Advocacy that creates policy change
Since 2017, our research and advocacy has helped move forward policy reform in Yarra and across inner Melbourne, in favour of a more beautiful, liveable, and accessible city.
Making a difference
Research and advocacy from Streets Alive Yarra has helped achieve:
- Local government:
- 30 km/h zone in Collingwood and Fitzroy
- expansion of car sharing
- introduction of parklets
- protected bike lanes on Elizabeth Street
- raised pedestrian crossing on Gleadell Street, outside Richmond High School
- many more street trees, including on Griffiths Street
- adoption of a best-practice Transport Strategy
- State government:
- 30 km/h added as an option to the Speed Zoning Policy
- congestion levy zone expanded across Yarra
- revenue from the congestion levy returned to councils for active transport
- elimination of costly parking mandates from half of Yarra
- Federal government:
- increased funding to the Active Transport Fund
Appearances
- Invited to presented to:
- Australian Joint Select Committee into Road Safety (2021)
- Victorian Legislative Council Inquiry into the increase in Victoria’s road toll (2020)
- 10+ media features, including in the Herald Sun, The Age, and on ABC radio
- 100+ submissions to local, state, and federal government
Herald Sun
Streets Alive Yarra was quoted on 23 September 2024, in a report on our candidate scorecard for 2024 council election.
“We make no apologies for giving different scores to different candidates – the whole point of the scorecard is to help voters to distinguish between them…The campaign isn’t about politics, he said, but safety on the roads and footpaths…”If any candidate is unhappy with their score, we challenge them to publish their support for 30 km/h zones, modal filters, a cohesive network of protected bike lanes, street trees, wombat crossings, accessible tram stops, reforms to the pricing of parking, and the reallocation of street space for pocket parks.”
ABC TV
Streets Alive Yarra appeared on ABC TV to discuss our councils need to step up to support bike share, including providing on-street (off-footpath) bike parking corrals on each street, just like car parking bays are provided on each street.
The Age
Answer in 10 seconds or lose your fleet
Jeremy Lawrence, president of local active transport advocacy group Streets Alive Yarra, said excessive financial and operational requirements sought by Yarra Council in its tender specifications meant that even a major e-bike provider was “set up to fail”.
“In my view, it was so onerous [that] no share bike operator, even if it was Lime … could make it work in a financially viable manner,” Lawrence said.
Inner-city council tears up e-bike deal
Streets Alive Yarra president Jeremy Lawrence suggested that if bike parking on local footpaths was the issue, on-street bike corrals could be added to every street in Yarra, “just as there’s a car park in every street”. The council was already propping up multinational oil companies by encouraging people to drive and use fuel, he said.
“Right now, council offers three-quarters of its on-street car parks free,” Lawrence told the meeting.
“Instead, council should be charging people a reasonable fee to park all day, such as the same fee for a daily public transport ticket, and using a small fraction of that revenue to build an on-street parking corral on every street for bikes, either private bikes or shared bikes.”
Love free parking? Don’t get too comfortable
Streets Alive Yarra founder Jeremy Lawrence is an advocate for paid parking that responds to demand levels in the Yarra Council area. “The basic outcome of that is you deliver access. People who need to drive can get to where they need to go and find a park,” he said. “If parking is free when the market rate is that private parking costs $15, driving is promoted as a mode of transport to the detriment of walking, biking and public transport.”
Expanded 30 km/h zone in Yarra
Yarra resident and president of the Streets Alive Yarra advocacy group Jeremy Lawrence said the shift meant Yarra was now in line with European standards. He said the reduced speed limit was an efficient alternative to bike lanes. “If you want a kid to be able to ride from any house in Yarra to their local school, then they’re going to have to ride a lot on local streets, and you can’t put a bike lane on every street – it’s just too expensive,” Lawrence said. “[Speed limit reductions] is the lowest total cost for maximum possible safety access… [for] people of all ages and abilities; kids, seniors, parents with prams.”
School defies council demand to open gates to public
Jeremy Lawrence, president of community group Streets Alive Yarra, said there was a principle at stake: a private entity such as a non-government school should not be permitted to take public land for its own exclusive use. “There is a public street and they put a gate in front of it; in other words, they are appropriating public land,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said access to public open space was also increasingly important as Melbourne’s population grew.
State urged to fund walking, cycling projects or miss targets
Jeremy Lawrence, the president of community group Streets Alive Yarra, is pushing for more pedestrian crossings in the inner-city suburb of Cremorne. Two weeks ago, his group painted temporary zebra crossings at Cremorne and Balmain streets under a resident-led trial designed to slow down traffic and give pedestrians more priority. “Everybody wants a liveable suburb and us no more or less than anyone else.”
