Yarra’s population is forecast to grow by 80% to 2050, owing to the state government’s target of 44,000 additional dwellings by 2050, as part of Plan for Victoria.
This is a big step up on our existing population of approximately 100,000 people. The year 2050 is only 25 years away; we are closer to 2050 than we are to the year 2000!
The main challenge for the City of Yarra is to enable this greatly increased population to get around without experiencing severe congestion or gridlock. We know that our roads are already congested, and that we don’t have the space for more people to drive and park. The solution is to massively increase our investment in active transport.
Such investment would be pro-car; if we don’t build a cohesive network of best-practice protected bike lanes, linking 30 km/h High Access Neighbourhoods, then too few people will feel comfortable enough to walk or bike, which will cause severe traffic congestion, i.e. a bad outcome for everyone.
We urge Councillors to step up their investment in active transport, and to retain (not drastically narrow) the Elizabeth Street bike lanes.
Published 16 July 2025