Petition Calling for Elector Poll
A coalition of business groups including the Tasmanian Small Business Council, the Hobart Chamber of Commerce, the Property Council of Australia and the CGHB has joined forces to push for an elector poll over the proposed Collins Street dual-bike lanes.
Details: tsbc.au/petition
Public meeting votes down motions to scrap Collins Street bike lanes
25th March 2025: Controversial bike lanes along Collins Street will go ahead as planned, after a push to stop the project failed to gain enough support at a packed public meeting.
Around 1,000 people filled Hobart Town Hall on Tuesday night.
Edwin Johnstone, Chair of the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business and organiser of the petition that triggered the meeting, argued the project lacked “broad public or stakeholder support”.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Businesses demand delay as council to ‘bulldoze ahead’ with Collins St bike lanes before public meeting
17th March 2025: Hobart businesses are unhappy with the city council’s decision to start installing bike lanes on Collins Street next Monday, even though a public meeting on the project is scheduled for the following day.
Council officials have refused to delay construction, saying the work has been “scheduled months in advance” and will proceed as planned.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Separated bike lanes could be scrapped for shared 30km/h zone in new Collins St design
16th March 2025: The Hobart City Council will workshop a revised plan for bike lanes on Collins Street as it tries to balance divided community opinions ahead of a public meeting.
The proposed new ‘sharrows’ approach would apply between Murray and Victoria streets only and result in parking spaces and loading zones being retained.
Instead of installing separated bike lanes on both sides of the road, cyclists would share the street with vehicles under a reduced speed limit of 30km/h.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Tickets sell out for public meeting on controversial Collins Street bike lanes
2nd March 2025: A public meeting at Hobart’s Town Hall to discuss the controversial proposed Collins Street bike will be moved to a bigger venue.
It comes after the Hobart City Council confirmed tickets to the free event are “temporarily exhausted” after reaching the capacity limit of Hobart Town Hall.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Date Set for Public Meeting
25th February 2025: The Hobart City Council has set the date for the public meeting to discuss controversial plans for bike lanes on both sides of Collins Street.
It comes after the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business gathered more than 1,000 signatures from concerned residents and local businesses.
Details: cghb.org.au/publicmeeting
Midson Report: Collins Street Bicycle Lanes Technical Assessment
14th February 2025: This technical assessment evaluates Hobart City Council’s proposed on-road bicycle lanes along Collins Street between Molle Street and Murray Street, Hobart.
Details: cghb.org.au/midson
‘Not warranted’: New report on Collins St bike lanes warns of traffic delays, safety risks
14th February 2025: A new report has challenged Hobart City Council’s planned Collins Street bike lanes as “not warranted” in their current form, prompting a senior minister to urge the council to stop “peddling its own agenda”.
The traffic study commissioned by the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business identified multiple concerns about the project’s impact on traffic flow, parking and overall road safety.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
ABC Radio Interview: “Design of Hobart’s CBD Collins Street bike lane trial impractical”
11th February 2025: CGHB Chair, Edwin Johnstone talks to Ryk Goddard from ABC Hobart Breakfast on the Collins Street Bike Lane proposals.
Listen Here: abc.net.au/collins-street
Practical Solutions for Bike Lanes and Traffic Needed
10th February 2025: Debate raging over bike lanes in the CBD must be steered towards practical solutions. it’s time the cycling lobby put the brakes on its ideological approach and listened to the views of all stakeholders.
Details: cghb.org.au/solutions
1,000 Verified Hobart Signatures Reached
4th February 2025: We have confirmation from the Hobart City Council that we have the required 1000 valid signatures required to trigger the calling of a public meeting under the Local Government act.
The petition will be presented at the Council’s February 24th meeting. The timing and details of the public meeting will be discussed with the event to follow, hopefully early to mid-March.
The aim was to have the petition presented at the January 28th meeting, but the Council refused to count any signatures submitted after the 14th Jan and that left us at the time with 970 valid signatures.
Now they have verified the rest of the signature we have reached the 1000 required.
Note: the total number of signatures was 2238
with 1400 of them being from Hobart.
A Thousand Sign Petition Calling for Rethink on Bike Lane Plan
16th December 2024: A public meeting about Hobart’s controversial bike lanes in Collins St is likely to be held in February after a petition attracted 1000 signatures.
The signatures were gathered by Confederation of Greater Hobart Businesses chairman Edwin Johnstone and could result in an elector poll of Hobart ratepayers on the issue.
Details: cghb.org.au/1000-signatures
Scrambling to Hurt Hobart Businesses
12th December 2024: A majority of Hobart councillors voted to continue the scramble crossing trial indefinitely. Why call these things a trial? The outcomes are predetermined and never put in place with local businesses in mind, just ideology.
