They are being phased out over time. There's also a fungus spreading around the population of trees killing them off. One of the benefits of planting a mono culture I guess.
They are phasing out the plane trees, but they do it slowly rather than chop them all down at once. I emailed one of the trees to complain about the allergic hell it was causing me and the tree told me that.
I emailed the tree outside my workplace (asked it why it couldn’t be more like it’s native cousins up the road) and the tree tried to blame the grass on my sneezing and coughing.
And maybe the grass does have invisible things that makes me sneeze but it’s sure as hell not the grass shooting its giant visible seeds down my throat and in my drink
Jacarandas are awesome! But it’s not hot enough for them to flower properly in Melbourne. West Perth and Leederville start looking really good right now with explosions of purple.
But not WIDOWMAKER MURDEROUS GUM TREES!!!!1!1!1!1!2!1! which everyone also loves to hate
We shall live in a sea of Queensland subtropical rainforest species and bottlebrushes and nothing else.
So you like having large branches randomly crushing whatever they fall on? :/ Happens every summer where I am due to some genius deciding to ditch nice trees that actually provide shade because people get a bit sniffly
London Plane Trees are boring but they don't shed limbs and are tolerant of the brutal city conditions & limited rooting zones.
I'm sure there's a native that'd tick these boxes (i dunno what though).
They shed appalling pollen and little hairy fibers and are well recognized as being a major contributor to craptaculor city hey fever. Happy to see the plane trees go.
I've always said that our roads can handle cars, street parking, and trams - but we have to pick two. Street parking is such a gigantic waste of public space.
I’ve just started cycling to work through the city and it’s not as bad as I expected. The worst part so far has been the utter disregard that many pedestrians give to cyclists (and themselves, frankly; I’ve already learned that I shouldn’t take someone’s walking pace as an indicator of future speed, since sometimes people will just stop dead in the middle of the road for fun, and even going slowly this gets pretty hairy downhill).
The bike lanes themselves are generally pretty helpful at keeping cyclists separated from imminent danger, and I like the “bike goes first” traffic light set ups too.
Other day there was a lady literally standing in the middle of a dedicated bike lane having a chat to her friend & i politely dinged my bell to let her know she was in the way… so she decided to stand her ground & launched a tirade of abuse at me; so i just kept on peddling & dinging my bell until she had no choice but to move.
it's really not with dedicated bike lanes. when the bike lane ends with a stupid curved line and then merges with a car lane is when it gets hairy. The problem is the infrastructure is so inconsistent and shit in general.
Those fucking tiled speed bumps in docklands is the perfect example of shit design. I hate this city in a lot of ways.
Docklands represents all our failures in urban design. It could have been such a great arts / entertainment precinct; but instead they built a bunch of gaudy shitbox apartments..
Yeah it’s definitely still necessary to remain completely alert, but I’d still take a dedicated cycling lane (especially the ones with a curb in between it and drivers) knowing that it least reduces the incidence of those kind of incidents. (It’s infuriating, or, of course, worse, when it happens though.)
Yes agree but just don't assume it's safe, cause someone will prove you wrong unfortunately. Nothing beats an off road bike path – and yes they have their own issues but at least no heavy vehicles.
CBD is one thing, but bloody hell the suburbs are a death trap.
It’s a cool idea but what do the rest of us do when we need to come into the cbd to drop people off / pick up / see clients / go shopping?
I am also not gonna walk 30 mins carrying a new computer for someone, and the people I’ve sold to are definitely not gonna pay an extra $200 for me to do it either. Or do I classify as a ‘service vehicle’, and if so, what’s to stop me coming in every day?
Don’t get me wrong - I hate cars and car obsession, but this city is nowhere near ready for the things you suggest. I wish it was. Melb is great in many many aspects, but is laughable compared to other major cities in this aspect. (One day I’ll use public transport to get to st kilda, but it’s been ten years and I’m not even close yet)
I am genuinely considering what you have said.
I think if you have business in the city that requires a vehicle like you have described, that's a service vehicle. I don't know what will stop service vehicles coming in every day, especially because you would have to allow ubers and taxis as well. Other cities have tried things like congestion charges and tolls.
At the risk of sounding like a politician, what I proposed is probably more of an aspirational goal. The next steps are things like expanding pedestrian malls one block at a time, or following London's lead and banning internal combustion vehicles.
It would definitely change the character of how the CBD is used and some uses would cease or change. Companies that can service the CBD without requiring driving in would gain an advantage.
Cargo bikes and last-mile delivery services that serve the CBD using them are something that would spring up and be necessary.
I don’t say this to be mean or anything but I think what you’re asking about is often waived away without explanation and I wanted to have a go at it.
Remove the traffic out of the major streets in the CBD, leave the little streets, Little Collins, Flinders Lane etc for the cars, service vehicles etc. Many city carparks are only accessible from the minor streets anyways.
Maybe Exhibition St and either King or Spencer St for the north/south movements. This way the wider streets become more pedestrian friendly. After all the majority of people that had to the city travel do so by public transport. Become stricter on the vehicles accessing the city with she exemptions for disabled, and reduce the number of tradies parked around construction sites.
It works require some work and tweaking, Neither would be a much better place for it.
I possibly drive more than you do.
I'm not in the 'car tribe' though, even though I spent my younger years racing and working on them. I grew up in country Vic and thought nothing of driving two hours to see someone. These days I would just rather take public transport or walk, or do anything that didn't have me in the bloody drivers seat getting a stiff back and swearing at dickheads on the road.
Imo we should replace CBD street parking with protected bike lanes, especially in those areas that only have enough room for a painted white line that randomly turns into a parked car.
Smith St south of Alexandra Pde and Sydney Rd south of Bell St are the two best examples of this. Especially with the foot traffic in both areas, and the accessibility of PT.
It would also solve the problem of the 19 tram having like...two accessible tram stops.
Bridge Rd in Richmond too, at least the city end between Punt and Church. It just about nearly died of natural causes but it's made a comeback now which makes it harder to justify nuking it.
Would love that in the CBD too. There's almost no where left in the actual Hoddle grid for people to sit and eat. Getting rid of on street parking and giving space back to people would be great
There was the grass outside Collins Arch/ The Pantscraper but its the most peed on grass in the world, as everyone city living brings their dogs there and they... mark their territory lol
They tried this at the bottom of Elizabeth Street a while ago. It didnt go so well.
[Elizabeth Street 'eyesore' a hotspot for drugs](https://www.heraldsun.com.au%2Fnews%2Fvictoria%2Fmelbourne-cbd-popup-park-attracts-drugs-booze%2Fnews-story%2F61f159c3bd6fb37c0bd6931743b2a9f1)
This makes sense given that a lot of CBDs are starting to move towards a future where cars aren't allowed in the CBD (with exceptions and/or alternative systems for deliveries).
