Bicycle network planning

Principal Bicycle Network (PBN) and Bicycle Priority Routes (BPR)

The PBN is a network of existing and proposed cycle routes identified to help people ride to major destinations around metropolitan Melbourne. It was first developed in 1994, but was recently reviewed to focus more on getting people into activity centres and to make more use of local roads and off-road paths. The current plan was released in 2012.

BPRs are mainly priority sections of the PBN. They identify those routes that should be elevated to a higher order of priority, mainly on the basis of potential for separation from motorised traffic. BPRs are identified on VicRoads’ SmartRoads Road Use Hierarchy (RUH) maps for each of Metropolitan Melbourne’s local government areas.

For more information download our fact sheet below.

Strategic Cycling Corridors (SCCs)

SCCs are a recent addition to bicycle network planning in metropolitan Melbourne. Identification of SCCs is part of the initiative in Plan Melbourne to ‘Support Walking and Cycling in Central Melbourne’.

They are corridors developed to improve cycling to an around major activity centres in metropolitan Melbourne. SCCs are a subset of the PBN. They will typically be selected on the basis of providing links to a National Employment Cluster or a Major Activity Centre and are routes that cater for the highest, or potentially highest, cycling volumes.

Work is underway in identifying SCCs in the central subregion of metropolitan Melbourne (Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Port Philip, Stonnington and Yarra) and will commence shortly for the other metropolitan areas.

The SCCs will be prioritised on the basis of those corridors that achieve greatest benefits to cyclists and the whole community in order to identifying potential priorities for funding in the form of a targeted investment plan.

Plan Melbourne shows a subset of the SCCs for the expanded central city area.

Metropolitan Trail Network

The Metropolitan Trail Network (MTN) focuses on recreational bicycle and walking routes in metropolitan Melbourne, usually running beside rivers and creeks. The initial development of the MTN was set out in the Parks Victoria(opens in a new window) Strategy for Melbourne’s Open Space Network: Linking People and Spaces report 2002. See link below. Most of the network is made up of off-road shared paths (bike riders and pedestrians), but there are some short on-road sections to link up off-road paths.

As well as recreational cycling, sections of the MTN are popular with commuter bike riders, and provide a quiet environment for less experienced cyclists. The PBN includes those parts of the MTN with high levels of transport use. We are responsible for planning these, as well as all other paths on the MTN, although the provision and maintenance of the network lies with a range of land managers.

Municipal Bicycle Networks (MBN)

MBNs are networks of cycling routes in regional Victoria. The local council is the manager of each MBN and has the primary responsibility of its development.

Maps for the 36 cities and towns in regional Victoria with MBNs showing existing and proposed on-road and off-road bicycle routes are provided in pdf format below.

Maps A-E

Maps G-P

Maps S-W

Rail Trails are multi-purpose recreational trails that are built along closed railway corridors. They exist in both Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria. The main purpose of rail trails is to provide for recreational cyclists and other users such as horse riders and walkers.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI)(opens in a new window) has the primary responsibility for managing the crown land that the Rail Trails are on. Local committees and Councils are responsible for implementing bicycle facilities on Rail Trails.

Further information and maps showing rail trails can be found below.

Rail Trails - Melbourne Region(opens in a new window)

Rail Trails – Gippsland(opens in a new window)

Rail Trails – Northern Victoria(opens in a new window)

Rail Trails – Western Victoria(opens in a new window)

Maps showing the PBN in metropolitan Melbourne are provided.

Principal Bicycle Network (PBN) maps for each of the metropolitan Melbourne municipalities are below.