THE State Government will start building the long-waited $18.3 million principle shared path (PSP) for cyclists commuting through Cottesloe to Mosman Park in December.

“Prioritising construction of this missing link will address safety and accessibility concerns by providing a continuous off-road facility between Perth and Fremantle, reducing the potential for conflict with road traffic and providing a high-quality link to key tourist attractions,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said, announcing the start this morning.

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The Government decided to speed up construction of the missing 2.8km section of the Perth to Fremantle PSP between Grant Street in Cottesloe and Mosman Park’s Victoria Street train station in the 2018-19 Budget, with completion expected mid-2019.

During the Cottesloe by-election earlier this year, PSP advocates claimed Cottesloe had the second-highest rate of bike accidents in Perth, mainly because the gap forced cyclists to go shoulder to shoulder with truck and traffic on narrow and congested Curtin Avenue.

Ms Saffioti said the Government had worked closely with Cottesloe Council on a route that would fill the gap, improve connections and safety to get cyclists to schools, and also the Mosman Park Activity centre further south.

She said after the Cottesloe gap was completed the Government would continue design and construction of the PSP through North Fremantle and over the Swan River to Fremantle.

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PSP campaigner Michael Thomas lobbied for filling the gap during the Cottesloe by-election earlier this year, and he said it was now up to lobby groups such as Perth to port to ensure councils connected the route to attractions such as Cottesloe and Mosman Park beaches, school and shops.

“We also look forwards to working on the proposed planting of Carnaby’s cockatoo habitat near ecological point of interest on the route, which we understand will be off the PSP for safety,” Mr Thomas said.

Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk said these upgrades can’t come soon enough for Freo residents cycling into the CBD.

“Cyclists are currently forced to share a busy stretch of road with motorists during peak hour,” she said.