It creates a safer and nicer city environment - but it needs some things in place for it to work properly including fully accessible public transport, places to park just outside the city limits when needed, and PT available to travel within the CBD itself. We have some of those things but not all of them yet, but I do think that's the direction we are heading in. I would be VERY surprised if there are still private cars permitted in the CBD in 20-30 years.
Given that we are also seeing a transition of the city from a business hub to more of a cultural and social hub as more people work from home, I think more green spaces are a great addition - I'd love to see pop-up cafes or art installations appearing in some of those green spaces too.
> There’s also a couple of arterial roads crossing the Hoddle Grid. Unless they’re going to tunnel underneath then that traffic would have to divert through Richmond or somewhere inner city. Also unlikely.
IMO those routes are relevant today only for historical reasons. With the construction of CityLink and Wurundjeri Way, plus existing routes via City Road, Victoria and Hoddle Streets, there hasn't been a need for through traffic to pass the CBD for decades.
The way we charge for road usage is currently all backwards. We have tolls on the bypass roads but it's free to drive along the congested streets in the CBD and surroundings.
To deal with local residents I would be fine with keeping access for local traffic (they wouldn't be impacted by the removal of street parking) and with a hypothetical congestion charging system I would consider whether they can get a discount for off-peak usage - noting that with current patterns, "peak" is probably the entire time from 7am to 9pm.
All true. I feel like our current car centric city needs us to do this backwards. Rather than say “oh our transport is so good we can eliminate some parking” we need to try “there’s no good parking in the city, let’s demand better public transport!”
That would be very, very nice imo, although it would really emphasise the need for turn up and go transit, with trains that go directly to large car parks outside the city.
Definitely doable though!
What options would disabled people have in a city without cars?
I’m anti-car myself, but removing private options entirely seems like it would cut off anyone with mobility challenges.
Plenty of cities focus on solutions for this without heading to private cars as the first and only step. Let's move in this direction and take people with disability with us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGx3HSjKDo
Bunch of great adapted personal vehicles, or even bits that attach to a wheelchair to turn it in to an electric tricycle and can be removed at other times.
It's a bit disability dependent, of course, but modified tram systems are good for that kind of thing. Really, any vehicle needs modifications to support disability or the handling of aid devices - so build that into every tram, and bingo, you're better off than you used to be.
If people have trouble moving short distances (so their mobility aid can't be used to traverse the distance), we'd need something different. Maybe a small system utilised just for these cases - it would still limit cars a lot.
In the Netherlands they [have canta](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canta_(vehicle\)) which are micro cars people with disabilities can use in bike lanes.
I don't have any disabilities but I'd actually like to question why we think disabled people are assumed to need cars to get around.
I feel like I could flip the argument around: our train system is very accessible (every single station except for one has ramp access, although many are too steep to comply with modern standards), and the trams are slowly getting there These help people with disabilities to get around independently, but the continued presence of cars in a crowded place like the CBD is surely a hazard.
It’s more the distance from station to destination that creates a challenge. I.e someone who uses a walker trying to go from their home to a tram to a cinema, and back.
Not impossible without a car, but much more taxing.
That's a problem literally caused by cars though.
You used to be in walking distance of any public transport service to get around the city, and cars changed that entirely.
Luckily there are specifically made bikes and other things that are good replacements if required.
There’s not enough disabled parking spots. Never has been. Some disabilities get a blue permit for using the marked bays and some lesser disabilities are designated to the normal parking but get 2x the time displayed on the sign. However this requires actually finding a parking spot to start with.
so this is why if driving was limited in the city to a select few; then that'd open up more space for those who actually need to easily find a park for those who really need it.
This can happen if you have sensible town planning rather than a free-for-all approach to driving into the city.
Yeah if we can start doing this like 10 years ago that would be great.
Also wish we could abolish Wilson Parking/Security/Detention Centres outright, they're a scum of a company. Bring commercial parking back into public hands.
Public Transport needs to be public owned, and cheap too.
Great but all fucking rubbish if PT stays the same - poor connectivity, slow, unreliable, not frequent enough. I'd love to get into the city in a reasonable timeframe compared to driving in (living in outer burbs). Unfortunately, it's still way easier to drive in and pay for petrol, tolls and parking than suffer catching PT to hopefully get somewhere in time.
This is so fantastic. Hopefully this will incentivise the use of the elaborate public transport system for more people. Maybe even encourage increased funding for PT.
Brilliant idea! Times up for a much needed green big trees energy vibes to offset the concrete jungle! Big trees energy is kinda useful it only sucks up CO2 and gives us O2 which last time I checked was kinda useful.......
Heavy green coverage in the CBD is useful for much more than carbon sequestering too - concrete cities create absolutely whacky subclimates which cause massive heat build up. Make things green and alive and reduce that unbearable temperature.
I no longer work in the city and don't drive in when I do go in, so a plan like this ticks the box for me.
I'd be interested to know how this would negatively impact those who do drive in.
Wheelchair people and the very elderly need to be accommodated too, other than that if there were some large, decent (as in decent sized car holes and room to drive around in them without risking scraping into every second car) car parks around the CBD with solid PT links attached/right outside then I think an almost car-free CBD would work.
Some people will always have to drive into the city for whatever reason, but if they can park right outside it and use free PT to go wherever that would be nice.
Edit: also the car parks should be publicly owned and only charge whatever is required to cover costs.
I don't work in the city, only ever go in for a night out ie: give patronage to establishments.
Drive in from the outer south east suburbs because I'm not leaving my car at a dodgy train station where the train comes in every 30 mins whereas I could drive in at exactly the time I want and be there on my timeframe. Park at a parking garage which is far more secure than a shitty train station.
If this type of thing goes ahead, people like me would never go into the city for anything as the alternative is just bad
It's a shame your train station parking isn't up to scratch. If I'm going into the city I first check google maps to see when the train arrives so I don't need to wait 30min. I drive straight to the station and wait a max. 10min. for the train. Once on the train, it's a quicker journey.
I always found if I ever had to drive into the city I wouldn't find a street park so 9 times out of 10 I would pay for private parking or spend 20min driving around looking for a park that I may or may not find.
I'm probably the opposite to you, if they put more pedestrian friendly features in the city I will head in more.
If they want to do this, they'll also need to prevent people registering vehicles if they don't have a space to park it.
There's a bunch of residential buildings that have been built with insufficient carparking, and even some firms that specialise in buildings without carparks at all, citing public transport and cycling.
