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Designed to fail
Yarra City Council cancelled their share bike scheme, blaming the sole tenderer for not meeting the procurement conditions. In our opinion: Resolution to cancel share bikes On 14 July 2026 council resolved to cancel share bikes in Yarra. Justifications Mover (Deputy Mayor Harrison): Seconder (Councillor Ho): Voted to cancel (Councillor Gomez): Voted to cancel (Councillor…
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how metered parking helps residents
Council plans to endorse a draft Kerbside and Parking Management strategy for community engagement in early 2027. Many people agree that we want: All of the above can be achieved if we cover Yarra with metered parking that provides exceptions for vehicles with residential, visitor, or business parking permits. Yarra’s parking “before and after” if…
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Feedback on introduction of paid parking
We thank council for the opportunity to provide feedback on Item 8.2. Notice of Motion No.13 of 2026 – Review of Paid Parking Introduction in Victoria Park Precinct. Our feedback is that instead of deferring the introduction of paid parking, it would be better to convert the introduction into a trial of new parking management…
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Feedback on shared e-bikes
We thank council for the opportunity to provide feedback on Item 7.1. E-Bike Share. Streets Alive Yarra supports Yarra’s statement that: At Yarra Every Job is a Climate Job. Acting on the climate emergency requires that we change the way we think, make decisions, and prioritise action. We must embed proactive climate responses in the…
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Feedback on Victoria Street
We thank council for the opportunity to provide feedback on Item 8.3. Notice of Motion No.14 of 2026 – Victoria Street. At its core, this issue is about public safety. Strong Towns wrote: What if one of the most important parts of public safety is just ordinary people being out on the street? Jane Jacobs…
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Feedback on draft Economic Development Strategy
We agree with the challenges identified in the draft Economic Development Strategy, i.e. the high cost commercial space, the high cost of housing, and increasing transport congestion: We recommend that each challenge be met with a response, such as: More customers = better for business Businesses need customers. Colliers Urban Planning studied how to revitalise…
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Feedback on draft Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan
The draft should be revised to reflect the facts identified within the Colliers Urban Planning report, and to propose actions that actually have a chance of making a difference. The facts: What council should do: Vietnamese cuisine is popular Vietnamese cuisine is popular all over Melbourne, which means that Victoria Street has lost its point…
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Feedback on draft Annual Budget 2026/27
We agree with Councillor Davies; the draft budget is financially unsustainable. The surplus has been cut to $10 million, half the usual $20 million, which isn’t enough to cover contingencies for a budget of $260 million. Council is facing several big challenges, including: With that context, it isn’t prudent to continue to spend, or more accurately,…
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Advocacy Roadmap
Yarra City Council adopted an Advocacy Roadmap in November 2025, and in April 2026 chose to highlight some of the items under the brand ‘Yarra Decides’, with the aim of obtaining spending promises from the state government in the lead up to the November 2026 state election. The Advocacy Roadmap is a flawed document because…
