The shared vision shaping the future of Racecourse Rd

The City of Melbourne and Moonee Valley City Council are calling for Racecourse Rd to be downgraded as a major arterial road to allow for the creation of a safer transport corridor. 

The neighbouring councils have worked together to create the Racecourse Road Strategic Improvements Plan that aims to both improve transport movements along the strip and create a vibrant place where businesses and communities can thrive.

However, to allow for the road to undergo all the changes that are outlined within the plan, both councils are advocating to the state government for its function to be downgraded. 

According to the plan, by no longer functioning as an arterial road, more road space could be used to balance its use as a tram and cycling corridor, as well as a major activity centre. 

At the September 3 Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting where the plan was unanimously endorsed, Cr Davydd Griffths said that Racecourse Rd needed to be “properly addressed”.

Cr Griffiths believes that due to the increased residential and public housing developments along the road, including in the nearby Macaulay Precinct, the “future is now” and the road must be changed to suit the needs of the community. 

Informed by the Racecourse Road Strategic Improvement Discussion Paper that went through community consultation earlier this year, the plan establishes a vision and high-level directions for future upgrades along the corridor. 

The two councils will collaborate on the planning and delivery of actions to green and activate the area, as well as make the road safer for commuters, pedestrians and cyclists. 

But for longer-term actions such as implementing separated bike lanes and upgrading public spaces, the road’s arterial function needs to be downgraded according to the plan.

Additionally, in the short- to medium-term future, both councils will advocate for changes that could be implemented within the current constraints of Racecourse Rd. 

The advocacy priorities include a review of speed limits, improved public transport accessibility and the delivery of more raised side street crossings.

While both councils responsible for the strategic improvement plan endorsed it unanimously, Cr John Spiek from the City of Moonee Valley admitted to not supporting everything that it has set out to achieve.

At an August 27 meeting, he expressed his concern about reducing the number of lanes on Racecourse Rd, arguing that doing so would cause a bottleneck through the suburbs and called for a comprehensive traffic study before anything progressed. 

Fellow Moonee Valley Cr Rose Iser said that from a trader’s perspective, Racecourse Rd was an unsafe thoroughfare that doesn’t provide any real benefit for locals. 

“We have a responsibility to make sure that they have access to the very best provisions in terms of particularly public transport, but also safe transport,” Cr Iser said. 

To ensure that the strategic improvements plan is rolled out effectively, both councils have requested that a Racecourse Road Implementation Plan be created by February 2025.

This plan would include preferred timelines for each of the council actions and advocacy positions, specific advocacy actions and a proposed capital works program that would begin in July 2025. 

Speaking at the September 3 FMC meeting, outgoing Cr Rohan Leppert said that it was vital to create a plan for Racecourse Rd that implemented what both councils had set out to achieve. •