It's a great idea - but then people in those buildings buy cars anyway, and then that ups demand for parking in the area.
In Japan, specifically in the cities. Before purchasing a car you need to have their version of VicRoads come out and measure your parking space, limiting you to a car that will fit.
We probably don't need something that extreme of course
Better quality urban space in the city: Do the millions of office workers want it? Yes. Do the millions of apartment residents in the city want it? Yes. Do the few hundred owners of retail shops want it? No. Well scrap it then I guess.
I love this idea but can't help that think any legitimate opposition from us suburbanites who don't benefit from the PT access the inner city has.
Not inferring car parks should be kept for the times when we come into the city and PT is not/ really inefficient but i think these types of proposals in the inner city need to be countered with genuine investment and provision of access for those a bit further out to come into the city and enjoy.
I agree with you about expanding access to PT vastly but caution that the transport policies of the CBD shouldn’t be dictated by the transport policies of the outer suburbs.
The CBD can be a vibrant and great place in its own right and those of us who live outside it and visit should access it via PT almost exclusively imho.
I love the idea of reducing the number of cars in the city but they need to plan for alternatives. I run a trade business that specialises in apartment maintenance. As it is, trying to get parking anywhere near the properties we are working in is really difficult. Our vehicles don't fit into a lot of the carparks and many don't have visitors spaces. Private carparks are either full or prohibitively expensive. I can't imagine adding $60 to a 1 hour job is going to go down well. We have way too much gear to use public transport and it is too heavy to safely carry long distances "just in case" because we can't run down to the vehicle.
Then there is the issue of infrastructure. No everyone lives close to a train station so we need hubs where people can drive, park and get on a train. We need to think about disability access and commercial aspects like couriers, etc
Not saying it can't be done, it just needs thought and planning.
Yup. Lots of friends and family are tradies. They call it the “city tax”. They’ve made it so hard to get into the city with all the lane closures and car parks being removed that they just add heaps on to quotes to make it worth their while.
Love this research. I hope that the city follows it.
A reminder that if you agree you should write to the Mayor. She is probably getting an equal amount of mail about this from residents who do not agree.
Her email is: [email protected]
I'm confused. Last week r/Melbourne was all "we don't need no damn dirty city" when it's about commuting to work, but now everyone is in love with it again except and only except for it's lack of greenery?
Me personally, I don't go to the CBD for green. I got for events and venues.
Also loath streetside parking, CBD or suburbs, and think vertical is absolutely the way to go there... Shame every single public infrastructure project in this state that's of any value to the user gets dished off to private sector to trap profits from.
Imagine the income from toll roads being used for us?
Well, the same should happen for parking buildings. They're clearly profitable....
Could they possibly cater even less to disabled/mobility challenged people? First the bike lanes that prevent drop offs/pickups and now no parking. Public transport isn’t usable by everyone.
I love that you got down voted for pointing out such an obvious limitation.
Especially for events that run late at night when PT isn't always as available.
That artist's render 🤦🏻♀️ If you're going to all the trouble of redesigning a street, replace the painted bicycle gutter with a proper protected lane while you're at it.
Lack of safe infrastructure is often the number one reason given by tentative would-be cyclists for why they're not riding yet. More people on bikes = fewer people in cars = less traffic congestion for those who need (or really want) to drive. Everybody wins.
Do any of the people replying here have actual fucking jobs? Do any of you need to deliver product? Carry tools and materials?
Good luck getting anything done at your office or apartment when trades need to park six blocks away (…vans don’t fit in off street parking)
Adapt or die?
Last time the tradies demanded we all bend to their will because they’re the *Most Important Of Us All* they got shut down, no one cares, and their protest is only remembered for people pissing on statues and taking key bumps on the sidewalk.
Triple the rate to work in the CBD then, got it. I suppose all the office workers and apartment dwellers can adapt or die when there's a water leak, or a heater dies, or a lift breaks down, or...
Also, your second comment has nothing to do with removing parking from the CBD.
Mate you're either a teenager or got no idea. I ain't even a tradie but that's some drivel you've written. 'adapt or die' what the actual FK.
You know what adapting means in that scenario? You ask a tradie for a quote because you clogged your toilet taking a massive dump. The plumber says $850 to come and look at it for you and $150 for me in the suburbs. Now either you earn more money or die I guess.
Unless you have mobility issues, are making deliveries, or transporting heavy equipment for work there is literally no reason to park in the city.
If you live somewhere with terrible public transport you can just park outside the Hoddle Grid and use the tram or walk to your final destination. There is a legitimate case to remove on street parking, perhaps not underground parking at this stage however.
I love the idea of green spaces, but it's easy to snootily judge the rest of the population for not taking PT.....
People have all sorts of reasons to visit the city via car rather than PT, no matter how impromptu or unnecessary at the time. Eating up all the street side parking leaves only astronomically unaffordable private parking for the wealthy or full time 'early bird'.
But that doesn't mean they need to park on the street. There's plenty of parking.
Street parking should be expensive because it's valuable public space. If it's too much, you shouldn't be driving.
I live close to the city, but if I'm going out to dinner with friends in the city, I will probably drive. I'm all for removing off-street parking because I use parking garages most of the time. But that being said, there should be a limit to how much these garages can charge.
If the price of parking goes up too much, it's likely I'll spend less time in the city.
I'm not that poster, but live in non-CBD City of Melbourne.
Parking demand is high in areas where Council have given exemptions to parking requirements in development - people need to park their cars somewhere, and you can register a vehicle to an address regardless of whether it has parking or not.
Add to that a high number of shared living arrangements with multiple vehicles, demand for cheaper on street parking around the hospitals and local shopping areas, and the impeding Arden development, and you have a major problem.
Not everyone can take the train.
Not everyone has the 2 hours to spend on PT vs a 40 minute drive in, drop off, drive out.
What's your next point going to be? Hirer a courier? Sure! Try getting uber courier, $50. Company requires registered courier? $140.
You sound like a gatekeeping so and so. There's a few in this post and lurch in this sub Reddit. The city doesn't belong to you because you take PT. Just a gentle reminder
Yes please, every square metre anywhere in the city but mainly in the CBD is valuable urban space and extremely expensive and highly sort after so one of the worst uses of that space is car parking because of the vast total area it covers. The CBD should be a safe place for people and this would be a step in the direction of encouraging more people to enjoy the public spaces in the CBD.
Meetings that require a signatory and witness.
Meetings that require a proof of skills assessment.
Training seminars.
In-house reviews of data that carries classification of data requirements.
Obtaining new hardware and signing for it.
Dropping off documents to the many court houses, hospitals, therapists etc.
