Moving and
living safely

Here you can find more about the second theme in our council plan: moving and living safely in Merri-bek.

This theme has:

5

major initiatives

5

ways to measure success

This part of our plan focuses on how we get around.

Our goal is to make it safer, easier and more enjoyable to move around Merri-bek.

This especially includes walking, cycling and public transport.

Theme 2

What we will do

Getting around

We will build more and better paths for people to get around without a car.

Public transport

We will advocate for better access to public transport for everyone. This includes more bus services.

Other ways to travel

We will encourage more people to walk, cycle or take public transport.

Talking to you

We will collaborate with the community to improve pedestrian and cycling infrastructure on a case-by-case basis.

Safer roads and paths

We will improve the safety of our roads and paths for everyone.

Our goals

We will measure our success by looking at whether we:

maintain or increase spending on cycling and walking infrastructure per person

reduce the number of transport-related injuries and deaths

increase how many trips are made by public transport, bicycle or on foot

maintain or increase the number of safe places to ride

maintain or increase the number of pedestrian crossings installed each year

Next you can read about some of the ways we will achieve our goals.

Theme 2: case study 1

Better for all

There are 2 train lines, 5 tram services and 16 bus routes through Merri-bek.

COVID-19 lockdowns have changed the way we get around. More people are using their cars and fewer people are taking public transport.

We need to encourage those who can, to choose more sustainable forms of transport other than their car. This is because of congestion and climate change. And many of us need to be more physically active.

This is all part of why public transport is a key focus of our new council plan.

We will advocate to improve the capacity of public transport. We also want access to public transport to be fairer.

We know that not driving is difficult for many. This is partly due to a lack of investment in public transport by the state government, particularly in the north of Merri-bek.

We will campaign for the state government to improve public transport:

frequency
reliability
accessibility.

Theme 2: case study 2

Getting active

Getting around by bike or walking is something that not everyone feels they can do. We want to change this.

We want to help more children, young people, families and older people get moving – and feel safe doing so.

We will build safe, accessible and high-quality bike paths and footpaths.

We will advocate for increased funding from state and federal governments. We need this to ensure our bike routes are well connected.

We will also work with the community to set aside road space for bike lanes and space for pedestrians. This can involve removing parking and/or lanes to drive in.

We will stay focused on road safety. We will do this in several ways, including:

reviewing crashes and reported accidents
advocacy and efforts to address accident black spots
designing streets that help vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, feel safe
reducing speed limits
putting traffic calming measures, including road closures, in place.