Lord Mayor Nick Reece promises to bring back lane of traffic to Exhibition St

Lord Mayor Nick Reece has promised to bring back a traffic lane to Exhibition St while also vowing to “maintain investment in bike lanes”, if he is returned to the city’s top job.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece has pledged to reinstate a lane of traffic along the problem-plagued Exhibition St while also vowing to “maintain investment in bike lanes” over the next four years, if he is returned to the city’s top job.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal Mr Reece’s transport policy, which he says is focused on fixing bottlenecks to improve traffic flow and reducing black spots for cyclists.

If elected, Mr Reece said he would reinstate a second northbound traffic lane on Exhibition St – between Flinders and Collins streets – with the Lord Mayor conceding that entry into the Hoddle Grid from CityLink was “not working”.

“I have said many times that the rollout of bike lanes along Exhibition St could have been done better,” Mr Reece said.

“It has been difficult for everyone — that’s why I will bring back more car lanes and fix our city’s bottlenecks to improve traffic flow.”

The Sunday Herald Sun understands that Mr Reece’s team believes a lane of traffic can be reinstated without the removal of bike lanes or car parks.

Mr Reece says the rollout of bike lanes along Exhibition St could have been ‘done better’. Picture: David Caird

The Lord Mayor said he would also look to redesign other bottlenecks in the current bike network, including the Queensbridge St S-bend near Crown Casino and the southbound lane in William St at the intersection of La Trobe St.

Mr Reece, who was deputy lord mayor when the council rolled out kilometres of protected bike lanes during the pandemic, said he would maintain investment in bike lanes over the next four years “at the same level as the previous term of council”.

It is understood that this funding would be focused outside the Hoddle Grid to provide more options when it comes to commuting into the city.

He said while protected bike lanes – which separate cyclists from motorists with a physical barrier – remained a “permanent part” of Melbourne’s road network, it was important to keep reducing black spots for cyclists to prevent tragedies.

“I am a motorist, I am a cyclist, I love catching the tram — I want a transport system that works for everyone, and I think we can achieve that,” he said.

“I want to improve our transport system, so it is less congested and safe for all road users.”

Mr Reece says he is focused on fixing bottlenecks to improve traffic flow. Picture: Jason Edwards

But Mr Reece and his running mate Roshena Campbell, who ran for the Liberal Party in the Aston by-election, have voted differently on bike lanes in the past.

In April, Ms Campbell was the only councillor to not endorse the City of Melbourne’s updated plan for cycling infrastructure and in August 2022, she was dumped from the council’s key transport portfolio over her views on bike lanes.

“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 told a council meeting at the time.

Fellow lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood and his running mate Erin Deering on Saturday revealed to the Herald Sun their own transport policy, pledging to change the “botched” Exhibition St bike lanes.

If elected, Mr Wood would look to return the southern end of Exhibition St – between Flinders and Bourke streets – to four lanes of traffic, while also restoring parking.

He said this would be possible by moving the bike lanes into the centre of the street, meaning they would run either side of the trees, which are dotted along the middle of Exhibition St.

Fellow lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood has pledged to change the Exhibition St bike lanes. Picture: David Caird

But under their plan, the rollout of all bike lanes – including their proposal for Exhibition St – would be overseen by an independent transport panel made up of business representatives, cyclists, disability advocates and transport experts.

Mr Reece said a council led by him would seek expert advice on transport matters, but would remain the ultimate transport policy decision makers.

“I will always seek expert advice when it comes to big decisions, but I will remain the decision maker,” he said.

“That’s why I’m running, to make the hard decisions for Melbourne in a common sense way.”

Mr Reece said he would also look to install a comprehensive network of traffic sensors around the city to collect “non-identifiable data” on the usage of cars, bikes, e-scooters and pedestrian pathways, and launch a public transport data portal where Melburnians can access real-time data on the usage of various transport infrastructure.

Last month, fellow candidate and Carlton legend Anthony Koutoufides said under his transport plan, “no more” protected bike lanes would be rolled out, while Greens candidate Roxane Ingleton said she backed Town Hall’s current bike lane plan.

Ballot packs will be mailed to voters from Monday.

Originally published as Lord Mayor Nick Reece promises to bring back lane of traffic to Exhibition St