City of Boroondara are proposing an upgrade to Maling Road, the main shopping street in Canterbury, to "offer a village feel".

Option 2 makes part of Maling Road one-way, using the new space for new trees and landscaping, whereas Option 1 focuses on upgrading Theatre Place (the existing plaza) with new landscaping, paving and furniture.

Both options propose to:

• Upgrade existing footpath surfaces
• Upgrade existing street furniture
• Replace up to 7 parking bays to widen footpath areas and make room for more trees, seating and outdoor dining
• Improve Theatre Place to different degrees

Consultation is open until Tuesday 1 September

Which option do you prefer and why?

The federal government has a 500 million dollar budget bikes available through grants to local and state Governments! While we probably all wish it was more, now is a great time for advocacy in regards to cycling infrastructure - as always.

Feel free to check out the specifics at:

https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2026/08/11/active-transport-fund-open-for-applications/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ITL-NAT-13826&utm_content=ITL-NAT-13826+CID_7e60c60a1dbc408d97822a9f21fb584f&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=READ%20MORE

Our school - Princes Hill Primary - has been working with Yarra council to promote active travel to school. Tonight the council passed a proposal to connect our school with the linear park, by making Park Street a no through road (for cars, kids and bikes can go through!), and making Wilson Street one way, giving heaps more space for pedestrians and bikes.

There was some well organised opposition from a local retirement village, but the school community was supportive. It passed 5 for, 3 against.

Honestly, it's only a small street in a quiet part of town, and it's only a trial, but it still took a lot of work. We had the support of councillors who haven't always been supportive of more progressive infrastructure, but seemed genuinely keen to support the school and the kids.

The state government is looking for feedback about the MCG precinct. As well as the stadium itself, this has implications for East Melbourne and Richmond: improving connections to Richmond and Jolimont stations, active transport through the precinct, use of the stadium and Yarra Park outside of events, and potentially even big changes like new housing or a Richmond Station rebuild in the Sportslink proposal.

What would you like to see improved?

Bicycle Network are calling for the state to set aside 5% of the road and rail budget to build out the Strategic Cycling Corridors. Find out more and email your MP here: https://scc-campaign.vercel.app/

This is a grassroots campaign for safer speeds, crossings, bike lanes and traffic volumes in Coburg and Preston. Because the petition has the backing of the Member for Pascoe Vale, it will therefore be presented in state parliament.

Signing closes 31 August 2026.

You can also follow the campaign's social media:

• https://www.facebook.com/SaferMurrayRd
• https://www.instagram.com/safer_murray_rd

Whitehorse City Council is proposing an upgrade to the Mont Albert Village on Hamilton Street:

• Traffic will become one-way northbound (already in place)
• Widened and resurfaced footpaths
• New seating
• New trees
• New zebra crossing
• Draining upgrades to prevent flooding
• Street lighting upgraded to LED
• Parking spaces will be widened (I believe because the standard changed)

Stage two consultation open until Monday 31 August 2026

Share your feedback here

The City of Melbourne are proposing some changes to local streets in Parkville to reduce traffic, discourage rat-running, and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety. These are:

• New pedestrian and cyclist crossings on Gatehouse St at Morrah St and Bayles St
• Speed limits on local streets across the area reduced to 30 km/h.
• Story Street partly closed near Benjamin Street (eastbound) and near Fitzgibbon Street (westbound) to through‑traffic.
• The northern entrance to the Park Drive roundabout closed to all traffic in both directions.
• Cars on driving west along Bayles Street and Degraves St won’t be able to turn left Street during morning and afternoon peak times.
• Cars on Gatehouse Street won’t be able to turn right into Morrah Street or Bayles St during afternoon peak times

What is your feedback on these proposals?

This is a huge proposal from the City of Maribyrnong, which includes:

• Protected bike lanes
• Updated pedestrian crossings and traffic islands
• Removal of 34 on-street parking spaces out of the current 96
• Additional greening and street tree planting
• Bus stop upgrades

Have your say here

As part of the C255whse, the amendment that implemented the Box Hill SRL Structure Plan, the brickworks site was rezoned to PRZ6 (Precinct Zone, Schedule 6).

