Streets Alive Yarra calls on local, state and federal governments to:

In other words, to make our streets:

Local Government

  • Allocate a recurring annual budget of $10m for walking, cycling and place making.
  • Expand the developer contributions plan to provide recurring funding to walking, cycling and place making.
  • Develop and implement an Integrated Transport Plan and accompanying Parking Management Plan that can ensure people can safely access any property in Yarra, irrespective of whether they choose to walk, cycle, use public transport or drive; whilst also keeping traffic congestion and parking congestion at acceptable levels even as our population increases.
  • Review all 21 Local Area Place Making (LAPM) areas within each 4-year term of Council, to keep up with our rate of population growth.
  • Enable active transport within 20-minute neighbourhoods by establishing 30 km/h superblocks that block through-traffic.
  • Use an ‘iterative trial’ approach to community engagement, enabling residents & ratepayers to experience new street designs before they give feedback.
  • Manage the demand for parking by implementing demand responsive parking charges.
  • Adjust the pricing of on-street parking permits so that if a property has a crossover, they are not eligible for the first, lowest cost permit.
  • Change parking minimums to parking maximums, to help slow the growth of off-street parking and peak hour traffic congestion.
  • Increase the target for car sharing vehicles to 2,000 by 2030 and permit them to be located on residential streets.
  • Re-locate metered car-parking for shoppers to the first 5-10 bays on each side street and guide people to vacant bays by using parking sensors.
  • Update the Street Tree Policy so that trees are planted where they don’t block future bicycle lanes.
  • Allocate street space from on-street parking to trees to support a more extensive urban forest.
  • Upgrade all non-compliant vehicle crossovers by 2030.
  • Invest in mobility counters that can measure people walking, cycling, using public transport or driving in Yarra, to build the evidence base for re-allocation of street space. For further information refer to ‘Measuring Walking’ presented by Bill Gehling at the 2019 Australian Walking and Cycling Conference, and the sensors offered by Vivacity Labs.
  • Trial the real-time presentation of parking occupancy data on smartphone mapping apps, enabling shoppers to quickly and easily find a vacant parking bay.
  • Alter Council’s organisational structure so that decisions regarding the allocation of public space to various types of on-street parking (unrestricted, time restricted, permit restricted) are made by the Strategic Transport team, not the Compliance team.
  • Create Transport for Yarra to unify all activities relating to streets, transport and parking.

State Government

  • Allocating at least 50% of the state transport budget to walking, cycling, public transport and 20-minute neighbourhoods.
  • Adopt an Integrated Transport Strategy for greater Melbourne, with a view to effectively moving people in a city of 8 million.
  • Decrease traffic congestion by constructing the Melbourne Rail Plan 2018-2050 and the VicRoads Principal Bicycle Network. 
  • Decrease congestion (and offset the loss of fuel excise revenue from electric cars) by introducing demand responsive driving charges.
  • Attract more business to our grid of main streets by building wider footpaths, protected bicycle lanes, protected intersections and level access tram stops.
  • Speed up trams by using smart traffic lights to clear intersections as trams approach; and by using demand responsive driving charges to maintain traffic volumes below defined thresholds.
  • Build the evidence base for reform by funding each Council in Victoria to conduct a iRAP/AusRAP hazard identification and risk assessment review of representative streets in their region, such a shopping street, access street, and a residential street, as part of the Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy.
  • Offer dollar-for-dollar grants to each Council in Victoria to fund safe travel infrastructure, as part of the Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy, Plan Melbourne, the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan and Health 2040.
  • Introduce 30 km/h for all non-arterial streets within 20 km of the CBD by 2030, starting with the Hoddle Grid and expanding out at ~ 2 km per year.
  • Invest in a fleet of parklets so that traders in any shopping street in Melbourne can test how revitalised shopping streets can help boost their revenue.
  • Update the ‘Traffic Engineering Manual: Speed Zoning Guidelines’ to provide more options for lower speed limits, including 30 km/h superblocks.
  • Improve state guidance for implementation of national standards and guidelines, such as VicRoads Road Design Notes.
  • Create a new design guide for raised threshold treatments (continuous footpaths) based on best practice from the Netherlands.
  • Review the road rules to provide consistent pedestrian priority at intersections and in car parks.
  • Ensure reporting and campaigns about pedestrian safety are impartial and do not result in victim blaming.
  • Fund the collection of real time movement data from across greater Melbourne, using sensors from Vivacity Labs (or similar) and make the data available to Councils.
  • Purchase 100 per cent renewable energy for Metro Trains, and electrify Melbourne’s bus fleet..
  • Deliver Metro Melbourne 2, and extend trams and buses into urban renewal areas.

Federal Government

  • Allocate 50% of the federal transport budget to walking, cycling, public transport, and 20-minute neighbourhoods.
  • Offer dollar-for-dollar grants to each Council in Australia to fund walking, cycling and place making, as part of the National Road Safety Strategy and the Smart Cities Plan.
  • Link federal road funding to state and federal governments with requirements to assess all roads and streets in their jurisdiction for safety, as part of AusRAP.
  • Support efforts by local and state governments to reduce speed limits, including default urban speedlimits in residential areas and arterial roads limits.
  • Avoid creating substantial new, free car parking at suburban train stations. Instead, encourage people to walk or cycle short distances and improve bus services for longer distances.

Guidance from the UK

Guidance for the above actions are offered by Sustrans’ Manifesto for the UK Government, with its focus on walking, cycling and 20-minute neighbourhoods, including:

  1. Provide sustained long-term investment in walking and cycling.
  2. Commit to a 20-minute neighbourhood planning principle for all cities and towns.
  3. Transform the school journey to help children walk, cycle and scoot in safety and with confidence.
  4. Ensure places are accessible for everyone to walk, cycle and wheel by implementing a 20 mph (30 km/h) default speed limit in all built-up areas.
  5. Establish a nation-wide Greenways programme so that everyone has equal access to the natural environment. 
Source: Sustrans
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