Melbourne Bike Lane Project
At the end of 2022, a project was started to map Melbourne's (and maybe eventually all of Victoria's) bicycle infrastructure.
The aim is to have a complete map of the state of Melbourne's cycling network, so where there is not bicycle infrastructure has also been mapped.
This page details the tagging methods used during the project. This page is not finished and will be filled in with additional tagging information.
Tagging structure
Bike infrastructure in Melbourne is mapped both as separate cycleways, as well as cycleway tags on the normal highway network. Details on when and how to use each are detailed below.
Tags on the highway
All cycleway tags on highways use the side suffixes, and never just cycleway=*.
This means cycleway:left=*, cycleway:right=*, or cycleway:both=*.
Separate cycleway
Cycleways mapped as a separate way simply use highway=cycleway.
On-road infrastructure (bike lanes, sharrows, bus lanes, etc.)
Most of the examples here use the both=* suffix. Please substitute the appropriate side suffix when mapping.
No bike infrastructure
Most roads don't have any bicycle infrastructure at all. It is still important to map this as it helps data consumers to distinguish between a lack of infrastructure and a lack of mapping.
These are tagged with cycleway:both=no on the main road way.
This should only be added if confirmed with a survey. Since many new bike lanes are popping up quickly, aerial imagery may not show newer bike lanes and therefore other mappers may ignore these tagged roads when planning surveys for bike infrastructure.
Painted bike lane
An on-road lane that is separated by paint only. These are mapped with the following tags on the main road way.
Exclusive lanes
Exclusive bike lane generally means a bike lane that is separated from traffic by a solid line and only used by bicycles (i.e. not used by parked cars too).
These bike lanes are quite common in Victoria and are wide roadside lanes that permit car parking but are also signed bike lanes. These may be wide enough to have a bike ride alongside parked cars, or may be too narrow to ride in while cars are parked within the lane. In these lanes, there is no line or other marking separating the parking area from the bike riding area.
cycleway:both:lane=share_parking
Advisory lanes
These are bike lanes that lack the same "exclusivity" as a regular painted lane. These lanes are largely permeable to traffic and are often delineated by a dashed, rather than solid, line. The line might not continue for the entire length of the road and might only exist in small lengths separated by no markings at all.
Note that when an exclusive lane goes through an intersection it is sometimes marked with dashed lines. This remains an exclusive lane and should not be tagged as an advisory lane
Protected bike lane (Cycleway)
On-road cycling infrastructure that is separated from traffic by bollards, curbs, parking or other physical barriers.
or when mapped as a separate way:
with cycleway:both=separate and bicycle=use_sidepath on the main highway.
When a separate way is used
Many protected bike lanes in Melbourne are separated from traffic by a thin concrete kerb. These have been mostly mapped as cycleway:both=track on the highway. If the bike lane protected by thin kerb like this continues uninterrupted for a long way (such as Linlithgow Avenue), it could also be mapped as a separate way.
Some bike lanes are separated from traffic by parked cars. This larger separation is generally considered enough for the bike lane to warrant its own way.
Some newer bike lanes (such as Southbank Boulevard, or the rebuilt Grattan Street in Parkville) are completely separated from the roadway by vegetation. These definitely deserve their own way and have been mapped as such.
Painted “shared arrows” typically used to indicate that traffic and cyclists share the road or as wayfinding for cyclists. Sharrows are usually central and prominent in a traffic lane and typically include chevrons or other arrow indicators.
If used on a one way road, cycleway:left=* is used instead of cycleway:both=* (Assuming the way is pointing in the direction of travel and there is no contraflow bike lane).
Bus lane
Bicycles are legally allowed to use any bus lane in Victoria unless otherwise signed. This can be considered bicycle infrastructure and has been tagged with the following:
An off-road path that is designated for both pedestrian and cyclists, typically explicitly signed using surface markings or signage. Cyclists and pedestrians share the space.
- highway=cycleway (implies bicycle=designated)
- foot=designated
- segregated=no
Some legally designated shared paths are also used by cars such as in a parking lot or driveway (This is the case at the end of the Djerring Trail in Caulfield). In such a case, these have been tagged with highway=service or highway=residential where appropriate and then:
designation=shared_path may also be useful on regular but poorly signed shared paths where the designation might not be obvious.
Bicycle path
A path designated solely for the use of bicycles. It usually requires a 'bikes only' sign or ground marking. There is often a separate path for pedestrians to use which should be mapped separately in this case. These have been tagged with
- highway=cycleway (implies bicycle=designated)
- foot=no (or foot=use_sidepath if there is an adjacent footpath)
Separated path
An off-road path that is designated for both pedestrian and cyclists, typically explicitly signed using surface markings or signage. Cyclists and pedestrians are segregated, usually by a painted line or different coloration.
- highway=cycleway (implies bicycle=designated)
- foot=designated
- segregated=yes
When the bike path is mapped separately to the footway, use:
- highway=cycleway (implies bicycle=designated)
- foot=use_sidepath
Because highway=footway implies no cycling in Victoria, the adjacent footway often does not require bicycle=use_sidepath or bicycle=no to be explicitly tagged.
Other bicycle infrastructure
Bike box (Advanced stop line)
Bike boxes are painted boxes used by bikes to start ahead of other vehicles at traffic lights. Where these are located, the traffic light is mapped at the main white stop line, and the bike box is mapped at the white stop line further into the intersection. Sometimes these are coloured green and this is mapped too.
- cycleway=asl
- surface:colour=green (only used when the bike box is coloured green)
Additional info
Width
Capturing the width of bike lanes is important as this can vary considerably across different parts of the network and is critical to understanding the level of accommodation for cyclists, including for journey planning. Measured approximately from the centre of the line on one side to the other (or to the kerb).
cycleway:both:width=* (in metres)
Buffer
Painted buffers are used to provide more space between cyclists and traffic or adjacent parking with regular bike lanes. The buffer can be on the left (typically, protecting from parking), right (typically, protecting from traffic), or both sides of the lane. The buffer side is tagged in relation to the direction of travel, not the orientation of the way.
Buffers should be only tagged in combination with exclusive lane tags (above).
e.g. cycleway:both:buffer:right=* (width in metres)
If a lane is buffered on both sides but the widths are different, each side is tagged individually.
cycleway:side_of_road:buffer:side_of_lane
Peak hour bike lanes
Colour
Some bike lanes are coloured green with a special surface treatment. To map this we have added:
Make sure that the way is split where the coloured surface begins and ends. Obviously, if the bike lane is a different colour, 'green' should be replaced with the appropriate colour.
The colour of regular black asphalt has not been mapped.
Adjacent traffic mode (parking/traffic)
Capturing conditions adjacent to bike lanes can help users of the data to understand additional contextual factors contributing to the level of stress or risk to cyclists. The most common adjacent "traffic modes" are parking and motor_vehicle (motorised traffic). Indicated on the relevant side. Default is :left=no and :right=motor_vehicle.
cycleway:both:traffic_mode:left=parking
Examples
Buffered bike lane