Kibell Lane Trial

We're trialling a new shared traffic arrangement on the Kibell Lane section of the Beechworth to Yackandandah Rail Trail and are seeking feedback from those who have recently travelled this section of road or the on-road rail trail.

Share your feedback via our short survey.

Background

Kibell Lane services a small number of properties and was identified as the only feasible alignment for this section of the trail, but due to the narrow width of the old railway formation, we have been unable to provide a separate trail for cyclists/pedestrians.

The solution has been to upgrade a 3.6km section to provide the widest sealed road that the terrain will allow, increasing the average width to around 5m.

The trial arrangement is illustrated below and uses line marking to provide separate lanes for vehicles and trail users, supported with signage, a permanent 40km/hr speed reduction and other symbolic road markings to inform users.

What happens when two cars meet?

This arrangement has vehicles using the 3m wide traffic lane effectively as a single lane road, not unlike previous conditions on the road before it was sealed, requiring obvious caution towards oncoming traffic.

While a number of pull in bays have been provided, in order for two-way traffic to be maintained, occasional use of the on-road rail trail area will be necessary by vehicles heading uphill towards Beechworth.

This is permitted but must be done cautiously when the rail trail is clear of bicycles and at the walking-pace speed necessary to do this safely within the narrow corridor.

Similarly, it is expected that cyclists will need to temporarily use a portion of the road area when heading down hill away from Beechworth to provide some clearance between themselves and trail users coming uphill.

Visual advice in the form of signage will be in place to convey this message as part of the trial. There are still some locations where two-way vehicle passing may not be possible, especially with larger vehicles, so sensible judgement by drivers needs to be maintained.

Find answers to some other frequently asked questions by viewing our FAQ section.