Radical plan to drive cars from key roads

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/radical-plan-to-drive-cars-
from-key-roads/2008/03/03/1204402365134.html

Traffic in Darebin's areas will be taken off major shopping strips
such as Northcote's High Street and funnelled onto "strategic
corridors".

SPEED limits will be dropped on key routes, lanes removed and traffic
lights changed to favour public transport and pedestrians under a new
strategy for Melbourne's inner north to be launched by Public
Transport Minister Lynne Kosky today.

Darebin Council's new transport plan — the first in Melbourne to
explicitly give priority to trams, pedestrians and cyclists on key
roads — could lead to the removal of clearways on some routes in a
bid to discourage drivers.

The plan places the council on a potential collision course with
VicRoads, which last night dodged questions on whether it would allow
clearways to be removed to support the strategy.

Under the council's plan, major shopping strips such as Northcote's
High Street would be targeted for clearway removal. Left-turn "slip
lanes" could also be removed to discourage cars, and parking fees
could go up.

The plan would be to funnel the overflow traffic onto already choked
"strategic corridors", including St Georges, Plenty and Grange roads.

Public transport, pedestrians and bicycles would be given priority
over cars on other major roads.

"It's about moving people rather than moving cars," said Darebin
councillor Peter Stephenson, who worked on a committee guiding the
plan that also included VicRoads director Ted Vincent and the
Government's public transport director, Jim Betts.

The strategy seeks to "decrease the attractiveness of the car through
reduced priority and other travel demand management techniques".

Ms Kosky will launch the strategy this morning. It also argues that
bicycles should be allowed on trams and buses — a contentious topic
in the wake of the State Government's abandoned attempt to ban bikes
from trains during peak hours.

The strategy would "set the wheels in motion" for future transport
initiatives, Ms Kosky said. "In planning for public transport, it is
important to ensure transport services reflect the changing travel
patterns of the community," she said.

Other councils across Melbourne, including Maroondah, Manningham and
Whitehorse, are working with VicRoads on similar transport plans.

Planning Institute president Jason Black said the local policy was a
positive — if small — step in the right direction if Melbourne wanted
to reduce its reliance on cars and move towards more sustainable
modes of transport.

"Any initiative that changes the focus from purely car-based planning
is a good thing," he said. "If we don't do this, we will never get
any closer to planning communities that are for people and not just
cars."

But Melbourne needed much bigger transport initiatives than just local
ones, he said.

Both state and federal governments needed to fund public transport
initiatives if cycling and walking were to be anything but marginal
forms of transport.

"The big answer on transport is not just local policies like this,"
he said.

"It's about matching state and federal funding with big infrastructure
plans."

Darebin's plan follows a more revolutionary scheme launched by Bendigo
Council last year that followed an overseas trend in urban design
dreamed up by Dutch urban designer Hans Monderman in the 1970s.

Bendigo's $16 million city centre makeover, to start later this year,
narrows spaces for cars in a bid to return the town's ultra-wide
streets to walkers and cyclists. All "visual signals" that streets
are for cars first — street signs and traffic lights — will be
removed and footpaths dramatically expanded in a bid to turn Bendigo
into Australia's first "walking city".

*******************

Also, here's part of Radio host Neil Mitchells response to the City
of Darebins excellent initiative:

http://www.woj.com.au/audio/3YawN_nm_darebin1.mp3

Running time: 16 minutes

It's actually rather hard going if you decide to listen to it,
although it's worth listening to the 6-8 minute mark where he gets
his comeuppance from a fellow cyclist.