Hobart lord mayor candidate Marti Zucco has pledged to remove the Collins Street bike lane and bring back car parking, saying he is prepared to drive the excavator himself.
In campaign material, Zucco described the bike lane as a “debacle” and said he wanted to restore Collins Street to “a practical, functioning city street”.
He said he would reinstate car parking and loading zones and remove what he called the “confusing zig-zag layout”.
The plan also proposes the council consider a 30km/h zone from Molle Street to Campbell Street, which Zucco said would improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Cyclists would be offered secure, free bike parking on council-owned land at Molle Street, which he said would give them a safe and convenient place to leave their bikes.
“This doesn’t have to be motorists versus cyclists,” Zucco said.
“We can support cyclists, pedestrians, businesses, deliveries and motorists with practical solutions that work for everyone.”
Subject to approval, he said he was prepared to drive the excavator “to reinstate some common sense to Collins Street” as the start of a rethink on bike paths in the CBD.
The two-year Collins Street trial is due to end in 2027, with the next council to decide which elements, if any, become permanent.
The trial began in April 2025. Councillor Louise Elliot has said the project has cost $762,468.
A council monitoring report in November 2025 recorded an average of 330 cyclists a weekday at the Hobart Rivulet entrance.
Fellow lord mayor candidate Ryan Posselt has defended the trial, saying council data showed a 15% increase in cyclists and a 4% increase in pedestrians.
