There has been an understandable, unavoidable focus on massive road and public transport infrastructure investment to alleviate growing pains in Melbourne, one of the most rapidly expanding cities in the world, but there’s also a traffic revolution of sorts occurring within the metropolis’ very heart. An ever-increasing number of people travel into the CBD each day, and public transport, walking and cycling are increasingly dominant, yet most of the space remains reserved for vehicles. That evidently requires traffic policy to be reformed, not merely adjusted.
How part of Elizabeth Street could look under a Melbourne City Council plan to make it more pedestrian friendly.
On Tuesday evening, Melbourne City Council will consider a plan to close two city blocks to vehicles, and replace the road with space for cyclists, pedestrians and al fresco diners. It’s a move that would dovetail with the council’s draft transport strategy, released at the start of May and due to be finalised within a month, after community consultation. Other proposals include congestion charges, closing the small streets in the Hoddle Grid to traffic and reducing on-street parking.
There is a pressing mismatch between space and use; of the million people who pour into the city each day, about 70 per cent arrive by public transport, with bikes increasingly popular. Pedestrians account for 90 per cent of traffic, but are allocated only a quarter of street space. People are frustrated at the hazardous overcrowding at intersections, tram stops and train stations. The overarching plan, which draws on international best practice, also includes sensible measures to reduce the amount of time available for cars to traverse intersections, and give it to pedestrians.
Expanding the capacity of public transport is central to the CBD evolution. This is not just about increasing the network and rolling stock, but, crucially, about optimising the system through increasing frequency to the point no timetable is required. The massive public works throughout Melbourne and the state will help on the former count. But the latter requires much greater effort.
Recent Comments