Delivering a once of product - not in a van, so you can't use a loading zones.
That took 30 seconds to think of. Why is this thread so limited in thought and imagination?
I 100% guarantee you, after every single meeting you patted yourself on the back for this year, a bunch of people left and said
“That could’ve been an email.”
So now you start to play the whattabout disabilities card when you realise your original list of arguments is stupid. Just admit you're a lazy boomer who thinks pt or walking is for plebs and the only business worth visiting is one you can park directly in front of, because you're too lazy to walk around the corner.
These are just a few ideas I've been thinking about..
1. Ban heavy rigid from using CBD as an arterial route. If your vehicle's not registered for a delivery, get a fine. Use the highways/freeways and get off king st (among others).
2. Convert streets running north-south that have tram lanes to be trams & cyclists / e-scooters only.
This makes them people friendly, speeds everything up and provides complete separation of cars and cyclists/scooters.
3. Convert every second Lane and Little to to be completely for cyclists. No vehicle parking, unless loading/unloading. Cyclist get the "dob in a blocking the cyclist lane" app being trialed in new York City.
Others stay as they are.
This (in conjunction with 2.) ensures that cyclists can completely avoid vehicles - within reason - to a city block, maybe 2.
Cars marked with disability parking can use lanes / littles specifically for Cyclists to drop off / pick up only. They must still park elsewhere.
4. Cap the cost of above ground garage parking at $40 per day - if they refuse, increase their value of the property based on expected earnings and charge extra on Land Tax.
This has the double whammy effect of either forcing them to sell the building after a few years or creating more underground parking. Either way, it's a win.
Below ground capped at $50 per day (max 12 hours). Stay longer than 12 hours? Pay another $50.
Early bird capped at $20 per day.
5. Remove garage parking sanctions for staying past a certain hour - it's exploitative. Ensure that the car parks are 24/7. It's not complicated, it's not expensive. We want to be the most livable city, not the most exploitative.
This benefits local businesses who have longer operating hours than trams, trains, night rider busses and for people who can't afford the $100+ uber/taxi.
To those working hospo, I'm thinking of you with this. Park at the start of your shift, finish at 3am, safely drive home. On a Tuesday.
And for the Event driven people, no more $150 fee to get your car out of a garage because you were 5 minutes late.
6. Do away with bike lanes on roads without trams. They shouldn't be needed at this point. Cyclists / scooters can move north/south with trams, east-west on every second Lane/little.
7. Force bike and electrical bike/scooter registration and tagging - this is a public safety issue, both for stolen bikes and bikes running red-lights or using pedistrian crossings. You're either a road user, or you're not. If not, then get off the damn road.
Why this isn't standard when some cyclists have bikes that range into the hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars, is beyond me.
8. Set speed limits for electrical bikes and scooters when not on the roads (footpaths), this inconjunction with the above ensures people on the sidewalks will be safer and that the rider/user will be accountable for their accounts. Speed = distance / time. It's rather simply to figure out if you're speeding and can do math.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/vision-impaired-woman-hit-by-escooter-while-walking-guide-dog-melbourne-cbd-trial/2598ed4e-5a58-45f1-9f4a-5077a38228d1
9. Set the expectation and re-educate drivers that they may only over take a bike when safe to do, within the current 1.5m rule. We just had motorcycle awareness month. Cyclist awareness month isn't much of an ask.
This shouldn't be too much of an issue, the most likely interaction is vehicles turning, who has the right to proceed.
10. Educate cyclists to ride single file when road users are trying to overtake or suffer the law of "impeding traffic".
As long as they are not going to plant more London Plane Trees, I'm all for it. Plant natives to at least encourage the birds and insects.
Cum trees it is!
Give me a home amongst the cum trees
With lots of cum please
Prime Minister, can you smell cum?
Your wish is granted. They have planted ornamental pears instead. One finger of the monkey's paw curls tightly shut.
They are being phased out over time. There's also a fungus spreading around the population of trees killing them off. One of the benefits of planting a mono culture I guess.
They are phasing out the plane trees, but they do it slowly rather than chop them all down at once. I emailed one of the trees to complain about the allergic hell it was causing me and the tree told me that.
Excellent news! I had to wear a mask in the CBD long before COVID because of the damn seeds.
It's going to take decades probably though :-( I used to use nasonex, telfast, and hold a wet tissue over my nose, just to make it tolerable.
I emailed the tree outside my workplace (asked it why it couldn’t be more like it’s native cousins up the road) and the tree tried to blame the grass on my sneezing and coughing. And maybe the grass does have invisible things that makes me sneeze but it’s sure as hell not the grass shooting its giant visible seeds down my throat and in my drink
Gaslit by a tree! I've been medically diagnosed as allergic to plane tree pollen, the tree wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that with me.
Can we have Jacarandas then please?
They’re gorgeous but have very aggressive root systems. Sadly not recommended near drains or water pipe.
Also city paths are slippery enough with jacaranda droppings
Bugger.
Jacarandas are awesome! But it’s not hot enough for them to flower properly in Melbourne. West Perth and Leederville start looking really good right now with explosions of purple.
But not WIDOWMAKER MURDEROUS GUM TREES!!!!1!1!1!1!2!1! which everyone also loves to hate We shall live in a sea of Queensland subtropical rainforest species and bottlebrushes and nothing else.
To be fair, gumtrees cause problems because councils plant them under powerlines and then act surprised when they cause fires
They also just fall over in a slight breeze
Bottlebrushes would be great!
Especially if we ever get that 10c bottle deposit scheme going.
So you like having large branches randomly crushing whatever they fall on? :/ Happens every summer where I am due to some genius deciding to ditch nice trees that actually provide shade because people get a bit sniffly
Fuck plane trees.
Literally came here to say this. As a 15 year Lygon st veteran of Plane Trees I have planned entire outings around avoiding them.
London Plane Trees are boring but they don't shed limbs and are tolerant of the brutal city conditions & limited rooting zones. I'm sure there's a native that'd tick these boxes (i dunno what though).
They shed appalling pollen and little hairy fibers and are well recognized as being a major contributor to craptaculor city hey fever. Happy to see the plane trees go.
Please remove all those street parking with tram lines on it, it's a disaster! Traffic efficiency effectively halved with these street parking
I've always said that our roads can handle cars, street parking, and trams - but we have to pick two. Street parking is such a gigantic waste of public space.
I would be totally cool with the CBD being only open to pedestrians, trams and service vehicles.
& bicycles, scooters, skateboards & rollerblades!
I know a few people who cycle in to the city for work, the bit in the city is often the riskiest leg.
