Cycle Path Keeps Our Soldiers Safe

Cycle Path Keeps our Soldiers Safe

10 July 2009

Airservices has made a major contribution to keeping Defence personnel in the Top End fit, healthy and safe.

A new cycle path on Airservices land near Darwin Airport will allow Army personnel commuting to work by bicycle to do so safely after a spate of accidents.

The three kilometre path between Army residential quarters and the Robertson Army Base was opened this week.

It bypasses a dangerous stretch of road that has cost the lives of two soldiers and resulted in serious injury to a third in the past two years.

The Army approached Airservices with a request to build the alternative route, an off-road cycle path, on adjacent Airservices land which houses air navigation equipment.

After ensuring there would be no impact on the operation of the equipment, Airservices made a portion of the land available to Defence for the bike path.

Airservices spokesman Rob Walker said the project was an example of the close co-operation between the two organisations in Darwin.

RAAF air traffic controllers provide tower services at Darwin airport while Airservices provides an aviation rescue and fire fighting capability.

"We were happy to work closely with our Defence colleagues to make this project happen," Mr Walker said.

The Army supplied the road surface, signage, new fencing and labour. The project was also used as a construction training exercise for operational engineering units.

It is expected the new path will be used by up to 150 defence personnel daily.

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Airservices Australia is a Government owned organisation responsible for the safe and efficient management of air traffic across 11 per cent of the world's air space. Services include air traffic control, airspace management, aeronautical information, radar communications, radio navigation aids, aviation maintenance and engineering, environmental management and aviation rescue and firefighting.


SOURCE: Airservices Australia