Essendon to CBD (101 Collins Street)

[marieparr]

Hi everyone,

I am moving to Essendon in a few days and wanted to hear from other cycle commuters about the best route from Raleigh Street/Mt Alexander Rd to 101 Collins Street. Is it OK to ride on Mt Alexander Rd all the way down to Fleminton Rd then past the Royal Childrens Hospital through the Haymarket roundabout then Elizabeth St, Queensberry, Exhibition to Collins or are there safer alternatives that are not much longer?

If you are an Essendon to CBD commuter can you contact me? Thanks heaps!

marieparr@hotmail.com

[rkelsen]

It depends upon how confident you are mixing it up with traffic. You can go all the way down Mt. Alexander Road, but the traffic along there is quite dense during peak hour. Not something I'd be willing to do on a daily basis.

From Raleigh Street, I'd head over to the creek. You can get onto the path from the end of Vanberg Rd. The path along the creek goes all the way to Docklands. At the end of the path, you cross the road and follow the path all the way around to Collins Street, which meets up with Harbour Esplanade. It's a bit longer than going straight down Mt. Alexander Road, but should only take about 45 minutes and is a lot safer. Lately some of the residents have been upset about the bicycle traffic through Travancore Park, but you can avoid this issue by riding along the creek bed (which is smoother and quicker anyway).

There is also a path which goes along the Maribyrnong River, but it's a bit further out of your way. The path along the creek also follows the noise barriers along Citylink for some distance, so you are somewhat sheltered from the wind.

[deviant]

As an option, you could turn off Mt Alexander Rd at Ormond Rd (which turns into Brunswick Rd after you cross Moonee Ponds Creek), then go down Royal Parade to the Haymarket roadabout. I commute down Royal Parade to William St via Peel St at the back of the Vic Markets and Royal Parade is a pretty good run.

I'm not sure how the new tram super-stops on Swanston St have affected commuting in the morning, but you could head across to Swanston St after the Haymarket roundabout and go down Swanston to Collins. If you go via Royal Parade, you can turn off at Grattan St and go up to Swanston St that way, which would avoid the Haymarket roundabout.

If you like the creek path suggested by rkelsen, you might be able to get off at Union St just before Brunswick Rd and then follow my proposed route from there.

[__PG__]

I'd also look at riding through the bike Path around the back of the zoo and through Royal Park. Continue past the Royal Children's hospital and head south down Abbottsford st. It's a nice quiet street with a big bike lane. From there you can turn left into Queensberry St if you like or continue through West Melbourne until you hit Docklands.