City of Melbourne is delivering improvements to busy little streets in the CBD to create a safer and more accessible space for pedestrians and road users.

In 2020 and 2021, we tested reduced speed limits, shared zones and other safety changes to make the little streets easier for people to move around. The community was invited to have their say via an online survey, and we carefully reviewed their feedback along with key learnings from the trial.

We are now in the delivery phase and a summary of where each project is at is listed below:

  • Streetscape upgrades on Little Lonsdale Street from Queen Street to Swanston Street have been completed – find out more.
  • Streetscape upgrades on Little Bourke Street from Spencer Street to King Street are underway and expected to be completed by mid-2026 – find out more.
  • Streetscape upgrades on Flinders Lane from Swanston Street to Degraves Street is in the design stage, with works expected to start before September 2026 – find out more.

The Little Street transformations were designed to make it safer for people to move around our busiest streets, regardless of their mode of transport. They are also aimed at improving amenity, creating inviting spaces for our residents and encouraging people to visit the city and our businesses.

We chose locations that are congested with high foot traffic, have a high number of shops, cafes and restaurants, and paid on-street car parking spaces that can be converted to create more room for people and local businesses.

The changes to these Little Streets include:

  • Reducing the speed limit from 40km/h to 20km/h on Flinders Lane, Little Collins, Little Bourke and Little Lonsdale Streets
  • Introducing shared zones and traffic calming measures
  • Creating more space for pedestrians
  • Improving safety for bike riders
  • Maintaing 24-hour access for deliveries and essential car trips

New 20 km/h speed limits, speed bumps, give way stencils and planter boxes were introduced in all one-way sections of Little Lonsdale Street, Little Bourke Street, Little Collins Street and Flinders Lane in September 2020.

The new 20 km/h speed limits and shared zones were part of an 18-month trial supported by the Victorian Government and allowed us to evaluate changes before making them permanent. This part of the project was delivered by the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Government through the $100 million Melbourne City Recovery Fund.

Following on from the Little Streets Shared Zone Review, we are now implementing permanent streetscape upgrades aligned with the long-term vision identified in the Transport Strategy 2030.

We are now in the delivery phase and a summary of where each project is at is listed below:

  • Streetscape upgrades on Little Lonsdale Street from Queen Street to Swanston Street have been completed – find out more.
  • Streetscape upgrades on Little Bourke Street from Spencer Street to King Street are underway and expected to be completed by mid-2026 – find out more.
  • Streetscape upgrades on Flinders Lane from Swanston Street to Degraves Street is in the design stage, with works expected to start before September 2026 – find out more.

Consultation closed

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Transport Strategy 2030 endorsed by Future Melbourne Committee

    15 October 2019

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Key stakeholders engaged to inform detailed design of Little Streets

    Mid 2020

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Little Streets shared zones

    Roll-out of new 20 km/h speed limits and shared zones

    September 2020

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    Extended outdoor dining applications open

    1 October 2020

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Community consultation and ongoing user experience

    Community feedback collected throughout this time will help us to continually monitor and identify where improvements are needed and inform the long term plans for more permanent transformation in the future.

    2020 to 2024

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    Little Streets Shared Zone Review presented to Future Melbourne Committee

    The findings of the Little Streets Shared Zone review were shared with FMC as well as plans to implement streetscape improvements and further interventions to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility.

    23 April 2024

  • Timeline item 7 - complete

    Little Streets permanently become 20km/h zones

    July 2024

  • Timeline item 8 - active

    Little Streets streetscape upgrades

    Staged rollout of streetscape upgrades to Little Streets.

    Ongoing from 2021

  • Timeline item 9 - complete

    Little Lonsdale Street from Queen Street to Swanston Street

    Completed 2026

  • Timeline item 10 - active

    Little Bourke Street from Spencer Street to King Street

    Works underway and expected to be completed by mid-2026

  • Timeline item 11 - incomplete

    Flinders Lane from Swanston Street to Degraves Street

    Works expected to start before September 2026

Community consultation

Feedback we heard on the Little Streets project from December 2020 to April 2024.

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