Published The Mercury: 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, WRITES EDWIN JOHNSTONE
The ongoing debate over the dual bike lane proposal for Collins St in Hobart’s CBD needs to focus on practical solutions. The cycling lobby likes to throw the label “anti” around, to discredit any view other than their own. When you run firstly on ideologies without regard to practicalities this practice is usually the case.
I have concerns about the current proposal for dual bike lanes on Collins St, especially in the inner-CBD section, but does that make me anti-bike lanes? If that were the case, I would have opposed the lanes on Campbell and Argyle streets.
The original dual bike lane proposal for Collins St had many impractical elements, this is how the current campaign for changes began. Removing all parking between Victoria and Murray streets is clearly not practical.
It is no wonder the council has been forced back to the drawing board in that area, much to the annoyance of the cycling lobby.
The number of bus movements on both sides of the road in that area is significant, especially near the RACV Hotel. Additionally, the need for accessible loading zones for businesses in that area is yet another practical concern, all of this before we even mention parking.
When discussing parking, it is important to note that every on-street parking spot is an accessible park, meant to be used by those who need easy or quick access. While the use of multi-storey car parks should always be encouraged, not everyone has the mobility or the time to use them.
A common myth being pushed is that the current campaign is only about parking directly outside businesses. Whether it be scrambled crossings, bike lanes, loading zones, bus stops, or clearways, the focus is on ensuring the most efficient and practical use of our current road network.
What is not a myth is the amount of parking that has been lost in the CBD over the past couple of years, especially near the Royal Hobart Hospital. Each change is often dismissed as involving only a handful of spots, just like the current Collins St proposal, but these losses add up.
The only practical and sensible solution is to designate the already narrow inner-CBD sections of Collins St (between Barrack and Murray streets) as a shared zone. The speed limit is already being reduced to 30km/h, and with the proposed removal of traffic lanes at intersections, actual speeds will be a crawl anyway.
Another potential solution to traffic concerns would be the construction of an underground carpark between the tennis centre and the aquatic centre on the Domain. This facility could serve the new stadium and other major events (such as Dark Mofo, the Wooden Boat Festival, and the Hobart International tennis tournament). During the week, it could help ease pressure on CBD carparks and be serviced by a city loop bus connecting all of Hobart’s multi-storey carparks.
Advocating for a new carpark will certainly be catnip to the raging ideologues but considering that servicing the stadium (amongst other needs) requires practical solutions, they will be the first to shoot it down.
The petition campaign to force the City of Hobart to hold a public meeting on the Collins St issue has now been successful. The details will be discussed at the February council meeting, with the public meeting hopefully following in March.
Let’s use this opportunity to discuss practical solutions and make the council listen to the concerns of residents, ratepayers, businesses and property owners.
We now have bike lanes on Davey, Liverpool, Bathurst, Campbell and Argyle streets, yet the bike lobby continues to bemoan the lack of lanes.
The next areas on their agenda include the restaurant strip in North Hobart, as well as Melville and Harrington streets. The truth is, there will never be enough bike lanes to appease some people.
They won’t be happy until Hobart is one big carless mall, at which point, the problem won’t be cars but rather the tumbleweeds blowing through the city.
Edwin Johnstone is a long-term Hobart small business owner and chair of the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business
