Nicholson Street is a north-south residential and commercial street in Abbotsford. To the south, it continues as Lennox Street. Nicholson Street is a key north-south route for people walking or cycling, parallel to the key north-south route for people driving, which is Hoddle Street / Punt Road.

Location of Nicholson Street. Image credit: Apple Maps, highlight from Streets Alive Yarra.
Nicholson Street at Mollison Street, looking south. Image credit: Google Maps.

Problems

The volume and speed of motor vehicle traffic on Nicholson Street reduces safety and amenity for people walking and biking. In addition, people biking are exposed to the hazard of “right hook collisions” at the intersection of Nicholson Street with Langridge Street, or at the intersection of Nicholson Street and Mollison Street.

Proposal for a shared pedestrian plaza outside The Hive shopping centre

Amenity for people walking, biking, and shopping can be improved by converting Nicholson Street into a shared pedestrian plaza between Mollison Street and Victoria Street. People driving would have to reduce their speed to 10 or 20 km/h. The plaza could be “no motor vehicles” between the carpark entrance to The Hive shopping centre and Victoria Street.

Location of a proposed shared pedestrian plaza. Image credit: Google Maps, highlight from Streets Alive Yarra.

Proposal for a modal filter at Gipps Street

Safety and amenity for people walking and biking can be improved by adding a modal filter at Gipps Street. All properties would remain accessible by car.

Vehicle through traffic blocked in all directions at Nicholson-Gipps. Walking and cycling would be unimpeded. Image credit: Nearmap and Streets Alive Yarra.

Proposal for a modal filter at Langridge and Mollison

Safety and amenity for people walking and biking can be improved by adding a modal filter at Mollison and Langridge Streets. All properties would remain accessible by car.

Possible modal filter at Langridge-Nicholson-Mollison. Walking and cycling would be unimpeded. Open space can be created for the ‘Three Bags Full’ cafe. Image credit: Nearmap and Streets Alive Yarra.

Proposal for lane consolidation at Johnston Street

Nicholson Street has three turning lanes at the intersection with Johnston Street. The two right turning lanes could be consolidate into one, freeing up space for a protected bike lane to continue up to the intersection, as was recently done on Gipps Street.

The three traffic lanes can be consolidated to two, freeing up space for the bike lane to continue up to the intersection. Image credit: Google Maps.

Proposal for improved pedestrian crossing at Langridge Street

The pedestrian crossing at Langridge Street could be widened, and the crossing distance reduced, by adding kerb outstands and removing a turning lane:

Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra, background from Nearmap

Trial median barrier

In 2020 council initiated a 12 month trial of a median barrier, covering the intersections at Mollison Street and Langridge Street, to eliminate “right hook collisions”, whist retaining vehicle access to each property. The trial median barrier was removed after only 3 months of the 12 month trial, allegedly owing to safety concerns.

Short lived trial median barrier on Nicholson Street. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Throughout the LAPM process and the trial of the median barrier, a key deficiency of council’s process was the failure to conduct Safe System assessments. Safe System forms the core of Australia’s and Victoria’s road safety strategies. The process provides quantified guidance to street design practitioners and stakeholders. We know that council is familiar with Safe System, because council commissioned a Safe System assessment for the pop-up bike lanes on Elizabeth Street. To date, council has not published any Safe System assessment for Nicholson Street. In contrast, Streets Alive Yarra has, and included a copy in our submission to council regarding the trial. Streets Alive Yarra’s Safe System assessment concluded that the median barrier should be reinstated.

Safe System assessment for Nicholson Street. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Conclusion

Nicholson Street is a key north-south route for people walking or cycling, parallel to the key north-south route for people driving, which is Hoddle Street / Punt Road. Significant hazards exist for people walking and cycling, including right hook collisions. As described on this page, council has a wide variety of options to improve safety and amenity, without removing access to properties by car.

Local champion

Your local champion for Nicholson Street is Daniel Quin, Yarra resident.

Daniel Quin. Image credit: Daniel Quin.

I rode to school in country Victoria and have continued this routine of riding to university when I moved into the City of Yarra 30 years ago. I’ve passed my routine of riding for transportation on to my children, when I rode with them to primary school in Clifton Hill. Now I ride to work at a school and love seeing safe bike routes so that children and the less confident can enjoy the freedom of a bike that I first experienced as a child. 

Daniel Quin, Yarra resident
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