i guess it’s time to start another good ol’ argumentative thread.
FORMER Liberal Party leader Robert Doyle is ahead in the race to become Melbourne’s next lord mayor. If he wins, it would pave the way for a battle over the future of Swanston Street, which the former Liberal leader has vowed to reopen to cars.
The result will come down to preference flows today, but the Victorian Local Governance Association’s Darren Ray said last night that Mr Doyle’s lead appeared unassailable.
well, it is probably just electioneering bullshit. it would be pretty hard to do.
it wouldn’t be the end of the world either,
if for example, they removed carparks from elizabeth st, and made some hardcore bike lanes, it would be a fair swap.
why don’t we do as the taxi drivers did that morning this year and protest for more bike lanes? or even the removal of cars. although MAYBE they will make the lights last longer for more speed :evil:
has anyone ever been pulled up by the coppers for speeding down swanstone?
swanston st is already open to cars
after 7pm rite?
and it’s open to lost tourists (and out-of-towners who can’t be bothered reading a million traffic control signs) driving with the map unfolded across the dash 24/7 :x
the swanston st walk was supposed to be no cars from victoria to bloody flinders
and thennn… they went what about the taxis, they’re importantt!
and thennn… tourbuses, they’re importanttt!
yada yada, a camel is a horse designed by committee, they should pave it with those nice smooth bluestone pavers all the way down. Mmm smooth.
The Melbourne City Council is pretty powerless in these issues. The MCC bureaucracy like most councils follow spring streets direction especially on major CBD streets. Councils are not really trusted to do much more than build gutters and give planning approvals for garages. Approve my fvcking job Yarra you lazy arses youve had it for over 6 months
If Doyle tries, he a) doesn’t have the support on council b)the ALP on spring street won’t let some Liberal Mayor get away with it.
If anything admitting that it really is open to cars and controlling the traffic properly would be more beneficial and safer than the current situation of denying it really is just a normal street with shit loads of cars.
My 2cents is to allow the cars back in but, make it so painful to drivers they don’t go down there. Paving, 20km/hr speed limit. Plus it would stop peds just stepping out. Believe it or not making a proper slow street out of it would be safer for all.
We should get together as many as possible, block up the same corner, take our shirts off (one may have his off already!) and bring the city to a standstill. I don’t see those lame arse advocacy groups like Bicycle Victoria or Critical Mass, or anyone else really, doing much.
The city needs at least one safe corridor for cyclists to get from one side to the other.
the basis of their argument is that there’s so many more residential properties in the CBD as compared to '92 when swantson street was “closed” to motor vehicles. thing is, if you live in the CBD how often do you need to drive to get around the CBD.
arguing with these clowns would be like arguing with a cerebral-amputee!
As much as I disagree with most of Mr Doyle’s policy’s, he does have a point about Swanston St in that he recognises that the current arrangement is dysfunctional and doesn’t work.
Obviously a blanket statement saying ‘reopen Swanston St’ is too simplistic, but I support the idea that Swanston St needs improvement.
Riding down Swanston St today is an absolute mess.
This is awsome, I’m going to sit on the corner of Flinders lane and Russ every afternoon and watch peeps trying to smash it up the hill, it will be like the mountain stages of the Tour!
I still think the grass they put down Swanston st in the early 80’s is the go. cant find the image though. In all honesty bring the cars back but make it like Acland St, so bloody painful no one will go down it.