50 car parks to go

The City of Melbourne is proposing to remove all diagonal car parking from Kavanagh St and replace it with parallel parking – a move questioned by the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA).

The decision to remove 50 car parks is part of the council’s transport strategy for Southbank, which will see new separated bicycle lanes installed on both sides of Kavanagh St.

The plan to transform Kavanagh St has long been earmarked as part of the council’s master plan for City Road, in an effort to divert cyclists from Southbank Promenade via Balston St and through to new designated bike lanes on Southbank Boulevard.

The Melbourne Bicycle User Group (MBUG) last year surveyed local residents in Southbank on the new bike lanes, which resulted in a proposal to remove 15 diagonal parks between Power St and Southbank Boulevard; a proposal supported by SRA.

However, council’s new proposal, which it started consulting residents on this month, would see all angled parking removed between Balston St and Southbank Boulevard – a move questioned by SRA president Tony Penna.

“I am not sure a 50-park reduction is beneficial to the community’s needs,” he said. “While I am in support of a safer cycling experience for our cyclists, I would like to hope there is another way forward.”

With Boyd Park and stage one of Melbourne Square to be completed later this year, Mr Penna said removing all parking was not consistent with the community’s vision to transform Kavanagh St into a central street.

He said SRA believed it would be beneficial to keep angled parking available on the southern side of Kavanagh St out the front of Melbourne Square.

“We will probably start to see the ground floor apartments become spaces of boutique consulting and retail business. If this is the case, then more rather than less street parking would be needed,” Mr Penna said.

To read Tony Penna’s full insights into the proposed changes, read his regular column in this edition.

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