Western Australia

This is a new page about bicycle routes in Western Australia depicted on Open Cycle Map.

Part of the Principal Shared Path alongside the Mitchell Freeway, on the western edge of Perth CBD.

Another view of the Principal Shared Path, looking north towards Parliament House

On Road Bike Lane on PBN Local Bicycle Route NW21 near Matilda Bay

Western Australia Bicycle Routes

Many bicycle routes, particularly in around the state capital of Perth, have already been included on the Open Cycle Maps using 2 levels of the 3-level route hierarchy system:

• NCN - National Cycle Network (not used currently)
• RCN - Regional Cycle Network - Mainly used for Perth Bicycle Network and other "offical" bike routes
• LCN - Local Cycle Network - used for "user-generated" bike routes

Another useful online map is Waymarked Trails's Cycling Map which provides an overview of OCM bike routes and is updated daily.

As well as being viewable online, the Open Cycle Map can be viewed on many smartphones using free or low-cost "apps" and downloaded to some GPS units.

Perth Bicycle Network

The Perth Bicycle Network (PBN) project [1](announced by the Western Australian government in 1996) brought some structure to the network of cycling facilities in the Perth metropolitan area. Much existing infrastructure was incorporated into PBN route and, as well, considerable new infrastructure was built.

All PBN routes which are depicted on the Open Cycle Maps are shown at the Regional Cycling Network (RCN) level (typically with blue shading). The main types of routes are;

PSPs - Principal Shared Paths

These are major shared paths which generally follow railways, freeways and other major roads. Those built new since 1996 are generally at least 3 m wide, although some pre-existing sections of path were allocated PSP status though they may have been of lesser standard.

Local Bicycle Routes

These routes generally use the local streets system and avoid major roads. The majority is on-road, some with marked bike lanes, together with short section of shared paths e.g. through parkland to link the on-road segments. The aim of the Local Bicycle Routes was to create a grid pattern with a spacing of approx. 2-3 km so that the majority of Perth residents are within a short distance of a bicycle route. Local Bicycle Routes are also indicated as part of the Regional Cycling Network. These routes are named based on geographical location, i.e. NW, NE, SW or SE, where the Swan River acts as the east-west divider and the freeway system acts as the north-south divider. Thus, a "NW" route will be north of the river and west of the freeway. The routes have 1 or 2-digit number, e.g. NW1, SW15. Although many of the Local Bicycle Routes are shown on OCM, the mapping is incomplete in some areas.

Recreational Shared Paths

There many hundred of kilometres of shared paths along the coast, river foreshores and through parkland. Although classed as "recreational" under the Perth Bicycle Network, many of these paths are important from a transport perspective as well. Some improvements and additions were carried out to these paths under the PBN, but most are the responsibility of Local Governments or other authorities such as Department of Environment and Conservation and Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (Kings Park). Some of these shared paths are shown as RCN routes on OCM, but many are simple shown as Shared Paths and not part of a designated bike route.

Route Signage

Many of the Perth Bicycle Network routes are signposted although, particularly for the Local Bicycle Routes, the signage is not well maintained and completely missing from some areas due to introduction of underground power and other changes to local infrastructure. Although the WA Government funded initial installation of signage on PBN routes, maintenance is the responsibility of the Local Government Agency or other "asset owner".

"User Generated" Bike Routes

In addition, the OCM Local Cycle Network (LCN) route category has been used for a number of "user-generated" routes, to distinguish these from the "offical" PBN routes. Generally, the LCN routes are based on existing roads and paths which local cyclists find useful for both practical trips and also for recreational trips.

LCN routes are typically shown on the OCM with purple shading. User-generated LCN routes have 4 or 5 character reference names. The first 4 characters are alphabetical and represent abbreviations of the start and finish suburb or towns. The 5th character is a digit to distinguish multiple routes which would otherwise be have identical references. The characters "LP" can be used in place of a destination to signify a loop ride. A list of suburb/town abbreviations is under preparation to ensure consistency for anyone generating LCN routes.

Index of User-Generated Bike Routes

Supplementary or add-on routes are shown with leading "~" below.