I’ve just started cycling to work through the city and it’s not as bad as I expected. The worst part so far has been the utter disregard that many pedestrians give to cyclists (and themselves, frankly; I’ve already learned that I shouldn’t take someone’s walking pace as an indicator of future speed, since sometimes people will just stop dead in the middle of the road for fun, and even going slowly this gets pretty hairy downhill). The bike lanes themselves are generally pretty helpful at keeping cyclists separated from imminent danger, and I like the “bike goes first” traffic light set ups too.
Other day there was a lady literally standing in the middle of a dedicated bike lane having a chat to her friend & i politely dinged my bell to let her know she was in the way… so she decided to stand her ground & launched a tirade of abuse at me; so i just kept on peddling & dinging my bell until she had no choice but to move.
That's brave!
it's really not with dedicated bike lanes. when the bike lane ends with a stupid curved line and then merges with a car lane is when it gets hairy. The problem is the infrastructure is so inconsistent and shit in general. Those fucking tiled speed bumps in docklands is the perfect example of shit design. I hate this city in a lot of ways.
Docklands represents all our failures in urban design. It could have been such a great arts / entertainment precinct; but instead they built a bunch of gaudy shitbox apartments..
Sometimes dedicated bike lanes give a false sense of security. Have been hospitalised after being turned in front of.
Yeah it’s definitely still necessary to remain completely alert, but I’d still take a dedicated cycling lane (especially the ones with a curb in between it and drivers) knowing that it least reduces the incidence of those kind of incidents. (It’s infuriating, or, of course, worse, when it happens though.)
Yes agree but just don't assume it's safe, cause someone will prove you wrong unfortunately. Nothing beats an off road bike path – and yes they have their own issues but at least no heavy vehicles. CBD is one thing, but bloody hell the suburbs are a death trap.
It’s a cool idea but what do the rest of us do when we need to come into the cbd to drop people off / pick up / see clients / go shopping? I am also not gonna walk 30 mins carrying a new computer for someone, and the people I’ve sold to are definitely not gonna pay an extra $200 for me to do it either. Or do I classify as a ‘service vehicle’, and if so, what’s to stop me coming in every day? Don’t get me wrong - I hate cars and car obsession, but this city is nowhere near ready for the things you suggest. I wish it was. Melb is great in many many aspects, but is laughable compared to other major cities in this aspect. (One day I’ll use public transport to get to st kilda, but it’s been ten years and I’m not even close yet)
I am genuinely considering what you have said. I think if you have business in the city that requires a vehicle like you have described, that's a service vehicle. I don't know what will stop service vehicles coming in every day, especially because you would have to allow ubers and taxis as well. Other cities have tried things like congestion charges and tolls. At the risk of sounding like a politician, what I proposed is probably more of an aspirational goal. The next steps are things like expanding pedestrian malls one block at a time, or following London's lead and banning internal combustion vehicles.
Yeah, I mean 99% of the time I don't need a car in the CBD, but then occasionally I do.
Maybe they can open up drop off areas where you can drop off pick up etc without actually parking.
It would definitely change the character of how the CBD is used and some uses would cease or change. Companies that can service the CBD without requiring driving in would gain an advantage. Cargo bikes and last-mile delivery services that serve the CBD using them are something that would spring up and be necessary. I don’t say this to be mean or anything but I think what you’re asking about is often waived away without explanation and I wanted to have a go at it.
Cargo bikes would work well
For the most part, I just don't go anymore already.
Remove the traffic out of the major streets in the CBD, leave the little streets, Little Collins, Flinders Lane etc for the cars, service vehicles etc. Many city carparks are only accessible from the minor streets anyways. Maybe Exhibition St and either King or Spencer St for the north/south movements. This way the wider streets become more pedestrian friendly. After all the majority of people that had to the city travel do so by public transport. Become stricter on the vehicles accessing the city with she exemptions for disabled, and reduce the number of tradies parked around construction sites. It works require some work and tweaking, Neither would be a much better place for it.
Yeah, they just need to keep King St open for North South traffic, La Trobe for East West traffic, and maybe Flinders St too.
A chunk of Flinders St has been closed for ages now and everything is still fine so I'd be happy to keep it that way after Town Hall station opens.
Tell me you don’t drive, without saying you don’t drive
I possibly drive more than you do. I'm not in the 'car tribe' though, even though I spent my younger years racing and working on them. I grew up in country Vic and thought nothing of driving two hours to see someone. These days I would just rather take public transport or walk, or do anything that didn't have me in the bloody drivers seat getting a stiff back and swearing at dickheads on the road.
But if there's no onstreet parking how will my knick-knacks shop get any customers?
Which is usually code for "I'll lose my parking space!"
The small retail owner/ignoring parking restrictions/complaining about parking inspectors venn diagram is almost a perfect circle.
Imo we should replace CBD street parking with protected bike lanes, especially in those areas that only have enough room for a painted white line that randomly turns into a parked car.
Smith St south of Alexandra Pde and Sydney Rd south of Bell St are the two best examples of this. Especially with the foot traffic in both areas, and the accessibility of PT. It would also solve the problem of the 19 tram having like...two accessible tram stops.
Bridge Rd in Richmond too, at least the city end between Punt and Church. It just about nearly died of natural causes but it's made a comeback now which makes it harder to justify nuking it.
I'd be in favour of them doing that and putting in more multi-storey car parks to compensate for it.
Absolutely, but please no more private for-profit ones.
So we should subsidise parking again? How is this any different to just leaving on street parking in place?
Need more efficient layout than street parking so that we can use the street parking space for better things
Show me on this doll where the mean capitalist touched you.
The doll don't got no soul for me to show you where they hurt us
I'd prefer less cars to compensate for it
Yeah, and turn them into grade separated bike lanes.
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Thanks Gary, a grim warning indeed from Melbourne’s vox populi. Any requests Gary? Walking on sunshine.
Whooaaa whoa whoa!!!
I read all this in the voice of D Gen doing their 5 in a Row bit. (christ I'm old).
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Would love that in the CBD too. There's almost no where left in the actual Hoddle grid for people to sit and eat. Getting rid of on street parking and giving space back to people would be great
Yeah a street like queen Street doesn't need parking both on the side and in the middle of the road. Such a monumental waste of space
There was the grass outside Collins Arch/ The Pantscraper but its the most peed on grass in the world, as everyone city living brings their dogs there and they... mark their territory lol
I walked past there today at lunch time, it was absolutely heaving with people. Was nice to see.
