The City of Yarra was once—for a while—Australia’s most bike-friendly council, and now there is a chance it can get the title back again.
The City has launched a community consultation for its first ever community vision and says it wants Yarra to be the “best it can be" by 2035.
That can only mean one thing—a return to leading the nation in bike-friendly-ness.
"This is a once-in-a-generation chance to make your mark on this special place we all love,” the council says.
"It’s also an opportunity to challenge some traditional ideas about how we live, work and play – particularly as we move into a post-COVID world.
"We want to hear from as many people as possible. Whether you live in Yarra, own a business, work here or just like to visit sometimes – your voice matters.”
Five issues are highlighted: Sharing our streets; Resilience; Spaces and places; Our people; We’re different.
"Yarra’s inner-city location provides us with great access to public transport and our bustling activity centres. This also means we have limited room on our streets for bike lanes, wider footpaths or street trees,” the council says.
"Changes will be necessary to combat urban heat in our streets. New services and technology like ride sharing, electric vehicles and driverless cars will all impact how we travel.
"Our transport habits may even change in a post COVID-19 world.
"Bike riding becomes more popular and more available to a broader range of people as we create safer streets to encourage more people to ride.
"We do recognise that bike riding is not an option for everyone, and in many locations adapting our streets will require removal of car parking or other compromises."
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