Starting with Flinders Lane, the City of Melbourne Is Making the CBD's 'Little' Streets More Pedestrian-Friendly
Giving pedestrians priority across numerous 'Little' CBD streets and laneways, this infrastructure announcement aims to boost retail and hospitality activity.
Several of the CBD's busiest strips will soon be a lot more pedestrian-friendly, as the City of Melbourne has just announced a $5-million plan to make several thoroughfares more walkable, starting with Flinders Lane.
As reported in The Age, the soon-to-begin works will raise the road to the same level as the footpath, while adding cobblestone sections to provide passive obstacles that slow traffic. Yet the pedestrianisation of Flinders Lane is just the beginning.
Once works are completed, the council will turn its attention to the rest of Melbourne's "Little" streets: Collins, Bourke and Lonsdale. Plus, popular laneways, including Liverpool Street and Crossley Street, will become pedestrian-first. The news follows another CBD infrastructure announcement, with $2 million budgeted for decorative lighting that reenergises key areas of the city.
"The little streets of Melbourne will become people-first, and we will be making the investment in infrastructure to deliver on that," said Lord Mayor Nick Reece to The Age. "It's very much designed to slow all the cars right down, make it very much a pedestrian priority zone."
Meanwhile, the City of Melbourne will also trial closing specific streets to car traffic at different times of the day. As it stands, Little Collins Street is closed to traffic daily from 12-2pm. With CBD foot traffic declining in recent years, pedestrianisation is aimed at boosting retail and hospitality economic activity.
"The evidence is really clear: pedestrianisation of city streets, when done well and when done in the right locations, delivers a massive economic uplift," said Reece. "That's why from New York to London to Sydney, we are seeing this happen, and Melbourne is not going to be left behind."
Changes to make Flinders Lane more pedestrian-friendly are expected to be completed in 2026. Head to The Age for more information.
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