Traffic lanes, parking cut in new city bike path plan

Motorists will be banned from turning right at a key intersection and traffic lanes will be cut in Melbourne’s CBD under a plan for more bike paths.

Motorists on Spring St will be banned from turning right on to Bourke St under the plan. Picture: David Crosling

Motorists will be banned from turning right into Bourke St from Spring St under a controversial new plan to create more bike lanes in the city.

The City of Melbourne is proposing to start building a new bike lane project that will affect Nicholson, Spring and Bourke streets.

It will connect existing lanes on Albert St with those on Exhibition St, but the move will force vehicles wanting to turn right on to Bourke St from Spring St to find an alternative route.

Eleven parking spaces are to be removed, and traffic lanes will also be reduced at some key intersections, according to project notes seen by the Sunday Herald Sun.

A “kerbside protected bike lane” will be installed on Spring St, removing one of the road’s vehicle lanes, but drivers going towards Carlton will still be able to turn left at Bourke St.

Traffic lanes on Bourke St will also be reduced from two to one on the approach to the Exhibition St intersection.

The bike lanes form part of the council’s Transport Strategy 2030 plan, which was first launched in 2019.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said last July that changes such as protected bike lanes were needed since the city’s “rhythm” had changed during the pandemic and “it is critical for our transport systems to work efficiently”.

The project has since resulted in a huge backlash from motorists and traders because of the lost road and parking space.

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said it was “stunning” that the focus of government and the City of Melbourne was on “disruptive policies” rather than “effective policies to bring our city back to life”.

An independent transport review carried out for the council backed the introduction of protected bike lanes to improve safety.

More than 40 per cent of car trips through the CBD do not add any economic benefit.