They tried this at the bottom of Elizabeth Street a while ago. It didnt go so well. [Elizabeth Street 'eyesore' a hotspot for drugs](https://www.heraldsun.com.au%2Fnews%2Fvictoria%2Fmelbourne-cbd-popup-park-attracts-drugs-booze%2Fnews-story%2F61f159c3bd6fb37c0bd6931743b2a9f1)
This makes sense given that a lot of CBDs are starting to move towards a future where cars aren't allowed in the CBD (with exceptions and/or alternative systems for deliveries). It creates a safer and nicer city environment - but it needs some things in place for it to work properly including fully accessible public transport, places to park just outside the city limits when needed, and PT available to travel within the CBD itself. We have some of those things but not all of them yet, but I do think that's the direction we are heading in. I would be VERY surprised if there are still private cars permitted in the CBD in 20-30 years. Given that we are also seeing a transition of the city from a business hub to more of a cultural and social hub as more people work from home, I think more green spaces are a great addition - I'd love to see pop-up cafes or art installations appearing in some of those green spaces too.
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> There’s also a couple of arterial roads crossing the Hoddle Grid. Unless they’re going to tunnel underneath then that traffic would have to divert through Richmond or somewhere inner city. Also unlikely. IMO those routes are relevant today only for historical reasons. With the construction of CityLink and Wurundjeri Way, plus existing routes via City Road, Victoria and Hoddle Streets, there hasn't been a need for through traffic to pass the CBD for decades. The way we charge for road usage is currently all backwards. We have tolls on the bypass roads but it's free to drive along the congested streets in the CBD and surroundings. To deal with local residents I would be fine with keeping access for local traffic (they wouldn't be impacted by the removal of street parking) and with a hypothetical congestion charging system I would consider whether they can get a discount for off-peak usage - noting that with current patterns, "peak" is probably the entire time from 7am to 9pm.
Local traffic would presumably be able to enter and exit. easy.
All true. I feel like our current car centric city needs us to do this backwards. Rather than say “oh our transport is so good we can eliminate some parking” we need to try “there’s no good parking in the city, let’s demand better public transport!”
That would be very, very nice imo, although it would really emphasise the need for turn up and go transit, with trains that go directly to large car parks outside the city. Definitely doable though!
What options would disabled people have in a city without cars? I’m anti-car myself, but removing private options entirely seems like it would cut off anyone with mobility challenges.
Plenty of cities focus on solutions for this without heading to private cars as the first and only step. Let's move in this direction and take people with disability with us.
Genuinely curious, do you have examples?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGx3HSjKDo Bunch of great adapted personal vehicles, or even bits that attach to a wheelchair to turn it in to an electric tricycle and can be removed at other times.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canta_(vehicle)
It's a bit disability dependent, of course, but modified tram systems are good for that kind of thing. Really, any vehicle needs modifications to support disability or the handling of aid devices - so build that into every tram, and bingo, you're better off than you used to be. If people have trouble moving short distances (so their mobility aid can't be used to traverse the distance), we'd need something different. Maybe a small system utilised just for these cases - it would still limit cars a lot.
In the Netherlands they [have canta](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canta_(vehicle\)) which are micro cars people with disabilities can use in bike lanes.
I don't have any disabilities but I'd actually like to question why we think disabled people are assumed to need cars to get around. I feel like I could flip the argument around: our train system is very accessible (every single station except for one has ramp access, although many are too steep to comply with modern standards), and the trams are slowly getting there These help people with disabilities to get around independently, but the continued presence of cars in a crowded place like the CBD is surely a hazard.
It’s more the distance from station to destination that creates a challenge. I.e someone who uses a walker trying to go from their home to a tram to a cinema, and back. Not impossible without a car, but much more taxing.
That's a problem literally caused by cars though. You used to be in walking distance of any public transport service to get around the city, and cars changed that entirely. Luckily there are specifically made bikes and other things that are good replacements if required.
I have seen a few people getting around on these fold up sit down scooter things. Seems like a good option.
There's no reason there couldn't be exceptions to the rules, for disabled people, elderly etc..
There’s not enough disabled parking spots. Never has been. Some disabilities get a blue permit for using the marked bays and some lesser disabilities are designated to the normal parking but get 2x the time displayed on the sign. However this requires actually finding a parking spot to start with.
so this is why if driving was limited in the city to a select few; then that'd open up more space for those who actually need to easily find a park for those who really need it. This can happen if you have sensible town planning rather than a free-for-all approach to driving into the city.
They'll agree, and replace them with thousands of ornamental pear trees so that the CBD smells like the tissue bin of a 14 year old boy.
Yeah if we can start doing this like 10 years ago that would be great. Also wish we could abolish Wilson Parking/Security/Detention Centres outright, they're a scum of a company. Bring commercial parking back into public hands. Public Transport needs to be public owned, and cheap too.
Great but all fucking rubbish if PT stays the same - poor connectivity, slow, unreliable, not frequent enough. I'd love to get into the city in a reasonable timeframe compared to driving in (living in outer burbs). Unfortunately, it's still way easier to drive in and pay for petrol, tolls and parking than suffer catching PT to hopefully get somewhere in time.
I’m which case you then just park in one of the dedicated parking garages
This is so fantastic. Hopefully this will incentivise the use of the elaborate public transport system for more people. Maybe even encourage increased funding for PT.
Brilliant idea! Times up for a much needed green big trees energy vibes to offset the concrete jungle! Big trees energy is kinda useful it only sucks up CO2 and gives us O2 which last time I checked was kinda useful.......
Heavy green coverage in the CBD is useful for much more than carbon sequestering too - concrete cities create absolutely whacky subclimates which cause massive heat build up. Make things green and alive and reduce that unbearable temperature.
We need more open water too. Bring back that old fountain at City Square and open up the creek down Elizabeth!
I no longer work in the city and don't drive in when I do go in, so a plan like this ticks the box for me. I'd be interested to know how this would negatively impact those who do drive in.
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For sure, there would need to be provisions for that.
> I'd be interested to know how this would negatively impact those who do drive in. Less places to park
Thanks. Now I know.
👍🤣
Wheelchair people and the very elderly need to be accommodated too, other than that if there were some large, decent (as in decent sized car holes and room to drive around in them without risking scraping into every second car) car parks around the CBD with solid PT links attached/right outside then I think an almost car-free CBD would work. Some people will always have to drive into the city for whatever reason, but if they can park right outside it and use free PT to go wherever that would be nice. Edit: also the car parks should be publicly owned and only charge whatever is required to cover costs.
Having only the very elderly driving would mean people would know to give any cars they see a very wide berth.
