The conversation

City of Melbourne are delivering a program of kerbside protected bike lanes to support more people to move around the city safely and sustainably. The new lanes are all routes identified in City of Melbourne's Transport Strategy 2030. Two of the key routes that City of Melbourne is proposing to deliver are: Arden Street (between Moonee Ponds Creek and Wreckyn Street) and Macaulay Road (from Eastwood Street to Arden Street).

Gathering insights

The Arden Street and Macaulay Road bike lanes engagement ran from 26 April – 24 May 2023 and took place both online and in-person. Opportunities to view the designs and provide feedback included:

  • An online survey on Participate Melbourne
  • Five community pop-ups at various locations including: North Melbourne Library, Kensington Fresh Food Market, North Melbourne Community Centre, North Melbourne Recreation Centre and Canning-Macaulay Reserve
  • Intercept surveys alongside two of the pop-ups to broaden the reach of the engagement.

What we heard - key benefits identified by participants

406 community members contributed their thoughts via the online survey, and approximately 95 conversations were recorded across the pop-ups and intercept surveys. Overall, 87 per cent of community members supported the installation of the protected bike lanes in the area, while 9 per cent did not support and 4 per cent were neutral.

  • Safety

    Greater safety for cyclists, drivers and pedestrian.

  • Traffic

    Reduced traffic and congestion.

  • Accessibility

    Better accessibility for riders with varying confidence levels and higher likelihood of individuals cycling regularly.

  • Environment

    Reduced emissions and pollution.

  • Benefits

    Financial benefits to individuals through decreased transport costs.

  • Community

    Improved community health.

  • Liveability

    Greater liveability in the area.

Key concerns raised by participants

  • Loss of parking (22%)
  • increased traffic congestion (18%).

Other concerns expressed by a lower number of participants were:

  • Impact on local businesses
  • Concern over the design and aesthetics of the proposed design
  • Behaviour of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Download a copy of the consultation report

Arden Street and Macaulay Road bike lanes consultation infographic
PDF (60.40 KB) | Listen

Impact

The feedback received has been used to refine the detailed designs for Arden Street and Macaulay Road bike lanes.

An updated design plan is currently in development and will be shared with the community prior to any works commencing.

Changes to the design plan include:

  • Adjustments to parking controls – changes between Abbotsford and Curzon streets in response to operational requirements from businesses in this section
  • Changes to parking provision (due to sight lines or operational requirements at driveways)
  • Increase in number of parking bays between Abbotsford and Curzon streets in response to concerns from residents
  • Adding gaps in the bike lane kerb to allow cyclists to turn
  • Additional sections of kerb
  • Changes to line marking.

Next steps

Once the design plans for the Arden Street and Macaulay Road bike lanes are finalised, we will share them with the community and submit them to the Department of Transport and Planning for approval.

We will update the community ahead of any works commencing. To stay up to date with the project, select follow on the project page.

Macaulay Road and Arden Street protected bike lane