Building a cycling city
Elizabeth Street
A cycling city
The City of Melbourne is committed to creating a cycling city with a connected and safe bicycle network. Elizabeth Street is one of many routes to be upgraded as part of the City of Melbourne’s Bicycle Plan 2012-16.
Elizabeth Street is an important entry point to the central city for bicycle riders. Although there are no dedicated bike lanes, surveys indicate that the section of Elizabeth Street between Queensberry Street and the Haymarket roundabout is a popular route with cyclists because it connects the city to existing bike lanes on Royal Parade and Flemington Road. This section also links to Queensberry Street which has excellent east-west bicycle facilities.
Approved bike lane design
Premium kerbside physically separated on-road bicycle lanes have been approved in Elizabeth Street between Queensberry Street and theHaymarket roundabout(which is located at the intersection of Royal Parade, Flemington Road and Peel Street). This will be achievedby convertingangled parking to parallel parking and will subsequently result in a reduction of the total number of ‘2P-Ticket’ spaces in the street. Attachment 2 summarises the proposed on-street parking arrangements.
The design of the bicycle lanes will be similar to the bike lanes on Swanton Street north, andhave been designed to have no impact on the existing traffic capacity of Elizabeth Street. The bike lane will be provided adjacent to the footpath and will be separated from the parking bays by the construction of a 1.0m wide physical concrete island.
The design increasesthe separation between cyclists and parked cars and between cyclists and moving traffic. This will encourage new and less confident cyclists and reduce the substantial number of accidents involving cyclists and opening car doors.
Artist impression: Elizabeth Street bike lane at Queensberry Street looking north towards the roundabout.
Timing
The construction worksare expected to begin inFebruary 2014 and take about 8 weeks to complete.
Frequently asked questions
Why are bicycle lanes needed?
There are high numbers of cyclists using Elizabeth Street because it connects to the Royal Parade and Flemington Road bicycle routes and off-road bicycle routes through Royal Park and along the Upfield Railway Line. Surveys of bicycle volumes were used to determine the need for improved facilities. Surveys found that approximately 300 cyclists per hour used the route to travel southbound into the city during the morning peak. The route also has relatively high usage during the day and on weekdays due to its connections with the Queen Victoria Market and universities.
What will the bicycle lanes look like?
The physically-separated bike lane sections will be two metres wide and be separated from parked cars with one metre wide physical concrete islands. Green paint will also be used near intersections and driveways to alert entering and exiting motorists to cyclists.
Will ticket/meter parking be affected? What is the parking demand?
The existing 60 degree angled parking will be converted to parallel parking to install a bicycle lane and maintainthe existing traffic capacity.
The proposal will reduce the on-street parking spaces in the section of Elizabeth Street between Haymarket Roundabout and Queensberry Street from 76 spaces to41 spaces. The capacity of loading zones and disabled spaces will be roughly maintained and therefore the “2P-Ticket” spaces will be reduced from 63 spaces to 30 spaces.
Surveys of the “2P-Ticket” spaces on a weekday market day and a Saturday market dayhave found this ticket parking has a maximum occupancy of 26 parked vehicles on a weekday and 31 parked vehicles on a Saturday. The provision of 30 parallel ticket parking spaces willgenerally cover peak demands throughout the week.
How will I get deliveries?
Deliveries should not be affected because the number of loading zones will be roughly maintained. The proposed on-street parking spaces are summarised in Attachment 2.
I drive though this section of Elizabeth Street. Will travel time be affected?
No, all lanes of traffic will be maintained throughout the day. Travel time should not be affected.
Will the bike lanes be extended between Queensberry Street and Victoria Street?
The City of Melbourne is still determining the best bike lane design to be implemented south of Queensberry Street. You will receive further correspondence about this.
Further information
The first round of consultation about the bike lanes was completed last year and the design is now finalised for the section between Haymarket Roundabout and Queensberry Street. If you have any further comments on how we may assist your business or propertyto accommodate the changes we would be happy to discuss them with you. This may include providing some form of parking restrictions on Saturday afternoons or Sunday’s to increase parking turnover and increase the likelihood of a visitor obtaining a parking space. Please call Ms Nicole Broekmanor Mr Andrew Cron on 9658 8711 if you would like to discuss anything further.
ATTACHMENT 1 – Proposed bike lane
Building a cycling city
Elizabeth Street
ATTACHMENT 2 – Proposed parking and bike lane
Docs # 7919489