Controversial Richmond cycling corridor works begin for more car spaces

Tempers flared in North Richmond on Monday morning as cyclists gathered to protest a controversial move to narrow bike lanes on a main thoroughfare and reintroduce 48 car parking spaces.

The project, described by the City of Yarra council as a “glow-up”, involves road resurfacing and the relocation of existing bike lane bollards between Hoddle and Church streets.

The work marks the end of a five-year trial of wide, protected lanes that have become a focal point of local political division.

Mayor Stephen Jolly defended the works on Monday, saying the current infrastructure was a “bike superhighway that’s not used that much”.

“It’s about sharing and not listening to just one interest group,” Jolly said. “These changes will make the bike lane the same width it is on Albert Street that it continues from, while allowing locals better access to their Buddhist Temple, homes and businesses and also get some parking back.”

“Everyone will now get a share of the street, not just one group,” he said.

Bicycle Network, the nation’s largest rider organisation, had been urgently requesting state intervention from Roads Minister Melissa Horne to halt the works, but on Monday council contractors began tearing up protective barriers along the strip.

Cyclists and supporters – including the Greens – claim the new design, which reduces riding space to approximately 1.5 metres, including gutters, is “far too narrow” and fails to meet safety standards for a “strategic cycling corridor” into the CBD that is used by thousands of riders weekly.

“The City of Yarra once regarded itself as a leader in the design and delivery of bike lanes, but sadly, it has lost its way,” Bicycle Network chief executive Alison McCormack said.

The council’s “Yarra For All” independent bloc, led by Jolly, approved the plan last year following a highly charged debate in which the mayor labelled complaints from safety advocates a sense of “white privilege” as many complaints about the loss of carparking came from attendees of the Buddhist Temple on the strip. The temple has since been demolished and is being redeveloped.

A number of protestors opposed to the downgrade – including Greens Richmond MP Gabrielle de Vietri and Greens councillor Sophie Wade – attended the site this morning with placards.

While an independent road safety audit commissioned by the council warned that reinstalling the car parks posed a “significant risk” due to dangerously reduced sight lines for drivers, a majority of councillors voted to proceed with the narrowed design.

Wade and Deputy Mayor Sarah McKenzie, who is now Labor’s nominated candidate for the seat of Richmond in the November state election, opposed the plan, with McKenzie citing personal safety concerns after recently being hit by a car while cycling nearby.

“I stand by my vote. Safer bike lanes get more people cycling,” she said. “Narrowing them makes it harder to move through our increasingly dense area. Hundreds of locals wrote to me asking that they be kept as they are.”

But despite this, McKenzie aligned with the state government’s position that the final authority rests with local officials. “It’s appropriate the decision is made by council,” she said.

The Allan government has distanced itself from the dispute, despite a letter seen by The Age which indicated the Department of Transport and Planning had expressed a lack of support for the downgrade.

A Victorian government spokesperson said Elizabeth Street is a council-managed road and “decisions about the design of the bike lanes sit with Yarra City Council”.

“We understand Yarra City Council’s decision will be disappointing for some members of the community, and we encourage anyone concerned about the designs to raise it directly with council,” the spokesperson said.

Under current legislation, the state’s role is limited to ensuring designs meet Australian standards; it cannot direct a council to change a design if those minimum requirements are met.

Works are scheduled to continue for four to five weeks, with night road closures in place between 6pm and 5am from March 25 to March 31.

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