ad

Changes ahead for City Road

Changes ahead for City Road

The City of Melbourne (CoM) is taking the first tentative steps towards a City Rd Masterplan, speaking to stake holders and the community, before developing a draft plan to formally present for consultation.

Boyd Community Hub will play host to CoM officers for a week in February to gauge the community’s experiences of City Rd.

The City Rd Consultation will run from Monday, February 24 through to Saturday, March 1. The officers will be there from 8.30am – 7pm on Monday-Thursday, 8.30am – 2pm on Friday and 10am – 2pm on Saturday.

The ideas presented in this community engagement will no doubt help guide the draft City Road Master Plan, which the council said it would release later this year.

2010’s Southbank Structure Plan outlines the need to redevelop City Rd for both road users and the general Southbank community.

In the structure plan council identifies City Rd as “a street that caters predominantly for local traffic movements” and, as such, it wants to make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

It has long been acknowledged by locals that no matter where the traffic on City Rd comes from, it acts more as a freeway than a local thoroughfare and is, for the most part, unsuitable for cyclists and pedestrians.

A CoM spokesperson said the City Road Masterplan was about getting the balance of usage right.

“CoM is leading the development of a City Road Masterplan that aims to better balance the road’s two key roles as both an important transport link and a people-friendly place,” the spokesperson said.

No doubt this refers to increasing the people-friendly side of the equation. Clearly the CoM understand that Southbank’s growing population will force the need of locals to be able to claim the street as their own.

“City Rd is one of our city’s major arterial roads. Stretching 2 km, it is an important traffic link but also acts as the main street for the growing Southbank neighbourhood,” the spokesperson said.

“With Southbank’s residential population expected to reach an estimated 74,000 by 2040, a significant increase on the existing 10,500, there is increased need and opportunity to improve the road,” the spokesperson added.

“Before we develop a draft masterplan, we will be speaking with the community and key stakeholders about what issues they face along City Rd and what opportunities they see to improve their experience.”

CoM will develop the masterplan in conjunction with VicRoads, with whom it shares responsibility for City Rd.

The draft is expected by mid-2014.

As well as the consultation at Boyd Community Hub, you can find out more and have your say online at participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au

What changes to City Rd would you like to see? How can the road be made more user friendly?

Let us know via our Facebook page (Southbank Local News) or on Twitter (@SOUTHBANK_News) or emails us ([email protected]).

Join our Facebook Group
ad