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, where three out of four non-binding motions were voted down – including one calling for the bike lane installation to be scrapped entirely.
The only motion that passed supported the current trial already backed by the Hobart City Council.
A separate motion, which called for the rollout to be immediately reversed in favour of a shared bike-and-car model using ‘sharrows’ and a 30km/h speed limit, was rejected.
Construction on the dedicated bike lanes, which will run along both sides of Collins Street, began earlier this week and is set to continue as planned.
The lanes will replace most of the on-street parking, which has been a key sticking point for many opponents.
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”.
“It should be totally shelved so other options can be canvassed. Options that do not cut straight into accessible parking and our main business area of our capital city,” he said.
“Whether it be scramble crossings, bike lanes, loading zones, bus stops or clearways, the focus should always be on ensuring the most efficient and practical use of our current road network.”
But supporters of the bike lanes say they’ll improve safety and help make the city more accessible.
Alison Hetherington from the Bicycle Network said separated lanes mean more people, regardless of age, will feel confident riding through the city.
“[It] means an 8-year-old daughter and an 80-year-old grandmother should be able to ride that route and feel comfortable,” she said.
“We don’t debate other road safety approaches as though they’re optional … we don’t do that for traffic lights or seatbelts. Why are we doing that with separated bike lanes?”
Dr Anna Johnston, a cyclist and medical professional, backed the plan for health reasons.
“Increasingly, we have all these chronic health problems,” she said. “Which unfortunately are increasing rather than diminishing and we all need the opportunity to move more.”
“As a doctor, I see that this really promotes active transport, this promotes Hobart being a much healthier, much safer city.”
Not everyone in the room was convinced. One speaker slammed the “green-led, radical council” as “out of control”, warning the city was at risk of becoming a “CBD wasteland”.
Former alderman Jeff Briscoe argued that Collins Street is already “the safest street for cycling in Hobart” and claimed the council was “taking the public on a ride”.
A council spokesperson confirmed that a report on the meeting’s outcomes will be presented to councillors at the end of the month, though the motions themselves remain non-binding.
