Construction of Arden St riding lanes under way

As a part of its riding lane program, the City of Melbourne has begun installing separated lanes in Arden St in North Melbourne. 

The start of works in late June comes after the Department of Transport and Planning approved the Arden St design plans earlier this year, with works expected to take around five months to complete. 

The new riding lanes will stretch three kilometres from Moonee Ponds Creek to Wreckyn and Chetwynd streets, connecting to the riding lanes on Abbotsford St and the Capital City Trail. 

The implementation of the lanes aligns with the Arden Precinct Structure Plan and will provide a safe and sustainable route to Metro Tunnel’s new Arden Station, which is set to open in 2025. 

In the project Works Notice that was released in June 2024, the City of Melbourne said the lanes would be installed next to the footpath, protected from traffic by kerbs and parking bays. 

Due to this, road lanes will be reduced from two to one in both directions. However, the existing traffic lane layout will remain the same at most intersections.

To provide space for the project, there will be changes to the layout of the parking bays, including the removal of 40 bays. This means that 204 parking spaces will be retained within the three-kilometre stretch. 

Following community consultation on the proposed plans in May 2023, a survey that was held via Participate Melbourne revealed that 87 per cent of the 407 respondents supported it. 

The key considerations that community members raised were to prioritise safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers, reduce traffic and congestion, make riding accessible for people of varying abilities and reduce emissions and pollution. 

However, 22 per cent of community members were concerned by the loss of parking and 18 per cent by the increased traffic congestion.

While the lanes are being constructed, the council said that community members could expect works to take place between 7am and 5pm Monday to Friday, with occasional overnight and weekend work required.

Nearby properties will be notified ahead of the works starting, pedestrian, car and bike access on Arden St will be maintained at all times and access to driveways will be maintained most of the time. 

The council is also looking to begin constructing new bike lanes on Queensberry St during mid- to late-2025. 

However, the implementation of these lanes will not begin until appropriate amendments are made in light of the results from the community consultation that ended in August of this year. 

In the proposed design, the council plans to reinstate Queensberry St to one traffic lane in each direction and deliver safer and better-connected riding lanes from Peel St to Rathdowne St.

Within this section, traffic lanes will be reduced in both directions and 50 parking bays will be removed to make way for the new protected bike lanes. 

The proposed design incorporates a range of design features to ensure cyclists are provided with the safest possible riding lanes. 

They will include protection at intersections, flexible bollards, gaps closed in median islands, concrete separator kerbs and islands, widened footpaths, vehicle hook turn boxes and green surface treatment at selected locations. 

There will also be new zebra crossings installed on O’Connell and Berkeley streets, while 57 new trees are proposed to be planted as part of the council’s Urban Forest Strategy. •