The Hobart City Council is pushing ahead with plans for a new cycling corridor through North Hobart.
The Augusta Road and Elizabeth Street project would deliver protected bike lanes, pedestrian upgrades and public transport improvements along a key route north of the city.
Council documents show officers plan to begin community consultation in the first half of 2026, before moving on to detailed designs.
The proposed corridor would run from Federal Street along Elizabeth Street to Augusta Road, before continuing to Greenway Avenue near Lenah Valley.
“Previous engagement has shown significant community, stakeholder and council support to undertake this project,” a council report states.
The report also notes that lessons from earlier projects on Collins Street and Sandy Bay Road have been incorporated into the draft engagement approach.
The Collins Street bike lane project sparked fierce community debate, public meetings and organised campaigns both for and against the changes.
Consultants Pitt & Sherry have been engaged to model traffic impacts for the North Hobart bike lane as part of an early proof-of-concept design.
Council officers have also held preliminary discussions with Calvary Hospital, a key stakeholder that has raised concerns about parking pressures along the route.
A meeting is planned for February to explore potential collaboration.
No realistic project cost has yet been determined, with officers describing the work as an “early-stage planning project”.
Similar projects in the Hobart CBD, used by an estimated 250 cyclists daily, have cost upwards of $1 million.
The report points to future grant funding opportunities, noting the next federal election is due in early 2028.
The state government gave the council $50,000 last year to plan for the new bike lane.
“Undertaking the planning work will position the project well for opportunities which may present themselves,” officers wrote.
The project has appeared in council strategic documents for decades and is identified as a priority in the Hobart Transport Strategy 2024.
The Hobart Workshop Committee will be briefed on the report on Monday night.
