City of Melbourne councillor Roshena Campbell loses transport role over bike lane views

Melbourne City Council has stripped a councillor of a key transport portfolio amid her outspoken views on CBD bike lanes.

A city councillor opposed to further rollout of bike lanes in the CBD has been dumped from the City of Melbourne’s key transport portfolio.

Liberal Party member Roshena Campbell has been replaced by ALP councillor Davydd Griffiths at a council meeting on Tuesday night.

Roshena Campbell voted against the rollout of further bike lanes across the city. Picture: City of Melbourne

In June, Ms Campbell was the only councillor to vote against a compromise motion to pause the further rollout of bike lanes in the Hoddle Grid, arguing that it didn’t address anti-car measures in the council’s transport policy.

“It does nothing to fix the issues that exist … we don’t just govern for the people who (catch public transport) and live close enough to get on a bike, we are a capital city council,” she said at the time.

The motion before Tuesday’s meeting said that “portfolio arrangements are updated at regular intervals to reflect changing priorities and sharing of roles and responsibilities to better support delivery of the (council’s) major initiatives”.

And it described replacing Ms Campbell as deputy chair with Mr Griffiths as a “minor update” for the city transport, infrastructure and operations portfolio.

Bike lanes on Exhibition St in Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

However, Ms Campbell effectively told the meeting that she had been dumped from the role.

“It has been put to me that it would be difficult for me to continue as the deputy of the transport portfolio given my significant concerns about the bike lane rollout,” she said.

“I’ve made those views clear in this chamber, in particular my opposition to the anti-car measures in council’s transport policy, and our failure to fix issues with existing bike lanes.”

“City traders tell me every day the bike lane rollout has deterred customers. City workers and visitors tell me they have made it harder to come to the city.”

Ms Campbell said she was required to respect council’s decisionto to roll out bike lanes, “but given my views I will no longer serve as deputy in this portfolio”.

In proposing the motion to replace Ms Campbell in the portfolio, Lord Mayor Sally Capp thanked her for “positive outcomes” reflected in the work you have done in this portfolio”.

“I note also Councillo Campbell’s stated views that are contrary to the transport strategy, and council policy as it relates to some aspects of transport,” she said.

“And I note that once a council strategy has been endorsed, then the focus moves to good governance and communication of that strategy, and that’s why we’re considering this item this evening.”

Ms Campbell was on Ms Capp’s election ticket, but relations between the pair have cooled over issues like bike lanes and the future of Australia Day celebrations.

The council has indicated it is planning for more CBD bike lanes once the rollout pause is over in 2023.

Several groups including the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Transport Workers Union have slammed bike lanes such as in Exhibition St.