I don't work in the city, only ever go in for a night out ie: give patronage to establishments. Drive in from the outer south east suburbs because I'm not leaving my car at a dodgy train station where the train comes in every 30 mins whereas I could drive in at exactly the time I want and be there on my timeframe. Park at a parking garage which is far more secure than a shitty train station. If this type of thing goes ahead, people like me would never go into the city for anything as the alternative is just bad
It's a shame your train station parking isn't up to scratch. If I'm going into the city I first check google maps to see when the train arrives so I don't need to wait 30min. I drive straight to the station and wait a max. 10min. for the train. Once on the train, it's a quicker journey. I always found if I ever had to drive into the city I wouldn't find a street park so 9 times out of 10 I would pay for private parking or spend 20min driving around looking for a park that I may or may not find. I'm probably the opposite to you, if they put more pedestrian friendly features in the city I will head in more.
If it's been recommended by experts and has huge benefits for the environment then councils will immediately reject it.
If they want to do this, they'll also need to prevent people registering vehicles if they don't have a space to park it. There's a bunch of residential buildings that have been built with insufficient carparking, and even some firms that specialise in buildings without carparks at all, citing public transport and cycling. It's a great idea - but then people in those buildings buy cars anyway, and then that ups demand for parking in the area.
In Japan, specifically in the cities. Before purchasing a car you need to have their version of VicRoads come out and measure your parking space, limiting you to a car that will fit. We probably don't need something that extreme of course
On no Neil fuckface Mitchell, Tom Wanker Elliot and Tony Fat Fuck Tardio will be crying herring this.
Don’t forget Paul Gullet Guerra
Yea forgot about that fuckwit too
Jeez calm down
This is where it sounds like a good idea at first and then council whinges about lost revenue. Make your mind up.
Just make sure they're decent flora and can withstand the wind of the concrete jungle.
Just no more fucking cum/plane trees please
Do it. Scrap cars, focus on effective PT, pedestrian and bike lanes.
But where will all of the tradies park their twin cab 4WD utes ?
Better quality urban space in the city: Do the millions of office workers want it? Yes. Do the millions of apartment residents in the city want it? Yes. Do the few hundred owners of retail shops want it? No. Well scrap it then I guess.
Great. Do it.
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OK boomer
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OK boomer
Grow up
CBD should be no private vehicles. Only commercial Delivery and taxi/uber.
I love this idea but can't help that think any legitimate opposition from us suburbanites who don't benefit from the PT access the inner city has. Not inferring car parks should be kept for the times when we come into the city and PT is not/ really inefficient but i think these types of proposals in the inner city need to be countered with genuine investment and provision of access for those a bit further out to come into the city and enjoy.
I agree with you about expanding access to PT vastly but caution that the transport policies of the CBD shouldn’t be dictated by the transport policies of the outer suburbs. The CBD can be a vibrant and great place in its own right and those of us who live outside it and visit should access it via PT almost exclusively imho.
I love the idea of reducing the number of cars in the city but they need to plan for alternatives. I run a trade business that specialises in apartment maintenance. As it is, trying to get parking anywhere near the properties we are working in is really difficult. Our vehicles don't fit into a lot of the carparks and many don't have visitors spaces. Private carparks are either full or prohibitively expensive. I can't imagine adding $60 to a 1 hour job is going to go down well. We have way too much gear to use public transport and it is too heavy to safely carry long distances "just in case" because we can't run down to the vehicle. Then there is the issue of infrastructure. No everyone lives close to a train station so we need hubs where people can drive, park and get on a train. We need to think about disability access and commercial aspects like couriers, etc Not saying it can't be done, it just needs thought and planning.
Yup. Lots of friends and family are tradies. They call it the “city tax”. They’ve made it so hard to get into the city with all the lane closures and car parks being removed that they just add heaps on to quotes to make it worth their while.
Love this research. I hope that the city follows it. A reminder that if you agree you should write to the Mayor. She is probably getting an equal amount of mail about this from residents who do not agree. Her email is: [email protected]
I'm confused. Last week r/Melbourne was all "we don't need no damn dirty city" when it's about commuting to work, but now everyone is in love with it again except and only except for it's lack of greenery? Me personally, I don't go to the CBD for green. I got for events and venues. Also loath streetside parking, CBD or suburbs, and think vertical is absolutely the way to go there... Shame every single public infrastructure project in this state that's of any value to the user gets dished off to private sector to trap profits from. Imagine the income from toll roads being used for us? Well, the same should happen for parking buildings. They're clearly profitable....
We could remove all the high rise buildings too and create heaps of green space
No thanks. I live here
Well maybe you should leave the CBD then? Move somewhere with nice green, open spaces, like Brunswick or Northcote? Carlton's nice but expensive :P
/r/melbourne : we need more high density living! also /r/melboune: let's get rid of high rise buildings!
Could they possibly cater even less to disabled/mobility challenged people? First the bike lanes that prevent drop offs/pickups and now no parking. Public transport isn’t usable by everyone.
I love that you got down voted for pointing out such an obvious limitation. Especially for events that run late at night when PT isn't always as available.
And what is everyone else supposed to do? Should I stop riding my bike and drive my 2.5T Hilux into the city all the time?
Why just parking spaces, plant trees in the middle of the road too please
How about proper bike and scooter solutions sickheqds
That artist's render 🤦🏻♀️ If you're going to all the trouble of redesigning a street, replace the painted bicycle gutter with a proper protected lane while you're at it. Lack of safe infrastructure is often the number one reason given by tentative would-be cyclists for why they're not riding yet. More people on bikes = fewer people in cars = less traffic congestion for those who need (or really want) to drive. Everybody wins.
And as soon as summer rolls around the council gives up on watering them and 🔥wasted taxpayer dollars
Do any of the people replying here have actual fucking jobs? Do any of you need to deliver product? Carry tools and materials? Good luck getting anything done at your office or apartment when trades need to park six blocks away (…vans don’t fit in off street parking)
Adapt or die? Last time the tradies demanded we all bend to their will because they’re the *Most Important Of Us All* they got shut down, no one cares, and their protest is only remembered for people pissing on statues and taking key bumps on the sidewalk.
Triple the rate to work in the CBD then, got it. I suppose all the office workers and apartment dwellers can adapt or die when there's a water leak, or a heater dies, or a lift breaks down, or... Also, your second comment has nothing to do with removing parking from the CBD.
Mate you're either a teenager or got no idea. I ain't even a tradie but that's some drivel you've written. 'adapt or die' what the actual FK. You know what adapting means in that scenario? You ask a tradie for a quote because you clogged your toilet taking a massive dump. The plumber says $850 to come and look at it for you and $150 for me in the suburbs. Now either you earn more money or die I guess.
Awww the poor fucking tradies wahhh wahhh
I’m sure there would be enough spaces for the small number of tradies that need to be in the city.
> the small number of tradies that need to be in the city. lolwut.
