Trenerry Crescent is a local street that links neighbourhoods on either side of the Eastern Freeway.
Context
Trenerry Crescent offers a way for drivers to avoid the primary north-south driving route of adjacent Hoddle Street, while also acting as the primary north-south cycling route, or Strategic Cycling Corridor, in this part of Yarra. The section below the Eastern Freeway is about 9 metres wide, and isn’t a VicRoads declared arterial. The dip and twist of the street decreases the ability of drivers to see and avoid people who are biking. To avoid danger, some people choose to bike on the footpath, which reduces amenity for people walking.
Suggestion
One option is to change the footpath to a shared path, and widen it. Combined with 30 km/h speed limits in Abbotsford and Clifton Hill, that would offer safe access for people walking, biking, and driving. Such a project could cost a couple of million dollars.
On 16 December 2025 Council resolved to ask the state government, via the North East Link Project, to fund the improvement to Trenerry Crescent.
History – proposed trial
On 23rd June 2020 an Officer Report recommended the trial closure of Trenerry Crescent to vehicle traffic at the Eastern Freeway. A trial closure could be delivered fast, and with little budget. The Officer Report provided multiple justifications, including:
- Responds to immediate physical distancing issue on adjacent Capital City and Merri Creek trails by providing additional space.
- Responds to a missing link in strategic cycle network given safety and amenity issues for cyclists sharing this section of the street with road traffic.
- Responds to safer routes to local schools for non-car traffic.
- Provides indirect response to other safety issues in surrounding streets due to a reduced level of traffic.
On 18th August 2020 Councillors considered the results of community consultation, and then resolved not to proceed with the trial.
Why not expect people biking to use the off-street shared paths or trails?
The existing Main Yarra Trail and Merri Creek Trail are overcrowded, and really only intended for slow speed use, such as walking or slow cycling with children. River trails and shared paths are not suitable for high volumes of commuter or utility cycling. The intent of the trial was to make Trenerry Crescent safer and more attractive for biking, thus leaving more space on the trails for people walking.
Why not expect people biking to use the overpass?
The existing overpass is a footbridge that is only approved for people walking. It’s not wide enough for people biking. It’s not compliant with modern standards for people walking or people using wheelchairs, which have a minimum width, a maximum slope, and require regular horizontal areas as rest stops.
An overpass that is suitable for for both walking and biking would be similar to the Jan Linzel viaduct, shown in the following video, which is reported to have costed 12 million Euros.
Road Safety Study
In November 2021 council started a Road Safety Study of Trenerry Crescent. If the street needs to remain open to drivers, then a significant budget is going to be required to reconfigure the street to provide a safe environment for people walking and biking. Council doesn’t have the funds for this, so to be eligible for a grant, council needs to conduct a road safety study.
Conclusion
In 2020, Streets Alive Yarra supported the proposed trial of the closure of Trenerry Crescent to vehicle traffic, because it was a low cost trial for a limited duration, using an effective method of improving safety and amenity for people cycling, and liveability for local residents. We acknowledge that this would have required some driving trips to deviate to the adjacent Hoddle Street.
In 2021, Streets Alive Yarra supported the Road Safety Study of Trenerry Crescent, because it was necessary to support a future grant application
Now in 2026, we support the proposal to deliver a safe cycleway by changing the footpath into a wider shared path.