Hobart’s Collins Street is set for a major transformation as the city prepares to install new cycle lanes as part of a two-year trial.
The City of Hobart has approved the controversial plan, which will involve the removal of 49 car parking spaces between Molle and Murray streets.
The bike lanes are scheduled to be installed early next year and will be closely monitored throughout the trial period to assess their impact on traffic flow, local businesses and the wider community.
The project has sparked mixed reactions among residents, with some welcoming the move towards improved cycling infrastructure and others expressing concerns about the loss of parking spaces.
Councillor Louise Elliot is concerned that the infrastructure will remain in place regardless of the trial results.
“We’ve called this a trial but no-one really believes that. It’s an implementation. If it was a true and genuine trial then we would have some true and genuine parameters around what success of the trial looks like and they’re completely absent,” she said.
“I do think it will be transformative … in all the ways we don’t want,” she said.
Council staff responded by indicating that any increase in certain rider demographics or positive feedback from street users or businesses would be considered a sign of success.
Alderman Marti Zucco argued that the project was a “farce” and suggested that a dedicated cycling facility should be built on the outskirts of Hobart instead.
“What we need to be looking at for the city is how can we holistically improve the whole city not simply by destroying the business in Collins street and the arterials in Collins Street,” he said.
Councillor Bill Harvey said “Little old Hobart will eventually have a lot more bike lanes … eventually it will get to the point where it becomes the norm.”
“These bike lanes in Collins Street are not the end of the world. It’s not a great big compromise. It’s a small compromise because we don’t have a lot of safe bike lanes in Hobart,” he said.
Councillor Ryan Posselt said the safety benefits for pedestrians and cyclists will be enormous.
“Separated cycle ways will keep cyclists safe and it will keep people safe on the footpath,” he said.
“And I don’t think there is anything more important than protection of human life from injury or death.”
A full and final report into the trial is not expected until 2027.