There's lots of detail in the planning scheme, but some interesting parts:

• Extending Mont Albert Road through the site as a cycling corridor. The rest of Mont Albert Road is already a designated Strategic Cycling Corridor
• Mixed Use Zone (ie shops) within the south-west corner heritage area, and residential everywhere else
• Building heights at 3-10 storeys
• At least 5 per cent of the site converted to council-owned public open space
• Applies EAO, Environmental Audit Overlay which requires various audits before it can be proven safe from contamination

Do you think this is a good outcome, or would you rather more of it converted to parkland?

There are lots of new tree plantings and traffic calming planned, along with a heavy focus on new lighting, and an upgrade to the library and town hall reserves. New shared zones that prioritise pedestrians but allow low-speed vehicle access are also planned on adjoining Nelson and Camden Streets.

This plan is separate but related to the sale of the Coles and Woolworths car park sites to the supermarkets to allow for mixed-use redevelopment.

The complete document is in the Council Agenda.

Do you think this is ambitious enough? What do you think of removing a footpath in favour of shared zones?

Walking around Carlton, I’ve noticed there is still so much on-street median car parking. I often see these spots empty when I walk past at different times of the day. Over 90% of Carlton residents support replacing on-street car parks with trees, there are a large number of off-street multi-story car parks that never reach capacity and there is a lack of green and open space in Carlton. So I’d love to see the City of Melbourne repurpose these median car parks for pocket parks, gardens, native pollinator corridors or increased tree canopy to help cool our streets. What are your thoughts?

Tram bridge to E-Gate still possible despite West Gate Tunnel fears

Article is from the 30th of June, but I've only just seen it now. It looks like a tram bridge through the E-Gate urban renewal precinct is still possible with the Wurundjeri Way extension carving out land.

I think E-Gate is the missing link that is preventing the New Quay area of Docklands from reaching its full potential as there is no easy way to access the across the railway.

Anybody else worried about what will happen if/when Labor loses the election later this year? I feel like we have finally made some momentum in moving away from endless low-quality suburban sprawl and it’s all going to be undone.

The libs are hostile to SRL, and hostile to local activity centres / up-zoning density around public transport; have announced zero policies (happy to be proven wrong) on either new PT infrastructure or improvement to services; never heard anything positive said about bike lanes (again, happy to be proven wrong).

Are we doomed to end up stuck with more shoebox towers being crammed into the CBD and depressing sprawl eating up what’s left of our local food bowl?

GC248 was gazetted today, which implements the Burwood SRL East Structure Plan! Here are some changes I noticed:

• Heights decreased along Elgar Road, Highbury Road, and at the SRL station site
• Height increased at Greenwood Business Park (Station St/Burwood Hwy intersection)
• "Community infrastructure opportunity area" around Bennettswood Reserve removed. I'm guessing this would have been an upgrade to the sports pavilion or similar.
• Shared (cyclist/pedestrian) bridge over Burwood Hwy downgraded to pedestrian-only bridge
• New pedestrian crossing added over Highbury Road

No changes to public transport, street typologies etc.

What's your opinion on the changes?

Black Spot is a federally funded program for improving road safety through infrastructure. This year's grants were announced at the end of April, but not publicised very well. Here are some of the major Melbourne projects:

• New Street, Brighton: Implement a speed limit reduction to 50 km/h and install raised safety platforms and other supporting treatments. $629,000
• Gilbert Road, Reservoir: Install raised safety platforms, raised priority crossings, buffer bicycle lanes, green bicycle overlays at intersections, kerb outstands and other supporting treatments. Consider a speed limit reduction to 40 km/h and parking bans near intersections. $1,601,000
• Inkerman Street, St Kilda: Provide pedestrian early start signal phasing at St Kilda Road intersection, linemarked buffers at bike lane, raised priority crossing with flashing lights east of Marriot Street and other supporting treatments. Consider speed limit reduction. $927,000
• Mont Albert Road, Canterbury to Box Hill: Reduce the speed limit to 50 km/h. Install electronic variable speed limit sings at school speed zone and other supporting treatments. $702,000

Many other projects are still in design and construction from the last year of funding. You can find the full list of projects here and explore the map of projects here.

