. I know that there are 'instructions' available, but who reads these before driving down a street? Nice idea but really poor outcome. Please don't do it to any other streets.

I mainly have experience of the Leake Street Boulevard which I use daily - as a car driver. I like the idea of boulevards and slowing traffic, however I find this system illegible. I am not sure who gives way to who.
If you are turning right into Leake Street from the top of the hill, there is no visibility down the hill and yet you immediately turn in to a 1 lane that may have a car coming up the hill. This seems very dangerous to me. I do like creating more shade along the street - Im assuming research was done in regard to bike friendly trees and there is no hazard there.

there should be more of these. the way it links with the cycle path along the train line is good. I have also seen move people out on the street riding and roller skating. A friend that lives close by also mentioned it has help stop the car rat runs through Murray street.

If it makes it safer for my kids then that's great. Hopefully the car drivers get used to it quick as some drivers still trying to fly through at high speeds (rat runners)
Maybe a sign to advise local traffic only?

Well done! The traffic cutting through the suburb (rat runs) has dropped dramatically. The speeds of cars also has reduced esp around the "big' speed humps. Its very easy now to use the cycle path along the railway line connecting to the river andTonkin hwy cycle paths ensuring not having to mix it with the car drivers.
More of these please

Fantastic idea as trying to get around on a bike mingling with cars (mainly cutting through the suburb at speed!) is dangerous for an adult let alone kids. I agree with one of the comments it is a little confusing for the cars and bikes to know what to do and a little more guidance/ web instructions would be handy.
My kids now use both Leake & May street to visit their friends/ river and they (plus I ) feel a lot safer now.
Well done and lets have more of these to create a better, safer community.

Fantastic idea as trying to get around on a bike mingling with cars (mainly cutting through the suburb at speed!) is dangerous for an adult let alone kids. I agree with one of the comments it is a little confusing for the cars and bikes to know what to do and a little more guidance/ web instructions would be handy.
My kids now use both Leake & May street to visit their friends/ river and they (plus I ) feel a lot safer now.
Well done and lets have more of these to create a better, safer community.

Fantastic idea as trying to get around on a bike mingling with cars (mainly cutting through the suburb at speed!) is dangerous for an adult let alone kids. I agree with one of the comments it is a little confusing for the cars and bikes to know what to do and a little more guidence/ web instructions would be handy.
My kids now use both Leake & May street to visit their friends/ river and they (plus I ) feel a lot safer now.
Well done and lets have more of these to create a better, safer community.

Poorly thought out, lack of community input. Will not help with safety or flow. Sign posts took ages to be installed and only after being reminded that they were not in place. The over passes are just giant speed humps which not only make it uncomfortable to drive over but are a waste of money. You didn't even think about the bike path going around a telephone box.... seriously...

There are some serious flaws in the design:
1) it doesn't actually connect anything, despite the vision being to "connect the river with Morley / Beaufort st" ... the boulevard ends half way along May Street.
2) it is exceptionally unclear who has right of way. As a local, I'm aware ... but any non-local traffic would struggle at the slow points... some give way signs might be appropriate. Further, the few car vs cyclist encounters at slow points that I have seen have invariably resulted in the cyclist becoming aggravated when the car doesn't stop / pull over .... even though if the car reaches the slow point first, they have right of way. The fact that the layout and use of the boulevard is different on May and Leake streets versus the small section in railway parade (where bikes have their own dedicated lane) just adds to the confusion
3) the new blue road- painted signage is quite confusing, it seems to be advertising that you can play soccer on the street... I wouldn't have thought that was the best idea on a road - there are plenty of fantastic parks all through Bayswater

Other than that, I think the idea of promoting safe environments for cyclists is fantastic.... it is not the concept that is flawed - it's the execution.

As a regular user (driver and pedestrian), I think May Street has been ruined. An absolute waste of money that's been poorly executed and has created a major hazard in our neighbourhood. There is poor signage, including no indication of right of way; narrowing of the road, bringing cars and bikes closer together; lack of kerbing around trees (which are going to be a hazard themselves when grown); chicanes at the top of rises where you can't clearly see oncoming traffic; insufficient width of the road makes it impossible for two cars to pass each other (let alone adding a bike to the mix); and signs depicting people playing ball games on the road. There's plenty of beautiful parks in Bayswater for people to play ball games!

And what does it actually achieve? It links the river to Adelphi Street. Ridiculous.

Not executed correctly. Signs are clear to who gives way with cars at either end. You have destroyed the entry road to beautiful riverside gardens