The rise and rise of the car sharing economy
Jeremy Lawrence and his wife Alyson were at the forefront of the car sharing revolution that swept across Germany more than a decade ago. While public transport and cycling suited most of their transport needs, whenever they needed to drive somewhere they simply used a car share scheme.
ABC Radio Melbourne
Yarra cancels share bikes
Cars are left all over the city; both sides of every street are available. You can dump your car on Bridge Road because Council offers free parking for one hour. So this is very mischievous from the Council. If they wanted to support cycling, either share or private bikes, they could build a bike parking corral on every street, just like there’s a car park on every street. But they don’t. Instead, they complain about share bikes and then cancel them.
Talking parking
Streets are for everyone; parking reform is about access and equity. Access because there are people who need to drive and park and you can’t do that…if all the parking bays are taken. So to enable people to…spend their money in the local area, you need to have some type of way of discouraging people from parking all day; and the best way to do that is a small price.
Joint Select Committee on Road Safety
Streets Alive Yarra was invited to present to the Joint Select Committee on Road Safety on 12 October 2021; and was quoted in the formal report tabled in Parliament.
Legislative Council Inquiry into the increase in Victoria’s road toll
Streets Alive Yarra was invited to present to the Victorian Legislative Council Inquiry into the increase in Victoria’s road toll on 8 September 2000; and was quoted in the formal report tabled in Parliament.
Grattan Institute
Referenced in the Grattan Institute’s ‘Wasted space‘ report.
YIMBY Melbourne
Quoted in YIMBY Melbourne’s flagship ‘Melbourne’s Missing Middle‘ report.
Parking Reform Network
I’m an urbanism advocate from inner city Melbourne. So when I look around our inner city area, I wanted everything. I wanted my neighbours to be able to find a park when they came home from work. I wanted commuters to be able to find a park reasonably close to their work. And I wanted some space reallocated for trees and bike lanes.
3CR radio
Elizabeth Street protected bike lanes
On this weeks program Chris catches up with Jeremy Lawrence Streets Alive Yarra and discuss Yarra Council Report card, the ever moving festival of local democracy alongside rise of grievance politics, proposed Elizabeth Street protected lanes narrowing, a request sent to Gabrielle Williams to protect Strategic Cycling Corridors from degradation, protected bike lane guidelines, announcing creation of new inner suburb parks yet stopping plans for Charlotte Street park in Richmond, Malop Street Green Spine project issues in 2020 and shared space challenges and opportunities facing cities everywhere.
Elizabeth Street protected bike lanes
On this weeks show, Chris has a radio edit of the Future of North Richmond – People, Bikes, Cars and Housing forum held Thursday 7 August 2025 with presentations by Karen Hovenga (see Elizabeth Street, North Richmond housing) and Jeremy Lawrence (see Councillor vs. Officer Plans), that also involves Elizabeth Street protected lanes ‘narrowing’ and adjacent issues.
Making a budget submission to Council
Val and Faith are joined in the studio by Jeremy Lawrence from Streets Alive Yarra.
We share our bicycle moments before taking a look at how residents can make a budget submission to their local Council. Jeremy talks about the local issues in Yarra that listeners may want to comment upon or see changed, and Faith talks about the Merri-bek budget and what it looks like for residents who’d like to use their bicycles more.
YarraBUG Radiothon
For our annual 3CR radiothon program it’s back to back Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio shows, with Faith and Val from 10am then Chris from 10.30am. At 10:30am Chris continues to discuss the groundswell of support for City of Melbourne protected bicycle infrastructure with regular guest Jeremy Lawrence from Streets Alive Yarra, along with Alyson Macdonald and Troy Parsons, who attended the council meeting at Melbourne Town Hall. Saskia talks about what she experiences as a younger rider while travelling on the Main Yarra Trail, Chapel Street and the difference when cycling in Melbournes protected lanes.
Moving Forward: Yarra Councils draft Transport Strategy
Chris talks to regular Yarra Bicycle Users Group Radio guest, Jeremy Lawrence from Streets Alive Yarra about Moving Forward: Yarra Councils draft Transport Strategy 2022.
Streets Alive Yarra discusses local Yarra issues
Streets Alive Yarra discusses local Yarra issues, street trees, community support, social justice and equality, reviewing active transport in Yarra, Heidelberg Road separated lanes, changes to Napier Street, changes to state government mode share, reallocation of space with parklets, pocket parks, step change with Rose Street market and more funding needed for the future, in light of councils losing rating due to covid19, different streams of funding from state government, new NSW design guidelines and Yarra Councils upcoming transport action plan.
Streets Alive Yarra
Faith and Val are joined in the studio today by Jeremy Lawrence of Streets Alive Yarra. We chat about what Streets Alive do and Infrastructure Victoria’s Draft 30 Year Stratgey, out for consultation now.