Yarra For Safe Streets: rally at Richmond Town Hall, Tuesday 8 April 2025
Bicycle Network: Yarra City flubs Elizabeth St vote: ‘In a shambolic meeting on Tuesday 8 April, a majority of Yarra City councillors rejected the officers’ recommendation for 2.1m wide bike lanes on Elizabeth Street. Mayor Jolly dismissed the officers’ designs in favour of alternative concepts that may have been grudgingly acceptable 20 years ago but do not follow contemporary design or safety guidance.’
Elizabeth Street protected lanes: after almost two and a half hours of public submissions, the Mayor introduced an amended motion on the Elizabeth Street that no one, other than his own circle, had seen beforehand.
The motion appears to be a variation on Option 3, but with even narrower buffers. The Risks/Issues of Option 3, in the officer report, included the following: ‘In the event of an incident Council could be seen as liable legally unless it can demonstrate that the installation of non-compliant infrastructure is justified’
Of note, this amended motion bypasses the standard community engagement process and thus violates council policy, as well as officer’s request to include a preferred Plan B if Department of Transport and Planning approval is not granted.
Coppin Street protected lanes: the Mayor announced that this item would be deferred, and only when prodded by Cr Wade did he let community members who had waited several hours to speak make their submissions. The conservative “independent” Councillors then voted, on seemingly no grounds, to defer the item to council’s May 2025 meeting (the agenda for which will be here in a few weeks). This means the successful trial infrastructure upgrades, which the Mayor has previously promised to make permanent, are delayed, and the future of the cycling corridor survey remain in doubt.
What many in the audience at Richmond Town Hall found appalling was the Mayor’s never ending verbal attacks, attacking public submitters, talking back to them, belittling them, diminishing their contributions.
People walked out in disgust, to the delight of the Mayor, who couldn’t contain his glee at their reaction.
It was beyond unacceptable and the Yarra community and relevant authorities must stop brushing his bullying behaviour aside.
People who attended Richmond Town Hall on Tuesday 8 April 2025 witnessed firsthand that their stories didn’t matter, their families didn’t matter, their joy at being able to ride and travel without fear didn’t matter.
Importantly North Richmond’s Vietnamese community told their stories too – from concerns about the demolition of the public housing towers, to feelings of safety in the neighbourhood, to the desire for more parking on the street.
‘Does anybody seriously think that the people who have come here tonight arguing for Option One are going to thank us for that? No, they’re not, because they’re motivated by politics.
They’re not motivated what’s by what’s best for cyclists, and by the way, for those people, those professional, managerial class people who have sent us emails saying, protect our safety, talking to people who live in the most dangerous part of North Richmond, of Melbourne, in North Richmond, that is a sense of white entitlement, white privilege.
Tone deaf, absolutely tone deaf. The most important thing, the most important thing in this debate hasn’t been raised so far. We all know that the oil lobby and the car lobby do not want bike lanes at all.‘
… A member of the public gallery calls out, ‘But I’m not white Councillor Jolly,’ and is ignored.
Yarra Council Mayor, Stephen Jolly, spoken approximately 9.35pm, Richmond Town Hall, Tuesday 8th April 2025
There’s absolutely no plus/minus on who is more important, with the various submitters listening, for the most part respectfully, to each others’ stories.
Truth is everyone’s stories and personal experience matters but on full display we saw newly elected Yarra councillors express an unnerving blank disdain towards people who ride instead of drive.
A view that they are expendable.
There was no balance achieved for the Yarra community with this surprise Elizabeth Street amendment, it was an ugly display of wedge politics where recently elected Yarra councillors happily attempted to set up one group against another for selfish ambitions.
And it’s another unplanned budget cost to Yarra ratepayers, when the council hasn’t had a Chief Financial Officer since January 2024.
Into this mix is the Homes Victoria project on Elizabeth Street which will turn North Richmond into a huge construction site, evict many housing estate residents and possibly impact upon the 2026 Victorian State election.
As posted elsewhere, we are not even slightly discouraged and neither should anyone who attended the meeting in good faith.
To everyone who joined us for the fabulous rides with Critical Mass Yarra in January, Critical Mass Boroondara in March and the 1100+ wonderful people who added their names to our petition – we hear you, a much bigger community now hears you, your voice and safety of those you love are important.
To the inner north bike community, in all your diverse forms, we have all tried for so long to improve things, invariably at a glacial pace due to, well, political things, but on the whole, Yarra Council, officers and councillors have always been great, easy to talk to, approachable etc.
On this occasion we’ve been taken for granted as residents, then manipulated as some expendable bargaining chip for these recently elected conservative Yarra councillors.
No group should ever accept this and we sure as hell won’t.
What you can do next
- Send an email to the Yarra CEO, Minister for Local Government and/or Local Government Inspectorate: tell them councillor conduct at Yarra Council’s 8 April 2025 meeting was unacceptable. The more specific the better, and the more likely it will receive a response!
- Watch the Yarra Council meeting, especially just after three hour mark and observe the mood shift
- Read a partial transcript with timestamps directly from meeting livestream audio
- Get involved with YarraBUG – no membership fees, we’d love to start organising more rides and events
- Listen to YarraBUG Radio every Monday morning on 3CR Radio or wherever you get your podcasts
- Ride your bike or mobility of choice and have fun!
Let’s talk!
Get in touch to find out more here.
The YarraBUG Team
