“Every hour during the morning peak,15,000 pedestrians cross the Spencer and Collins Street intersection outside Southern Cross Station,which is five times the number of people in cars,yet cars are given twice the amount of time as pedestrians to pass through.”
The plan also aims to improve safety,and restricting access to private vehicles in the CBD could reduce the risk of vehicle attacks.
Other ideas proposed by the council:
- A CBD-wide slow zone for vehicles,maxing speed limites at 30 km/hr in the Hoddle Grid and Docklands with even lower limits for cars in pedestrian'hotspots'
- Car-free zones in pedestrian-heavy areas like outside Southern Cross Station,Flinders Street station and Collins/Swanston tram stops.
- Removing on-street parking and build wider footpaths to accommodate pedestrians and outdoor dining,trees and street life.
- To start measuring pedestrian delays,not just public transport and car delays in the city.
Steven Burgess,the principal of urban strategy at transport consultancy firm MRCagney,said this plan would put people and business before cars and freeways.
"Melbourne has to be careful that it doesn't get left behind. There are certain spots in the Melbourne CBD where it is just too crowded for people,"he said.
"All the big cities around the world are moving this way,the more cars you can get out of your downtown area,you’re better off."
Mr Burgess believed there would be some pushback from commercial car parks and CBD residents with cars.
"It's been successfully implemented around the world,they've already done Swanston St,a quarter of it is done. There will be a pushback to any sort of change,that's something the city is going to have to work through."
But the manager of mobility advocacy at RACV,David Jones,said there were mobility problems that the City of Melbourne could fix now.
"Business signs,utility boxes,bins,tables,chairs and delivery motorcycles clutter some of Melbourne’s busiest footpaths and access to tram stops,"Mr Jones said.
He said the"low-hanging fruit"could be addressed without waiting for a new transport strategy.
"If a problem remains in a specific location after changes have been made,[the] council can consider converting kerbside parking spaces for wider footpaths and bicycle lanes,"he said.
The RACV agreed that traffic signal changes could reduce delays and footpath congestion at some of the worst spots but had"strong reservations"about superblocks.
"It could make congestion much worse and frustrate bicycle,motorcycle,truck and car drivers. A permeable grid in the city centre is much more friendly for all road users,assisting direction-finding,reducing the time spent circulating in traffic and the distance to be driven."
Premier Daniel Andrews said he was"unconvinced"a pedestrian-only"superblock"would improve traffic flows or safety.
“This is a Melbourne City Council idea,I don’t want anyone getting confused that this has come from our government,” he said.
“I’m not convinced that this will improve traffic flow,I’m not convinced this would improve safety. Those two things are important.”
He said a better rail and public transport system,including the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project,was the best way to solve any traffic or pedestrian issues.
Working with Victoria Police and engineers,in partnership with the council,to put in bollards and reinforcements in places where people gather was the way to improve safety,he said.
“The thing that matters most is to invest in rail and we are doing that,and to invest in roads and we’re doing both,proving that you can and you must get it done in both those important areas.”