Item 6.9 on the agenda for the 7th June 2022 meeting of the Future Melbourne Committee
The City of Melbourne has a duty of care to manage its streets so that all properties can be accessed without exposing people to hazards that carry the risk of death or serious injury, irrespective of whether people choose to walk, roll on a wheelchair, bike, take public transport, or drive.
This means that the City of Melbourne needs to continue its planned delivery of protected bike lanes, as described in its Transport Strategy 2030, which was adopted after extensive community engagement and consultation. Walking, cycling and public transport can work well in a large city like metropolitan Melbourne, just like it does in metropolitan Paris. In particular, the Hoddle Grid and the City of Melbourne are comparable to the inner suburbs of Paris, within the Paris ring road.
Paris has shown that a network of protected bike lanes can be built in a short time, with broad community support.
Council should not defer construction of new protected bike lanes, it should accelerate construction.
Council should not reduce the budget for new protected bike lanes, it should increase the budget.
Council should not give weight to people who already have safe access to the city (such as people driving), it should give weight to people who do not yet have safe access to the city (such as people biking).
Published 6th June 2022