East Melbourne residents call for traffic mitigation works to come to a halt

With a 30 km/h speed limit on the cards and the rollout of new zebra crossings under way in East Melbourne, the leafy suburb is no stranger to traffic mitigation.

However, residents are calling for the works to halt, labelling them “unnecessary” and informed by “inadequate” consultation.

Earlier this year, Inner City News reported that there was community division over the City of Melbourne’s proposal to install zebra crossings and several speed humps along Powlett St, as well as one at the intersection of Simpson and George streets.

However, with the works now in progress, community pressure has continued to build, with more than 100 residents signing a petition to immediately stop the installation of speed humps, associated road markings, and multiple street signs at various intersections in East Melbourne.

The petition also calls for the council to undertake better community engagement, as the current changes are being rolled out based on a community consultation process in 2022 that received only 31 submissions.

Luke Martin is leading the campaign to halt the works, believing they have been rushed, are unnecessary, and have turned East Melbourne into a “signpost forest”.

“It’s certainly upset a number of local residents. I’m very disappointed in the outcome and now that it’s happened, people are saying, ‘We didn’t know it would be this bad.’ That makes me seriously question how thorough the community consultation really was,” he said.

“The rollout isn’t finished, so we asked the council to stop and reassess whether it even needs to continue. I suspect public sentiment has shifted significantly now that people can see what’s actually going on.”

East Melbourne is already very well looked after. Honestly, I feel a bit embarrassed – millions being spent here when so many of us didn’t want it.

Mr Martin noted that there were suburbs in greater need of infrastructure and road safety improvements, drawing attention to other parts of the city such as North and West Melbourne.

In September, a young cyclist reportedly died in a crash involving a truck near the intersection of Macaulay Rd and Rankins Rd on a Monday afternoon, close to Kensington train station.

This follows several other cyclists who have died or been seriously injured in collisions with trucks in recent years in Melbourne, including Angus Collins who was hit by a truck in West Melbourne.

Victorian Greens Leader and local Melbourne MP Ellen Sandell said separated bike lanes must be installed on Macaulay Rd as a matter of urgency, and called on the City of Melbourne to urgently review the safety of the Rankins Rd and Macaulay Rd intersection.

However, despite the council approving funding for separated bike lanes along Macaulay Rd every year since 2021, the lanes have been consistently delayed due to the Victorian Government’s Department of Transport not approving them.

The corner of Arden and Leveson streets in North Melbourne is another hotspot for accidents. Residents have raised concerns that, without safety measures in place, cyclists and drivers are at serious risk of injury or death.

Mr Martin believes all levels of government should work together to identify the most urgent areas for traffic mitigation works.

“There are suburbs crying out for infrastructure and road safety improvements,” he said. “In my opinion, East Melbourne didn’t need this money spent in this way. It just wasn’t necessary.”

“I was unaware of any data – or even community anecdotes – suggesting East Melbourne had a major pedestrian safety issue. If there were constant incidents, that would be different, but I haven’t seen any evidence of that.” •