MELBOURNE cyclists took their first pedals on a new bike lane which opened this morning on Princes Bridge with minimal traffic trouble.

The new lane is part of Melbourne City Council’s decision to remove one lane of traffic in each direction to make the city more bike-friendly.

This morning traffic moved smoothly along the bridge during peak hour with slight congestion at the bridge’s intersection adjacent to Flinders St station.

Traffic queues were lengthy down St Kilda Rd but managed to move into the city without much delay as engineers assessed the lane.

Some motorists and business groups are angered by the new bike lane as they fear it will create traffic chaos and increase congestion.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has promised motorists will have a minimal change to travel time but the lane will be beneficial to road users.

The RACV say the addition of the new lane does not address problems on the existing bike path.

Melburnians took to Twitter to express their opinions on the newly opened bike lane this morning.

Tim Marshall‏ tweeted: "Congratulations. Princes Bridge cycle lane a great addition and friendly city gateway.”

Others were not as receptive, Paul Durrant, tweeted: "Bike lane today on Princes Bridge STUPID idea - traffic snarl.”

About 34,000 motorists, 31,000 pedestrians and 5500 cyclists a day use the bridge, which has seen 23 serious accidents in three years.

jessica.evans@news.com.au

