Countdown to No BUSES in Swanston Street

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Permalink Reply by RobE on October 21, 2008 at 2:05pm

November 24 is the deadline, mentioned in the Age here

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Permalink Reply by Sonya Everard on November 10, 2008 at 12:14pm

Just off the phone with Melbourne City Council regarding buses out of Swanston Street.

They report that they are on schedule to remove any " business that operates a business from the street ". They said that this covers all sizes of buses no just full size coaches.

There are some works that needs to be done to prepare the alternative site for pickup/drop off. These works are considered minor and hasn't been schedule because the alternative site is still being decided. Their first option is the rear of Fed Sq. Failing agreements that need to be reached between Fed Sq and the tour operators the laternative site will be near Melbourne Goal.

The decision is likely to be made in the next few days and we can expect to see the works proceed and completed by November 24th.

COUNTDOWN to NO BUSES in Swanston Street - 14 days.

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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on March 18, 2009 at 1:51pm

It's taking longer. Obviously.

I've added a bold emphasis to three words below. Found them yet?

The Age: Swanston St options stuck between cars and a bike lane

SWANSTON Street could become a one-kilometre pedestrian mall with footpaths extending to tram tracks and a ban on all cars - and potentially bicycles - under plans to be considered by the Melbourne City Council.

The council has released seven options for the road, ranging from a return of all cars to the removal of all vehicles except trams.

As The Age reported last month, one option would see tram tracks separated to allow a cycling lane in the middle. This option appears the least likely to be adopted, costing well over $20 million and being unpopular with Bicycle Victoria and Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

Cr Doyle has advocated a return of all cars to Swanston Street but lacks the support of a majority of councillors. Yesterday he said he was open to persuasion on alternatives.

The options have been drawn from a series of meetings involving about 30 groups such as RMIT University, Melbourne construction company Grocon, State Government departments, the RACV, Bicycle Victoria and retailers. The costs start at $3 million.

Jason den Hollander, of Bicycle Victoria, said his organisation preferred option six - to create a 1.1-kilometre mall between Flinders and Franklin streets, to be shared by cyclists. He said the seventh option - to create the mall and ban cyclists - would not work: "Where would we ride?"

Two of the options would see Swanston Street vary development in different locations. In high pedestrian areas, near RMIT, as well as near Bourke and Collins streets, for example, the road would be closed to cars and the footpath would extend to the tram lines.

In some options, indented parking bays would be created for delivery and service vehicles, leaving a clear path for cyclists or traffic.

The report also suggests removing taxis or restricting their access to night time, but Victoria Taxi Association spokesman David Samuel said taxis should be allowed to remain on Swanston Street at all times to meet public demand and to cater for people with disabilities.

Richard Evans, of the Australian Retailers Association, said Swanston Street traders would support options that increased pedestrian traffic as long as provisions were made for deliveries.

Now, all traffic is allowed on Swanston Street between 7pm and 7am. During the day, access is restricted to trams, cyclists, taxis, delivery and service vehicles and tour buses.

Tour buses are due to leave the street for Federation Square by March 31. Councillors are due to consider the report on Swanston Street options on that day. Staff have recommended all alternatives go out for public consultation. A decision on the options is not expected until later this year, possibly in July.

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Permalink Reply by RobE on March 18, 2009 at 2:40pm

What it could be - Rua Flores Curatiba Brasil

Tas Govt is working on how shared space will improve liveability and access for all users here.
many studies and projects are available for example to show process and success, a few are http://www.carfree.com/book/introduction.html, here and here.

We can learn a lot from the Dutch "Woonerf"... Woonerf is a Dutch word that translates roughly as "street for living," and refers to Dutch traffic engineer the late Hans Monderman's innovative and increasingly popular contribution to urban design: a streetscape stripped of lane markers, curbs, sidewalks, zebra crossings and other obvious boundaries denoting spaces meant for single forms of transportation. While at first blush such an experiment would seem to make the street more dangerous for its users, the woonerf actually ensures increased safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike, because of how the ambiguous design mixes otherwise discrete user groups.
The experts around the world on this topic generally consider their guru as Jan Gehl... The Places for People study done by JG in 2004 has been worled on but much still needs to be done and do we have to invent a better mousetrap ( again ...thinks MYKI debacle has a familiar ring)... so why is Melbourne City Council procrastinating and even botherring with any aspect of Robert Doyle's " out of touch with modern needs realities" here?... The Future Melbourne plan proclaims it a " city for people " , that means, in most sensible minds, moving at a human pace, not motorised, bring all transport modalities where humans interact back to a human pace, that means , removing tourist bus pick ups from dominant human occpied space, removing delivery vehicles from dominant human occupied space and removing taxis from dominant human occpied space... taxis for example do NOT have to have access to or need to enter Swanston Street to drop off or pick mup passengers as " claimed" by their spokesperson today... there already exist node streets (eg: Estern side Burke St )handy to the Malls where taxis can enter and leave without accessin Swanston but still in close reach of disabled and other passenger prospects.
A share bike scheme will do much to alleviate the need for most motorised vehicles in the inner city, with human pace bicycles and public transport trams and underground rail able to handle all other passenger movements( if the govt was serious about supporting PT).

IMHO the private car doesnt figure in a " Future Melbourne" that is liveable, successful, viable and prosperous... its like taking a highway that runs through a town and building a bypass road around that town ... the town thrives afterwards as rather than being an inhospitable thoroughfare it becomes a welcoming attractive destination....a place that accomodates humans at a human pace in a human way.
woonerf

woonerf

Robert Doyle your task is ( if you are willing to accept it)... embrace best practice, face the new world needs for Melbourne and forget cars in your scheme of things...humans come first, human pace means of getting around allow that to happen. Mr Doyle look at adopting the best of the "Woonerf" and we will have a Melbourne to be proud of, one that is safe, attractive, and one that beckons. How woonerful might that be!

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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on March 18, 2009 at 5:27pm

Swanston Street redevelopment consultation

The City of Melbourne is about to lead an extensive community consultation to review and develop best solutions for the future of Swanston Street.

The consultation will help Melbourne City Council make an informed decision about the street’s future use.

A report looking at options for the street will be considered by Council on Tuesday, 31 March and then opened to the community for comment.

Download the Redevelopment of Swanston Street report (PDF, 15MB) Please note: this is a large file.

The report currently covers six options. A seventh option has been requested which would consider re-allocating bikes from Swanston Street to an alternative route. This option will be presented at the Council meeting on 31 March.

The seven options include managing existing arrangements and redevelopment options from re-opening the street to traffic through to further pedestrianisation.

Pending Council’s endorsement of the report on 31 March, the community consultation will commence in early April 2009 and conclude on 8 May 2009.

Register your details here to be notified of the commencement of the consultation

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