There’s something for everyone in newly released plans for Elizabeth Street, released under Freedom of Information, including car parking on the north side of the street. For context, there are two different plans for Elizabeth Street:
- December 2024 – plans prepared in response to the April 2023 resolution to make the bike lanes permanent, now released under Freedom of Information
- protected bike lanes using permanent infrastructure
- parking alternating between the north and south sides of the street
- August 2025 – plans prepared in response to the April 2025 resolution to narrow the bike lanes, scheduled to be published in August, for Council to endorse to send to the state government Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) for approval
- protected bike lanes and buffers drastically narrowed
- parking on both sides of the street
The ‘December 2024’ plans were prepared as a corridor study funded by the previous Council in the 2024/25 budget. The work was done, but the designs were kept secret…until now!
‘December 2024’ plans
The ‘December 2024’ plans, show how Council Officers made changes to reflect community feedback, including by adding:
- car parking to the north side of the street
- protections for bike lanes near intersections
- partial modal filters at two locations to reduce traffic on the street
- a contraflow bike lane on a side street to improve access to the street
- large canopy trees along the street for shade and greenery
- improvements to sight lines for people driving
Residents, Councillors, and the state government’s Department of Transport and Planning, can now see how Elizabeth Street can deliver improved access to properties on the street as well as movement along the street, across Yarra, and across greater Melbourne. Importantly, the changes will make Elizabeth Street a much more pleasant street to walk down, live on, and bike on, with trees creating shade, and parking alternating between both sides of the street to provide both ease of access for drivers as well as slower traffic speeds.
Infrastructure for a growing city
Yarra’s population is planned to double by 2050, with the state government setting the municipality a target of 44,000 additional dwellings. Similar levels of population growth will occur across all of inner Melbourne. All these people will need to move about, and our roads don’t have enough space for them all to drive and park. If we all wish to avoid severe congestion and gridlock, and if we all wish to deliver freedom of movement to people of all ages, abilities, and income levels, we’ll need to invest in walking, biking, and public transport. The design for Elizabeth Street is part of this work.
Strategic Cycling Corridor
Elizabeth Street forms part of Melbourne’s Strategic Cycling Corridor network, the type of bike lanes with the highest priority, and expected to transport ever increasing numbers of people. Council is obliged to comply with Victoria’s Road Management Act 2004, which states that priority is to be given to bicycles on specified bicycle roads. The protected bike lanes deliver that necessary priority. Upcoming state government design guidelines specify that on-road protected bike lanes should be 2 to 2.5 metres wide, which the ‘December 2024’ plans comply with. Refer to page 48 of The Cycling Guide, also obtained under Freedom of Information. A minimum width of 2.0 metres also aligns with the NSW Cycleway Design Toolbox, the Tasmanian Cycling Infrastructure Design Guide, and the South Australian Active Travel Design Guide.
Car parking on the north side
The ‘December 2024’ plans propose moving car parking to the north side of Elizabeth Street, in two sections:
- between Regent Street and Shelley Street
- between Williams Street and Lewis Street
This change improves access to both sides of the street for people who need to drive and park, aligning with Streets Alive Yarra’s submission to the 8th April 2025 council meeting.
Parking has also been added in some locations, although we haven’t yet been able to determine if the plans result in an overall increase or decrease in the number of parking spaces.
Protections for bike lanes near intersections
The ‘December 2024’ plans propose adding kerbs to protect the bike lane from the vehicle lane, as the bike lane approaches intersections, at Hoddle Street and Church Street.
Partial modal filters
The ‘December 2024’ plans propose a partial modal filter at two locations, Shelley Street and Baker Street, which will act to reduce the volume of through-traffic along Baker Street and Elizabeth Street, and reduce the likelihood of traffic collisions at those intersections.
In particular, residents of Baker Street should benefit from reduced through-traffic, and the ability to support people biking on a Strategic Cycling Corridor without needing to remove parking.
Contraflow bike lane on side street
The ‘December 2024’ design includes a contraflow bike lane on Jonas Street, which helps to provide access to Elizabeth Street for people biking.
Large canopy trees
The ‘December 2024’ plans give effect to the vision presented back in 2019, with large canopy trees added to the street, within the wide bike lane buffers.
Improvements to sight lines
The ‘December 2024’ plans improve sight lines for people driving west, so they can better see people in the bike lanes, as they approach Lennox Street, Shelley Street, and Regent Street.
Summary
The ‘December 2024’ plans provide safe and compliant bike lanes on a strategic cycling corridor, including protections near intersections; with some sections of adjusted parking to improve access to properties on the north side of the street. Extra modal filters act to calm traffic, while large canopy trees are embedded within the wide bike buffer to add beauty and offer shade.
Overall, this design aligns with local and state government strategies, policies, plans, and guidelines, much better than the concept resolved by Council on 22 April 2025; in our view it should be reviewed and adopted by Councillors at the August 2025 council meeting.
Published 15 July 2025. Introduction updated 15 July 2025. Revised 19 July 2025. Revised 21 July 2025.