Darebin Shared Paths Campaign

Shared spaces can be tricky and none more so than paths shared by pedestrians and bike riders who are in a hurry to be somewhere! The City of Darebin have commissioned The Squeaky Wheel and behaviour change experts Studio Huss to develop and deliver a campaign to establish an etiquette for using shared paths in Darebin. 

We will be hosting a series of interventions on the St Georges Road shared path during  November where bike riders and pedestrians will be invited to have a conversation, with each other, around how they share the path space and negotiating behaviour on the path.  The outcomes of these interactions will be shared with the wider community to crowdsource a new etiquette for shared paths across Darebin, which will then be shared both along the path itself and via other channels. 

So how do you get cyclists and pedestrians, often in a hurry to get to where they're going, to stop and have a chat about the way in which they share path space? We think ice cream might do the trick! We'll have The Rolling Scoops on hand with four delicious flavours of their natural artisan gelato from which to choose, as a special treat for those who stop and have a chat and engage with other path users and our staff. 

With four sessions, during peak hour on selected Wednesday evenings and one Saturday afternoon session, we're planning on getting as many riders and pedestrians talking to each other about negotiating path space as possible. In addition to ice cream there will be Travel Smart maps, bells and other goodies to help make everyone's trip easier - and safer!  

Our first session is Saturday 7th November 1-4pm on the St Georges Road shared path, just near Northcote High School. This will be followed by three Wednesday afternoon sessions on November 11, 18 and 25 between 5-6:30pm, in the same location.

Pop down and say hello, engage with other path users and tell us what you can do to make the St Georges Rd shared path work better for everyone.