Molonglo River Reserve Plan MRRP

Connecting the Molonglo community to Civic

The 3 shopping centre in the Molonglo Valley and what stands between them and Civic. Bike routes should be direct and as flat as possible. The lack of bridges over the Molonglo River make a good bike route impossible.

Trying to cycle from the shops at Wright, Molonglo Group Centre or Whitlam to CIVIC will not be easy without good planning. Molonglo Valley currently lacks good design for cycling. The Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan makes it harder, as cycle infrastructure is needed in the reserve area. Cyclist are expected to ride around the reserve area which, as can be seen from maps in this article, will be a long ride.

Molonglo 3 East: worth the wait

Sunset over the Brindabella Ranges and Denman Prospect from the National Arboretum, Canberra.

The Molonglo 3 East Future Urban Area (FUA) will be developed last, likely to be built from west to east. This will mean that the last suburb in the Molonglo Valley will be built within a kilometre from Molonglo Stage 1, where it all started. The irony of this is not lost on those who wish to cycle to Civic, as the most direct route would be through both these suburbs. Still, Molonglo 3 East is shaping up nicely and will be worth the wait.

Ring fencing Molonglo 3

Molonglo 3 East is in an early stage of planning and the significance easily missed driving by. In the Planning Design Framework the ACT Government outlines what it does and does not want, however, the intention is to leave plenty of space for good urban planning.

Evolution of the Molonglo Valley

The Molonglo Valley is not flat and that is well known but it does cause problems. In Molonglo 3, on the north of the river, the gradients can be a challenge.

Transport projects in the Molonglo Valley

Floods, Coppins Crossing, Molonglo River, Molonglo Valley, 24 March 2021

While the John Gorton Drive Bridge is well known by now, another river crossing has barely been mentioned. Minister Steel’s presentation last night at the Molonglo Valley Community Forum shed a little light on the subject.

When strategies collide: climate change, active travel and environment

The ACT Government goals found in the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, the Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan 2019, and the Active Travel Framework conflict and are difficult to reconcile. These strategies show commonalities but there will be trade-offs. In the Molonglo Valley, active travel is poorly served.

Section 5.5 The Active Infrastructure Practitioner is dated

“It is not intended to represent the facilities that currently exist on the routes, rather it shows the best alignments for human powered transport and recreation. …”

Active travel: key documents

Active travel and urban planning documents could be of interest. For a number of popular ones, the document has been attached for download. Some are available on the ACT Government website. All documents can be obtained via Freedom of Information requests.