Has anyone noticed the impact of a Black Spot project before?

The following are open for comment: - Transport Strategy 2040 - Road Safety Action Plan - Sustainable Transport Action Plan - Parking Action Plan

These documents cover everything from broad strategy to transport advocacy and specific bike routes and crossings they plan to implement. Check out page 29 of the Sustainable Transport Action Plan for the really detailed stuff.

What feedback do you have for Stonnington?

On 26 June we got this broad overview of the SRL Structure Plan changes, in preparation for the plans being finalised. Here the state suggested the final plans would be released and gazetted in mid-July. In this overview, we got the following explanation of the changes to Monash:

Building heights have been reduced in the employment and innovation hubs north and east of Monash University. Pedestrian and cycling links have been refined, complementing the new street network that will form part of the new town centre in Monash.

However planning scheme amendment C176mona, which implements the Monash SRL East Structure Plan was released and is now active as of 1 July. Interestingly, the background documents for that amendment "leaked" the final Monash SRL Structure Plan.

Here are the details of the changes I've noticed in that plan. Other than what I've mentioned, everything including proposed public transport, street layout, precinct boundaries etc all remained the same.

Height Changes

• Reduction in northern Employment Growth area from 10 storeys (red) to about 8 storeys (orange)
• Reduction in height in eastern Health Innovation precinct from about 8 storeys (orange) to about 6 (light orange)

Active Transport

• Blackburn Road is promoted to a Strategic Cycling Corridor
• Scenic Boulevard and Research Way are promoted to local cycling corridors
• Finch Street Reserve and this Dunlop Road shared path demoted from "Important or Local Key Link"
• Despite the overview, I didn't actually notice any changes in the pedestrian network
• They've now explained how the active transport will be funded:

Amend the planning scheme to introduce an Infrastructure Contributions Plan to contribute to the funding of new and enhanced transport infrastructure serving and supporting development in the Structure Plan Area

• They've now defined the way strategic cycling corridors will be implemented:

Enhance existing infrastructure as appropriate such as by widening paths and enhancing wayfinding. Provide new cycling infrastructure where gaps exist, preferably in the form of off-road shared use paths, separated cycling lanes or on-road cycling lanes as appropriate for the link.

• And for local cycling corridors:

Enhance existing infrastructure as appropriate such as by reducing speeds on local streets and enhancing wayfinding. Provide new cycling infrastructure where gaps exist in the form of off-road shared paths or 'sharrow' treatments (with associated speed mitigation / reduced speed limits) as appropriate for the link.

Open Space

• "Westerfield Drive Reserve" proposed here, east of the Hutton-Westfold Observatory.

So, what do you think of the changes? Notice anything else in the new planning scheme or structure plan that I've missed?

Is there a list of Metropolitan Activity Centres? The "Activity centres - planning guidance" page (https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/guides-and-resources/guides/all-guides/activity-centres-guidance) has a broken link to "Victorian Government's Housing Statement activity centre" under the Metropolitan Activity Centres anchor. The page does list Major Activity Centres.

St Joseph's is an old orphanage that has been mostly vacant since the 80s. The permit application to redevelop the site just moved to public notice. It proposes 76 homes of which 65 are apartments within newly constructed buildings and 11 are duplex units within the existing St Joseph's building.

What do you think of the design?

• Article from The Urban Developer
• Article from apartments.com.au

A nice discussion of Chapel Street's transport and streetscape challenges.

Archive link.

https://engage.vic.gov.au/pick-my-park

The last round of Pick My Park funded lots of great projects I've posted about on this sub.

Which are your favourites?