Streets Alive Yarra: ‘People love the wide bike lanes on Elizabeth Street – please don’t narrow them! These photos were taken this morning between 7:30 and 9:00 am’ 4 March 2025, Super Tuesday Bike Count

For over two decades Yarra has been one of Melbourne’s best areas to walk and ride

In 2025 a conservative Yarra council is eyeing up removing infrastructure that makes it safe for everyone to get around like you, your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, students, gig workers, basically anyone who needs safe options to ride.

Things you can do now!

July – August 2025 – Update 1: the saga so far – Elizabeth Street protected lanes remain under threat and the narrowed lanes concept design from Yarra Councils meeting on 8 April 2025 will be voted upon at the next council meeting on 12 August 2025.

There are some things we can’t get done on our own at the local council level and that’s where you come in! If you’d like to help, please contact Melissa Horne MP, Roads Minister and Gabrielle Williams MP, Public and Public and Active Transport Minister.

Please feel free to adapt these email suggestion, more personalised the better, with your experiences and feedback and keep it relatively punchy.

Some light background reading

July 2025 – Update 2: Streets Alive Yarra: ‘There’s something for everyone in the design plans for Elizabeth Street, released under Freedom of Information, including car parking on the north side of the street. Unfortunately, these plans won’t be proceeding because they were never shown to Councillors, and instead Council resolved on 22 April 2025 to drastically narrow the bike lanes and buffers in favour of adding back car parking. Now that they’re in the public domain it’s up to Council to look at them and to choose to adopt them – it should be on the agenda for the August 2025 council meeting.’

In good news, Coppin Street pop up bike treatments will now proceed to design stage. At council’s 13 May 2025 meeting, the councillors voted to support the officers recommendation, Option 1, to progress the Coppin Street Bicycle Corridor Study to Stage 2, including engagement with the community during 2025/26.

In further good news, a combined Bicycle Network and Bicycle Users Groups campaign helped get extra funding into the City of Melbourne 2025/26 budget after news that active transport funding would be cut.

1. Yarra deserves better: read about Yarra Council 8 April 2025 meeting where 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.

2. This is ridiculous: governance on amended Elizabeth Street motion wasn’t followed correctly on Tuesday 8 April 2025, CEO had to organise a seperate Extraordinary Council Meeting to vote on Elizabeth Street motion on 22 April 2025, immediately after voting on the 2025-26 budget.

3. This meeting entailed Yarra Council writing to Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) on how to enact the amended Elizabeth Street motion. See above for sending a email to Melissa Horne and Gabrielle Williams.

4. On 5 June 2025, at the Inquiry into the 2025-26 budget estimates public hearings, Aiv Puglielli MLC asked The Hon Gabrielle Williams MP about Elizabeth Street in North Richmond. Her response to this question on notice can be read on page 4.

Question: On another matter, Elizabeth Street in North Richmond has been named by the department as a priority strategic cycling corridor, but we have just seen Yarra City Council vote to narrow the bike lanes and reinstate parking on the north side of the street, putting cyclists at risk, effectively. Can I ask: does the government intend to block Yarra’s decision on this matter?

Answer: Elizabeth Street is a local road under the management of the City of Yarra. The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) has advised that they do not support the downgrading of important cycling corridors, such as the one provided in Elizabeth Street. DTP acknowledges that the Council’s decision was a result of local community feedback and debate, and will continue to work closely with Council to ensure any new design meets the relevant standards and requirements.

5. Over 1100 people signed our petition ‘Don’t risk our safety in 2025 – tell Yarra Council not to remove safe cycling lanes’ read what people said from Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton, Abbotsford, Cremorne, Fitzroy + Fitzroy North, Melbourne CBD, Parkville, Brunswick + Brunswick East, Hawthorn, Kew and inner east suburbs. The petition includes personal stories of the importance of protected bike lanes for riders’ safety and inclusion, including stories like these –

  • We live 50m from Elizabeth St, those bike lanes are our safe route to school, sport, shopping and work. Tom, Richmond. I ride every day because of these lanes. I wouldn’t, and couldn’t safely, without them. Andrew, Richmond.
  • I cycle myself and 2 children around Yarra. Safe, sufficient biking infrastructure is so important to our family’s safety and to encourage bicycle use over car use for generations to come. TL, Richmond.
  • To have a good city, and good suburbs we need to allow cars, but firmly prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. James, Fitzroy.

6. Read about Elizabeth Street Protected Bike Lanes: A history.

7. In March 2025 AustRoads published new active transport guidance that compliments our Yarra for safe streets campaign as it includes key safety requirements for bike lane widths.

8. Contact Yarra Councillors: for example, you can email, call them and request a meeting to say how important protected infrastructure is for you, how it improves living in Yarra, offer to take them for a local walk or ride around your neighbourhood.

9. Please let us know if you are planning any events or actions in support of Yarra’s safe streets, for example – check out Streets Alive Yarra’s fabulous photo op from the 2025 Super Tuesday Bike Count on Elizabeth Street!

10. Again thank you so much for supporting our campaign, it is incredibly important for residents and the broader community to stand up for safe, wide bike lanes and a liveable, likeable and walkable Yarra for people of all ages and abilities.

28 March 2025: Critical Mass ride through Yarra to Boroondara, check out the great response from bystanders along Elizabeth Street, Richmond!

January 31 2025: Critical Mass ride through Yarra in support of cycling infrastructure

Yarra Council meetings

Public pressure gets results: returning to Yarra Councils November 2024 ‘omnibus motion’ – Elizabeth and Coppin Street were originally planned to be discussed at February 2025 meeting – it now appears the Elizabeth Street protected lanes will be voted upon at the next Yarra Council meeting on 12 August 2025.

Extract: Yarra Council meeting minutes 26 November 2024 – pages 24 and 25

Yarra Council Ordinary Meeting: 6.30pm, 11 March 2025, Richmond Town Hall.

Yarra Council Ordinary Meeting: 6.30pm, 11 February 2025, Richmond Town Hall.

Yarra Council Ordinary Meeting: 17 December 2024, Richmond Town Hall.

Yarra Council Ordinary Meeting: 26 November 2024: Agenda + Minutes

What else is under threat?

Given the recent events of November 2024 at Yarra Council, it would pay to be super cautious of any responses like ‘we’re not ripping up bike lanes‘ and/or ‘we like protected bike lanes but not in this street‘ as the truth probably lies in reading upcoming Yarra council agendas for the real intentions of this new councillor group.

The truth will be Elizabeth Street protected lanes, Coppin Street treatments, current bicycle infrastructure and active transport strategies existing beyond the term of this council, which include Yarra’s Transport Action Plan 2024-2034, New Deal for Schools, New Deal for Cycling, New Deal for Walking and other specified programs to meet the ambitious targets in Yarra’s Transport Strategy 2022-32. 

Critical Mass Yarra: State Library to Richmond Town Hall, Friday 31 January 2025

Want to know more?

Many thanks to Sam Wallman for adapting his Freedom Machine design for Critical Mass Yarra. Like it? Buy it!

Read more: useful articles + related media