Route Planning

Whether you prefer a slightly longer, but leisurely roll along an off road path, a quick jaunt along quiet back streets or a fast and furious ride with lots of car traffic, finding a good cycling route is essential for safety and enjoyment. If you're new to riding, a good place to start when planning your route is to ask cycling friends or other cyclists at your workplace. Check to see whether your workplace has Bicycle Users Group or BUG. If you're lucky, and you find someone who rides in from the same part of town, they may even offer to ride with you!

If you're not very confident, it's a good idea to choose an off-road bicycle or shared path or street with low traffic flow, even if it is a bit longer. TravelSmart Maps use dotted, dashed and solid blue lines to indicate different types of bicycle routes and are great to help you plan your trip and put you back on track should you get lost along the way.

It can be quite tricky traversing a car dominated city by bicycle, particularly when you need to travel an unknown route to a new destination. Sometimes it's a matter of trial and error, so if you do find yourself in a situation where you don't feel comfortable, it's better to hop off your bike and walk along the footpath or use a pedestrian crossing.

Bikely.com is a website which helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes. Simply enter your origin and destination and click "search". You'll then be able to narrow down the search by specifying Australia, Victoria and the type of route you prefer eg. commute, low traffic, safe etc. The route is marked out on a map with a written description. And when you discover your own dream route, you can join up and share it with others!

VicRoads also has interactive bicycle maps of Victoria available online. The interactive website allows you to search for maps by road name, suburb or municipality, view the map in any scale, measure the distance of your route and even print out a copy to take with you.