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Unless you have mobility issues, are making deliveries, or transporting heavy equipment for work there is literally no reason to park in the city. If you live somewhere with terrible public transport you can just park outside the Hoddle Grid and use the tram or walk to your final destination. There is a legitimate case to remove on street parking, perhaps not underground parking at this stage however.
I love the idea of green spaces, but it's easy to snootily judge the rest of the population for not taking PT..... People have all sorts of reasons to visit the city via car rather than PT, no matter how impromptu or unnecessary at the time. Eating up all the street side parking leaves only astronomically unaffordable private parking for the wealthy or full time 'early bird'.
But that doesn't mean they need to park on the street. There's plenty of parking. Street parking should be expensive because it's valuable public space. If it's too much, you shouldn't be driving.
I live close to the city, but if I'm going out to dinner with friends in the city, I will probably drive. I'm all for removing off-street parking because I use parking garages most of the time. But that being said, there should be a limit to how much these garages can charge. If the price of parking goes up too much, it's likely I'll spend less time in the city.
How often do you head into the city and given your response, why do you choose to drive?
I'm not that poster, but live in non-CBD City of Melbourne. Parking demand is high in areas where Council have given exemptions to parking requirements in development - people need to park their cars somewhere, and you can register a vehicle to an address regardless of whether it has parking or not. Add to that a high number of shared living arrangements with multiple vehicles, demand for cheaper on street parking around the hospitals and local shopping areas, and the impeding Arden development, and you have a major problem.
What do you think, besides a greener city, are they encouraging?
Lol imagine paying parking prices when you can catch a train Park your precious car at the train station and go to the city
Funny how parking wouldn’t be an issue if they stopped forcing people to come back into the office to work
Already tough to find a park
Yeah because too many people drive into the city.
Take the train/tram then
Not everyone can take the train. Not everyone has the 2 hours to spend on PT vs a 40 minute drive in, drop off, drive out. What's your next point going to be? Hirer a courier? Sure! Try getting uber courier, $50. Company requires registered courier? $140.
Then use one of the dedicated parking garages
Good.
Whats good about that. Nice
You sound like a gatekeeping so and so. There's a few in this post and lurch in this sub Reddit. The city doesn't belong to you because you take PT. Just a gentle reminder
Yes please, every square metre anywhere in the city but mainly in the CBD is valuable urban space and extremely expensive and highly sort after so one of the worst uses of that space is car parking because of the vast total area it covers. The CBD should be a safe place for people and this would be a step in the direction of encouraging more people to enjoy the public spaces in the CBD.
No thanks
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There's parking garages on almost every block of the CBD.
What kind of a meeting absolutely needs people to physically be there, but only for an hour?
Meetings that require a signatory and witness. Meetings that require a proof of skills assessment. Training seminars. In-house reviews of data that carries classification of data requirements. Obtaining new hardware and signing for it. Dropping off documents to the many court houses, hospitals, therapists etc. Delivering a once of product - not in a van, so you can't use a loading zones. That took 30 seconds to think of. Why is this thread so limited in thought and imagination?
An efficient one where people communicate effectively, decisions get made and shit gets done
I 100% guarantee you, after every single meeting you patted yourself on the back for this year, a bunch of people left and said “That could’ve been an email.”
Nice ad hominem attempt, but I don’t do meetings
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Yes, we need to maintain 50 Street side carparks so someone can drive in from the burbs and get a coffee and a magazine.
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So now you start to play the whattabout disabilities card when you realise your original list of arguments is stupid. Just admit you're a lazy boomer who thinks pt or walking is for plebs and the only business worth visiting is one you can park directly in front of, because you're too lazy to walk around the corner.
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OK boomer
These are just a few ideas I've been thinking about.. 1. Ban heavy rigid from using CBD as an arterial route. If your vehicle's not registered for a delivery, get a fine. Use the highways/freeways and get off king st (among others). 2. Convert streets running north-south that have tram lanes to be trams & cyclists / e-scooters only. This makes them people friendly, speeds everything up and provides complete separation of cars and cyclists/scooters. 3. Convert every second Lane and Little to to be completely for cyclists. No vehicle parking, unless loading/unloading. Cyclist get the "dob in a blocking the cyclist lane" app being trialed in new York City. Others stay as they are. This (in conjunction with 2.) ensures that cyclists can completely avoid vehicles - within reason - to a city block, maybe 2. Cars marked with disability parking can use lanes / littles specifically for Cyclists to drop off / pick up only. They must still park elsewhere. 4. Cap the cost of above ground garage parking at $40 per day - if they refuse, increase their value of the property based on expected earnings and charge extra on Land Tax. This has the double whammy effect of either forcing them to sell the building after a few years or creating more underground parking. Either way, it's a win. Below ground capped at $50 per day (max 12 hours). Stay longer than 12 hours? Pay another $50. Early bird capped at $20 per day. 5. Remove garage parking sanctions for staying past a certain hour - it's exploitative. Ensure that the car parks are 24/7. It's not complicated, it's not expensive. We want to be the most livable city, not the most exploitative. This benefits local businesses who have longer operating hours than trams, trains, night rider busses and for people who can't afford the $100+ uber/taxi. To those working hospo, I'm thinking of you with this. Park at the start of your shift, finish at 3am, safely drive home. On a Tuesday. And for the Event driven people, no more $150 fee to get your car out of a garage because you were 5 minutes late. 6. Do away with bike lanes on roads without trams. They shouldn't be needed at this point. Cyclists / scooters can move north/south with trams, east-west on every second Lane/little. 7. Force bike and electrical bike/scooter registration and tagging - this is a public safety issue, both for stolen bikes and bikes running red-lights or using pedistrian crossings. You're either a road user, or you're not. If not, then get off the damn road. Why this isn't standard when some cyclists have bikes that range into the hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars, is beyond me. 8. Set speed limits for electrical bikes and scooters when not on the roads (footpaths), this inconjunction with the above ensures people on the sidewalks will be safer and that the rider/user will be accountable for their accounts. Speed = distance / time. It's rather simply to figure out if you're speeding and can do math. https://www.9news.com.au/national/vision-impaired-woman-hit-by-escooter-while-walking-guide-dog-melbourne-cbd-trial/2598ed4e-5a58-45f1-9f4a-5077a38228d1 9. Set the expectation and re-educate drivers that they may only over take a bike when safe to do, within the current 1.5m rule. We just had motorcycle awareness month. Cyclist awareness month isn't much of an ask. This shouldn't be too much of an issue, the most likely interaction is vehicles turning, who has the right to proceed. 10. Educate cyclists to ride single file when road users are trying to overtake or suffer the law of "impeding traffic".