‘Alarmed’: CBD businesses fear botched bike lane plans will drive customers away

CBD businesses fear the City of Melbourne’s transport plan – which aims to increase bicycle and pedestrian access – will make it tougher for vehicles and delivery drivers to navigate city streets.

Bike lanes are making it tough for delivery services in the CBD. Picture: David Caird

CBD businesses don’t trust the City of Melbourne to deliver its latest transport plan without making it more difficult for vehicles and delivery services to navigate city streets – making it even tougher for many companies to remain profitable.

A Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry submission to the City of Melbourne’s Future Streets Framework – which aims to increase pedestrian-only zones and limit vehicle traffic in key areas – states that Town Hall’s botched bike lane program had eroded trust with local businesses.

“It’s an understatement to say that businesses in the CBD are wary of this plan, many are in fact alarmed,” the submission states.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp earlier this year.

VCCI chief executive Paul Guerra said the Future Streets plan did not provide enough detail for how increases in people will be accommodated regardless of which mode of transport they use to get into the city.

“The Melbourne CBD comes to life when people from all across the city and state come in and that requires all modes of transport to be catered for,” he said.

“Planning should be done with practicality rather than with ideology.”

Mr Guerra said Town Hall’s track record of delivering new bike lanes and other transport projects had hurt CBD businesses.

“The consultation (for these projects) has been zero or poor and the implementation has also been poor,” he said.

“They have taken roadway away from vehicles and trucks (for cyclists) by painting a green line on the road and pretending that will be an adequate form of separation.

“It’s not safe and all we have done is alienated the trucks and cars that use the city.”

Traffic in Melbourne’s CBD. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Mr Guerra said CBD businesses were already considering leaving for the suburbs.

“What we are seeing is (businesses have) smaller or zero footprint in the CBD and moving out to suburbia,” he said.

“If we make it more difficult for customers to come into the city – and more difficult to get stock through deliveries – businesses will follow their customer base because money is mobile.”

The submission states that the lack of consultation about the controversial Exhibition Street bike lanes have incensed local businesses that claim the works have choked up the key city thoroughfare.

“There has been resounding feedback that the Exhibition Street bicycle lanes were installed both without consultation and seemingly overnight,” the submission states.

“The Chamber receives overwhelmingly negative feedback on these lanes which now disrupt what was a major and strategic thoroughfare into and through the CBD.”

Many shops in Elizabeth St in the CBD are up for lease. Picture: David Crosling

The botched delivery of the Elizabeth Street bike lanes caused Town Hall to pause the roll out of new cycle infrastructure for 12 months. However, works to create new bike lanes on Flinders Street are expected to start later this year.

In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun last year, Lord Mayor Sally Capp admitted Town Hall could have “communicated better” around the controversial bike lanes on Exhibition Street.

VCCI’s submission states that delivery access into the city was also a “critical concern”.

“Limiting goods deliveries directly hampers a business’ ability to function effectively,” the submission states.