Elizabeth St changes to make way for cyclists, pedestrians

Motorists won’t be able to drive straight down one of Melbourne’s busiest streets, in a push to make the CBD more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. See the radical plan.

Parts of Elizabeth St will be permanently closed to cars under a radical plan to make the CBD friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists.

Vehicles would be banned between La Trobe and Lt Lonsdale streets, and between Lt Bourke and Bourke streets under a long-term strategy being considered by the City of Melbourne.

Cars will also be kept out of the eastern side of Elizabeth St between Flinders Lane and Flinders St under a proposal previously flagged.

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Cyclists and pedestrians will welcome the extra space, but motorists are likely to resent not having an uninterrupted drive down Elizabeth St anymore.

Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood said the proposed changes would see Elizabeth St reconfigured to prioritise access for pedestrians, cyclists and trams from Flinders St up to La Trobe St.

Elizabeth St will be reconfigured to prioritise access for pedestrians, cyclists and trams from Flinders St up to La Trobe St.

“As the gateway to Melbourne’s retail and commercial heart, Elizabeth St plays a key role in how visitors, residents and workers enjoy our city,” he said.

“We want people to feel more welcome so that when they cross the road from Flinders St Station, they can easily walk down wider bluestone paved footpaths, pop into one of the many retail outlets, take a seat on new street furniture and enjoy alfresco dining.”

Work on improving the sleazy southern end of Elizabeth St will start in early 2020 after the project was delayed due to a major commercial development nearby.

Only the eastern side of Elizabeth St will be pedestrianised, with cars still able to turn left from Flinders St into Elizabeth St.

Footpaths on both sides of two city blocks of Elizabeth St will be widened to boost safety and accessibility.

If endorsed at a council meeting on Tuesday, works on the northern end of Elizabeth St will be phased in over the next six years in co-operation with key stakeholders and the state government.

The two city blocks that will be pedestrianised have tram stops, with footpaths on both sides of the street to be widened to boost safety and accessibility for people using the busy stops.

In blocks without tram stops, a big section of the western side of the street would remain open for private vehicles, maintaining local access, business servicing and delivery requirements, according to the council.

“Dedicated bike lanes will be introduced to improve safety and connectivity and encourage more people to visit businesses on Elizabeth St,” said a council statement.

Council transport portfolio chair Cr Nicolas Frances Gilley said traffic modelling showed the changes would have minimal impact on the road network because few cars use Elizabeth St as a through-route.

Elizabeth St plan.

“Elizabeth St today carries fewer cars than many residential streets. Pedestrians and people on trams make up 90 per cent of street users but have the least amount of space,” he said.

“In the afternoon peak hour there are on average 3580 people walking south along Elizabeth St at La Trobe St, but only about 261 cars make the same trip.”

“That is 14 times more pedestrians than people travelling by vehicle, and yet cars get allocated more space.”

RACV spokesman Peter Kartsidimas said Elizabeth St was no longer one of the city’s main roads, and pedestrian numbers continued to grow.

“RACV supports the transformation of Elizabeth St to create a safer space for pedestrians, cyclists and better access for trams,” he said.

“We believe the Melbourne City Council should consider going further with the Elizabeth St strategy as part of a co-ordinated plan for transport in and around the CBD.”

If approved, stage two works on Elizabeth St from Lt Collins to Lt Bourke streets will start in 2020-21, and stage three from Lonsdale to La Trobe streets in 2026.

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@JMasanauskas