The City of Melbourne has floated the prospect of closing Flinders Lane to traffic.
The City’s draft budget for 2026–27 proposes funding for a trial closure of the street between Swanston and Degraves streets.
The aim is part of Melbourne's long-underway project to improve the attractive of the central city streets and make them more accessible to people walking and riding bikes.
This section of Flinders Lane is particularly dense with pedestrians, logistics vehicles and private cars trundle through consistently, and the one-way west bound route is a vital connection for those on bikes.
The challenge will be how the various interests will be balanced and managed post-closure.
The timing of the proposal is a shock as this section of the street was just recently remade as part of the Metro Tunnel construction of an entrance to the new Town Hall Station.
The new configuration of the street, with wider footpaths on the south side, was designed at the request of the city council.
Now, just a few months later, they have a new idea: make the road the same level as the footpath so that pedestrians have full roam over the street.
Melbourne’s small streets are important for bike commuters: many of the bike parking facilities for office buildings are accessed from the minor streets.
And while the city authorities are still some distance from completing the long-promised network of formal network of bike routes to and through the city centre, riders will continue to rely heavily on routes such as Flinders Lane.
At least the draft budget does contain funding works on some of the connections, including completion of Exhibition Street and the upgrade to Rathdowne Street.
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