Footscray local Nick Reynolds and his daughter Holly, 7, trialled the veloway on Sunday and said the cycling path might entice families in the area to give cycling a go.
“With a young family, it’s always really important we keep the kids active, so this is another opportunity to encourage them to get on the bike rather than sitting in front of the TV,” he said.
“It’s wonderful, just gives us another thing we can do with the kids.”
The path is named after Australian Cycling Hall of Famer Iris Dixon, who was a trailblazer for women in the sport post-World War II and won 16 road and track titles.
Her daughter, Denise Gillis, said the veloway, for kids and commuters alike, was a fitting tribute to a woman whose enduring love of the sport meant she cycled well into her 80s, before passing away in 2022 at the age of 91.
Cyclists on the Dixon Veloway.Credit: Photograph by Chris Hopkins
“From the age of four, my grandfather made [Dixon] a bike and she rode. She could never be beaten,” Gillis said.
“She had an accident in her 50s and broke two vertebrae, but it didn’t slow her down on the bike … she still got on the rollers almost every day.”
The veloway is fitted with 20 CCTV cameras, two emergency exits and netting in some sections to protect riders from West Gate Tunnel road debris.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams said those living nearby had been “chomping at the bit” to ride along the bike path.
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“It is an incredibly important piece of active transport infrastructure dedicated for cyclists, and really aimed to improve the safety of cycling in Melbourne’s inner-west,” she said.
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