Details: cghb.org.au/scramble
ABC Radio Interview on Collins Street Changes
2nd December 2024: CGHB Chair, Edwin Johnstone talks to Jo Spargo from ABC Hobart Breakfast on the Collins Street Bike Lane proposals.
Listen Here: abc.net.au/collins-street
Transport Minister urges Hobart City Council to abandon Collins Street bike lane plan
26th November 2024: Tasmania’s Transport Minister has called for plans to install bike lanes on both sides of Collins Street to be scrapped, following a survey that suggests the majority of the community is against them.
Having already stripped the Hobart City Council of $170,000 in funding for the project, Minister Eric Abetz said the findings must be noted.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Majority of Hobart Residents Opposed to Collins Street Bike Lanes, Research Shows
22nd November 2024: A clear majority of Hobart residents are opposed to the proposed Collins Street dual-bike lanes, according to research undertaken by respected Tasmanian pollster Enterprise Marketing and Research Services (EMRS).
Details: cghb.org.au/emrs-poll
Business Wants Data on Cycleway Impact
9th November 2024: Last week over 100 concerned business owners and residents of Hobart attended a public meeting on the bike lane proposal for Collins St. The event was organised by the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business.
Details: cghb.org.au/cycleway-impact
Public Meeting Outcomes
7th November 2024: On Thursday 31st October the CGHB held a public meeting at the RACV Hotel is Hobart. The purpose was to discuss the current and proposed changes to vehicle access and parking on Collins’s Street in Hobart’s CBD due to the installation of dual bikes.
Details: cghb.org.au/outcomes
‘Fed up’ Hobart businesses threaten elector poll over controversial Collins Street cycle lanes
31st October 2024: Frustrated businesses are gearing up to challenge the Hobart City Council over its controversial plan to remove 49 car parks along both sides of Collins Street for a dual cycle lane trial.
The council’s decision to forge ahead with the project, despite the state government pulling $170,000 in funding due to “considerable concern”, has ignited fury among many.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Collins Street: Public Meeting
17th October 2024: The Confederation of Greater Hobart Business (CGHB) invites business owners and concerned members of the public to a public meeting on Thursday 31st October at 5:00pm.
Selected speakers will discuss the current and proposed changes to vehicle access and parking in Hobart’s CBD.
Details: cghb.org.au/cbd
City of Hobart takes $170,000 from emergency fund for Collins Street dual bike lane project
16th October 2024: The Hobart City Council will tap into its emergency fund, typically reserved for covering project cost overruns, to finance the contentious Collins Street dual bike lane trial.
Seven councillors voted to allocate $170,000 from the contingency fund to keep the project moving on Monday night after the state government withdrew its financial support.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
No such thing as a free ride for Council
15th October 2024: It is welcome news that the Tasmanian government will not progress with funding for the Collins St bike lanes. Collins St is a vital service road in the inner CDB of a capital city, it is not a suburban street.
Details: cghb.org.au/collins-street-funding
Tasmanian Government pulls the plug on $170,000 Collins Street cycleway grant
11th October 2024: The Tasmanian Government has backpedaled on its decision to provide $170,000 in funding for Hobart City Council’s controversial Collins Street bike lanes.
Minister for Transport Eric Abetz said the decision was made after reviewing feedback from affected community members, including businesses on the busy city street.
Article: pulsetasmania.com.au
Parking Crucial For City Traders
26th July 2024: Hobart’s Central Business District is undergoing significant changes at the moment with many more planned. A total of 59 parking spaces are about to be removed from Collins St for dual bike lanes and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Details: cghb.org.au/parking-crucial
Give businesses full picture on bike trials
26th July 2024: The Hobart City Council are planning to take 59 on street parking spots out of Collins Street for “trial” parklets and dual cycle lanes. To justify this change they are quoting parking occupancy rates of 79% between Harrington and Murray St.
Details: cghb.org.au/parking-crucial
Collins Street: Questions to Hobart City Council
25th June 2024: Questions asked during public question time to Hobart City Council on Monday 24th June.
Details: cghb.org.au/collins-street-questions
Collins Street: Feedback
27th May 2024: The small businesses of Hobart need your help with stopping these current planned dual bike lanes for Collins Street so we can seek a sensible compromise..
Details: cghb.org.au/collins-street-feedback
Collins Street: Questions to Hobart City Council
27th May 2024: The City of Hobart plans to remove 59 parking spaces from Collins St in the inner CBD to make way for dual bike lane.
Details: cghb.org.au/collins-street-plans