By Adam Carey
St Kilda traders are planning a "day of mourning" for the coming death of Acland Street if a planned conversion of one of Melbourne's busiest tram routes into a light rail service is not stopped.
Traders will stage a mock funeral procession along the Acland Street tram tracks on Sunday, led by a woman dressed in white to symbolise the "spirit of Acland Street".
The plan has angered traders.Credit: Michael Clayton-Jones
The Napthine government has proposed turning route 96 between St Kilda and East Brunswick into an end-to-end light rail route that is separate from road traffic, by removing hundreds of on-street parking spaces. Fifty high-capacity E-Class trams, the first two of which entered service on Monday, will run along route 96, which carried almost 17 million people in 2011-12.
The route 96 project is aimed at improving tram reliability and efficiency, by removing the possibility of trams getting stuck in traffic bottlenecks. Tram stops along the route will be turned into level access stops for people with disabilities.
But traders are alarmed at the potential loss of on-street parking along Acland Street, and the street's possible closure to through traffic to widen the tram terminus at the intersection of Barkly Street, saying business will suffer. Parking spaces would also be removed on Nicholson Street in Brunswick East at the tram route's northern end.
“If this proposal succeeds, we believe it will be the death of Acland Street as we know it,” said Chris Hickey, president of the St Kilda Village traders group.
Mr Hickey said state authority Public Transport Victoria had not considered the impact the changed traffic conditions would have on local shops.
"There has been no consideration for how the absence of parking spaces in Acland Street will influence visitors, especially people with disability and parents with prams who prefer to drive," Mr Hickey said.
“Our request is to keep the status quo and build a super stop opposite Luna Park, which is better suited as a long-term solution.”
Some traders have proposed removing trams from Acland Street altogether, but Mr Hickey said the association's preference was to continue to allow smaller trams into the tourist strip, but have the larger E-Class trams terminate at Luna Park.
The City of Port Phillip council has also criticised Public Transport Victoria for a perceived lack of consultation over the project. Many St Kilda addresses received no information about the project during the consultation period, which closed on August 31.
"This has resulted in some members of the community feeling as though they have a lack of confidence and knowledge in the options being presented by PTV, meaning they are unable to assess what impacts this project will have on them," the council said in a submission on the project.
Nicholson Street traders in Brunswick East also fear any lost parking will harm their businesses.
Ben Foster, co-owner of cafe Pope Joan, said Public Transport Victoria wanted to turn route 96 into Melbourne's flagship tram route, and was not genuinely interested in traders' concerns. About 250 spaces would disappear along Nicholson Street between Brunswick Road and Blyth Street.
"They are proposing to wipe out parking 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an area that is already parking poor. What impact will that have on business?" Mr Foster said.
The cafe has surveyed its customers and found most drive there.