Route Reference	Route Description	Distance	Round Trip	Created	Updated
UWA and Western Suburbs Area - See Waymarked Trails or OCM map Tip: With Waymarked Trails map, click on "ROUTES" button to highlight individual routes. These bike routes are mainly on-road, using low-traffic local streets, and include short linking sections on shared paths.
UWSU	UWA to Subiaco, west side of Thomas Street	4.7 km	-	28 Apr 2011	25 Aug 2011
UWCL	UWA to Claremont, south of Stirling Hwy	5 km	-	26 May 2011
NDJM Extended	Nedlands to Jolimont, via Shenton Park (previously NDSH). Links to C2C (City to Sea) Greenway	3.9 km	-	25 Aug 2011	19 Mar 2012
DGJM New	Daglish to Jolimont, short route linking NW9 to NDJM and C2C Greenway	0.7 km	-	19 Mar 2012
KPLM	Kings Park to Lake Monger	2.8 km	-	30 Aug 2011
NDCL	Nedlands to Claremont, easy hills	3.4 km	-	26 Aug 2011
NDDK	Nedlands to Dalkeith, easy hills, quiet streets	2.9 km	-	9 Sep 2011
DKCL	Dalkeith to Claremont, easy hills, quiet streets	3 km	-	9 Sep 2011
MP1 New	Mosman Park north-south route, easy hills, quiet streets	1.8 km	-	10 Mar 2012
PG1 New	Peppermint Grove northbound route, easier grade compared to The Esplanade	1.3 km	-	10 Mar 2012
East Perth to Guildford - See Waymarked Trails or OCM map Tip: With Waymarked Trails map, click on "ROUTES" button to highlight individual routes. The East Perth to Guildford routes follow scenic shared paths along the river foreshore where possible, with some on-road sections on low-traffic local streets. Routes EPGF1 and EPGF2 start from East Perth, accessible from Perth via PSP or Burswood shared paths.
EPGF1	East Perth-Guildford Scenic Ride, south side of Swan River	15.3 km	-	20 Aug 2011
EPGF2	East Perth-Guildford Scenic Ride, north side of Swan River	13.8 km	-	19 Aug 2011
~ MALP	Scenic detour around Maylands peninsular	5 km	Round Trip	20 Aug 2011
~ GFGF	Shortcut to bypass Guildford commercial area (if no time for a coffee)	0.4 km	-	20 Aug 2011
Swan Valley - See Waymarked Trails or OCM map Tip: With Waymarked Trails map, click on "ROUTES" button to highlight individual routes. The Swan Valley scenic routes follow pleasant low-traffic, local roads where possible and, on more major roads, make use of parallel shared paths and short sections of on-road bike lanes.
SVLP1	Swan Valley Scenic Loop Ride, South End	19 km	Round Trip	21 Aug 2011
SVLP2	Swan Valley Scenic Loop Ride, North-West	9 km	Round Trip	22 Aug 2011
~ SVWM	Link route from SVLP2 to Whiteman Park	2.7 km	-	22 Aug 2011
~ SWEB	Link route from SVLP2 to Ellenbrook	0.7 km	-	22 Aug 2011
SVLP3	Swan Valley Scenic Loop Ride, North-East	15.6 km	Round Trip	21 Aug 2011
SVML	Midland Station to Swan Valley - joins SVLP1	4 km	-	21 Aug 2011
SVGF	Guildford Station to Swan Valley - joins SVLP1	7 km	-	22 Aug 2011
Fremantle Area - See Waymarked Trails or OCM map Tip: With Waymarked Trails map, click on "ROUTES" button to highlight individual routes.
FMWO	Fremantle to Woodman Point Scenic Ride	13.8 km	-	30 Aug 2011

Note: Open Cycle Map (OCM) shows more detail for cycle routes but it takes a week or more for updates to be published. The Waymarked Trails map is updated daily, usually in the late afternoon or early evening Perth time (UTC +8).

Munda Biddi Trail

The OCM also shows the Munda Biddi trail [2], which is a long distance mountain bike trail starting at Mundaring, east of Perth , currently terminating in Manjimup, approx. 300 km south. The trail mainly follows forest tracks, minor dirt roads and old logging railways and is largely within forested areas. The OCM currently shows the northern section of the trail as part of the RCN, and the trail itself is shown as a "cyclepath" even though the vast majority is unpaved. In forested areas generally, there are many mountain bike trails which are also shown as "cyclepaths" - so don't expect smooth paved trails through the forest.