People love wide bike lanes – photos taken between 7:30am and 9am during 4 March 2025, Super Tuesday Bike Count on Elizabeth Street, Richmond

Media Release – Tuesday 8 April 2025

Over 1100 people have signed the petition ‘Don’t risk our safety in 2025 – tell Yarra Council not to remove safe cycling lanes’ to save the much-loved lanes Elizabeth Street and Coppin Street protected bike lanes in Richmond, after new councillors proposed removing successful bike lane infrastructure at a council meeting in November 2024 soon after being elected.

A crowd is expected to attend Richmond Town Hall at 6pm in a protest for safe bike lanes, ahead of the Yarra City Council meeting tonight (Tuesday 8 April 2025) at 6.30 pm.

At the meeting, councillors will vote on a series of options about bike lanes in Richmond – from maintaining the cycle lanes – which the previous council had voted unanimously to make permanent – to narrowing the lanes, or removing them altogether.

The petition created by Yarra Bicycle Users Group (Yarra BUG) has been signed by over 1100 people thus far and includes personal stories of the importance of protected bike lanes for riders’ safety and inclusion.

While the majority (660) are from Yarra, 140 are from City of Melbourne and City of Boroondara, areas which directly benefit from the Elizabeth Street lanes, which link up to the Albert Street lanes in East Melbourne.

Karen Hovenga, who lives near the lanes and is a Yarra BUG campaigner said,

“Narrowing these bike lanes also means narrowing the associated car traffic lanes. This decision would not only be bad for the 1000 bike riders who use these lanes each day, but also for the 10 000 cars travelling on it and especially for the locals parking their cars.

We are encouraging the whole community, and especially the councillors, to support the officers recommendation to keep the lanes, and install permanent infrastructure
including safety barriers and trees, to make the street more appealing for everyone.”

The fight for these lanes is similar to the fight last week for the Collins Street lanes in Hobart when a group of 1000 people responded to a push to scrap the lanes. Hobart City Council ultimately voted to support the bike lanes as designed.

The moves come just weeks after e-scooter operators Lime and Neuron pulled out of providing vehicles in Yarra, citing a sudden and unjustified cost increase voted for by some new councillors.

Quotes attributable to Karen Hovenga, Yarra resident and Yarra BUG campaigner

“Narrowing these bike lanes also means narrowing the associated car traffic lanes. This decision would not only be bad for the 1000 bike riders who use these lanes each day, but also for the 10 000 cars travelling on it and especially for the locals parking their cars.

We are encouraging the whole community and especially the councillors, to support the officers recommendation to keep the lanes, and instal permanent infrastructure including safety barriers and trees, to make the streets more appealing for everyone.”

Quotes attributable to Jeremy Lawrence, Yarra resident and Yarra BUG campaigner

“If Councillors share intrinsic human values of freedom, equality, and social justice, then they’ll vote for Option 1, to retain the Elizabeth Street bike lanes”

Quotes from petitioners – read petition feedback by suburb for

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

References