![\"Cyclists](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1547fef8d5bf52780d6c241e7e0db264fa1006de.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFootscray 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a young family, it\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful, just gives us another thing we can do with the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cyclists on the Dixon Veloway.Credit: Photograph by Chris Hopkins<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the age of four, my grandfather made [Dixon] a bike and she rode. She could never be beaten,\u201d Gillis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had an accident in her 50s and broke two vertebrae, but it didn\u2019t slow her down on the bike \u2026 she still got on the rollers almost every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams said those living nearby had been \u201cchomping at the bit\u201d to ride along the bike path.<\/p>\n
Loading<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an incredibly important piece of active transport infrastructure dedicated for cyclists, and really aimed to improve the safety of cycling in Melbourne\u2019s inner-west,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n