Calls for bike lanes to be axed in Melbourne’s CBD

There are calls for a major shake-up to the way people travel through Melbourne’s CBD with one leader pledging to return the city to its “former glory”.

A prominent industry figure has called for some Melbourne CBD bike lanes to be scrapped to help the city’s post-Covid revival.

Over the past year Melbourne City Council has accelerated the rollout of 40km of protected bike lanes across the city in areas like Exhibition, La Trobe and Spring Street.

But Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra told 3AW on Friday that some of these lanes should be removed to help Melbourne become the world’s most liveable city once again.

“We’re hearing all sorts of complaints back around the city and that’s not where we want our city to be,” Mr Guerra said.

A bike lane recently on Exhibition Street. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“We love our city, we want it to return to its former glory.”

He said in comparison to some of the issues the city is currently dealing with, removing bike lanes around the CBD would be an “easy address”.

Mr Guerra made it clear that not all bike lanes “have to go” and they can be placed on “little streets” in the city, but said lanes like the one on Exhibition Street “need to be addressed”.

“If we’re back down to one lane pretty much every time we come to get into the city it causes traffic congestion and makes it almost impossible to get through,” he said.

“We need to rethink how we get into our city to make it possible for bikes and cars.”

Mr Guerra is concerned the bike lanes will cause heavy congestion for people driving to and through the city, saying there have already been reports of lengthy delays.

“When it (Melbourne) gets back to peak it’s going to be almost impossible to get into the city if we’ve only got a single lane access,” he said.

When responding to the issue later on Friday, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp told 3AW bikes are not the main or primary cause behind gridlock in the city.

“I don’t think the bike lanes themselves cause the gridlock … there are lots of factors,” she said.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra is calling for some bike lanes in the CBD to go. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“The number one reason for congestion in the city is through traffic – about 43 per cent of cars on the road are actually travelling through the city and we are focused on measures to address that, as much as addressing any other causes of congestion around the city.”

She they are going through a rebalancing to provide enough room on the road for bikes and cars, saying protected bicycle lanes have “a really important role” to play in the city.

Bike lanes are just one of the issues the city is facing according to Mr Guerra, who said they are hearing “too much noise” from Melburnians about graffiti, construction, homelessness and cleanliness.

He also said they are “not seeing” people returning to the office as much as they would have liked by now.

Ms Capp said they are seeing more people come into the city for work with consistent spikes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while Mondays and Fridays are still quieter.