City of Yarra plans to close Trenerry Crescent for safer bike riding, stopping the spread of coronavirus
Dozens of Yarra residents say they are furious over plans to shut a suburban street to make it safer for cyclists and stop the spread of coronavirus due to fears of increased travel times and lack of access for emergency services.
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Dozens of Yarra residents say they are furious over plans to shut a suburban street with fears of increased travel times and lack of access for emergency services.
The council’s plan, which is up for community consultation until August 2, is to trial the closing of Trenerry Crescent, Clifton Hill, to free up bike lanes and footpaths for safer bike riding and to address social distancing problems during the coronavirus crisis.
It also aims to “address the climate crisis” and safety issues at the Grey and Johnston St intersections by removing and reducing conflicting movements and traffic.
Councillors considered a proposal last month to shut busy streets including Trenerry Crescent in Abbotsford, Coppin St in Richmond and Wellington St in Collingwood for three months.
But after a heated debate between councillors, the proposal passed with amendments, with Councillor Stephen Jolly calling for community consultation before Trenerry Crescent was shut.
Keep Trenerry Crescent Open spokesman Adam Promnitz said dozens of residents had been left furious after being “kept in the dark” over plans.
“Most of us just found out about the plan last week, we’ve had no direct communication from the council about it before then,” Mr Promnitz said.
“This is a critical access route, Trenerry Crescent allows us access to the Eastern Freeway, the recycling centre and local shops, closing it could add on more than 30 minutes to travel time,” he said.
Another resident, who has lived in the area for more than 10 years, Kate O’Brien said she feared closing the road would “greatly impact” accessibility to emergency services.
“I would hate to call an ambulance or fire truck and have them unnecessarily diverted to a major roadway such as Hoddle St, when they could have just used this pre-existing, convenient and efficient vehicular route,” Ms O’Briend said.
“I am also really concerned by the way that the City of Yarra approached this proposal, many residents received no notification of the proposal, the proposal takes advantage of the current coronavirus environment to try to push through their agenda.”
Cr Jolly said it was “complete madness” that the council failed to approach the community for consultation last month.
“The majority of residents do not support this plan, it will have such a huge impact on local businesses and residents,” Cr Jolly said.
But Streets Alive Yarra founder and engineer Jeremy Lawrence said the plan was a positive one and safer for the city.
“The existing design of Trenerry Crescent creates significant hazards for people walking and cycling, with a risk of being struck by a car,” Mr Lawrence said.
“The dip and twist of the street decreases the ability of drivers to see and avoid people who are cycling.”
Mr Lawrence said the group acknowledged the closure would require some driving trips to deviate to the adjacent Hoddle St.
“We acknowledge that traffic filtering and calming has been demonstrated to be the most effective method of improving safety and amenity for people cycling, and liveability for local residents,” he said.
The council will vote on the issue at a council meeting on Tuesday, August 18.
Yarra Council has been contacted for comment.
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