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Traffic overhaul considered for Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is considering overhauling car and pedestrian traffic in the CBD to tackle population growth.

A file image of Flinders Street Station
The Melbourne City Council is proposing a car-free superblock in the CBD to avoid congestion. (AAP) Source: AAP

Car-free superblocks could be introduced in Melbourne's CBD to tackle population growth, and reduce overcrowding and congestion.

The zones, already used in Barcelona, could be introduced in parts of the CBD, with shared spaces prioritised for walking, cycling, residents' cars and deliveries, and speed limits reduced to 10km/h.

Other ideas include imposing a 30km/h speed limit for the city grid and reducing pedestrian light wait times, the City of Melbourne says.

"Pedestrian crowd crush is a big issue in Melbourne and with the number of people in our city set to grow by 50 per cent in the next 20 years, we need to think about how we address that," City of Melbourne Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley said in a statement on Thursday.

"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."

Reducing vehicle access in the CBD could also help prevent car attacks like the deadly rampages on Bourke and Flinders streets last year.

"Allocating the majority of space to cars when most people walk or take public transport is not sustainable. We are a walking city," Cr Frances Gilley said.


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Justin Sungil Park

Source: AAP




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