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Bike riders outside Melbourne Town Hall
What Melbourne Mayor candidates want to do for bikes

The Melbourne City Council Lord Mayor by-election is in full swing, with 14 candidates campaigning for votes.

While it is residents, ratepayers and businesses who will determine who becomes the 104th Lord Mayor of Melbourne, they are not the only people who will be affected by the outcome of the by-election. 

There are around one million people who enter the Melbourne CBD every day, and this figure is expected to grow to 1.4 million by 2036.

To make sure that these people can comfortably enter, travel around and enjoy the City of Melbourne it's vital that bike riding is embraced by the Lord Mayor.

To help inform those still deciding on how to vote, we contacted each candidate and asked them what they would do for bikes. 

See the questions we sent below and click the drop down box with each candidate's name to see their response.

Only nine out of the 14 candidates we contacted gave us a response. 

Questions put to Melbourne City Council Lord Mayor candidates
  • Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?
  • How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?
  • The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?
  • How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

Melbourne Mayor candidate responses

Responses from Qun Xie have not yet been given to Bicycle Network.

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

I am strongly supportive of Copenhagen-style protected bike lanes - they have been a fantastic addition to our bike network in places like Swanston St, Carlton. If I were elected I would request a briefing on implementation of the city's Bike Plan, and seek assurances that planning and delivery on the next tranche of protected bike lane/s is well underway.

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

The docked bike scheme in Melbourne has been a welcome addition to the city since being implemented around a decade ago, giving cyclists another way to move around the city. I do also support dockless bikes - the more bikes the merrier as far as I'm concerned. If elected I will work with the dockless operators to ensure that we are working together to manage some of the well-publicised issues around their use.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

By ensuring the plan is properly funded and implemented. We have the blueprint for success here, we just need to ensure we follow it and see it through.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

I am a keen cyclist and believe it sends a great message to the community if they see their civic leaders getting on their bike. Because of time pressures and other practicalities, I'll still need to use a car but can promise that if elected people will definitely see me turning up to events and meetings on two wheels.

Responses from Luke Downing have not yet been given to Bicycle Network.

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

The Lord Mayor is one vote out of 11, and such decisions are made collectively. However, I would intend that:

  1. We partner with the State Government to complete physically separated bicycle lanes the length of Flemington Road and St Kilda Road this term, and start work on Royal Parade also;
  2. We build a new east-west cycling route the full length of the Hoddle Grid, towards the southern end of the grid; and
  3. We implement a new policy requiring that the default treatment of street-based capital works is that post-implementation of the project in question (street trees / water sensitive environmental design / footpath expansion / etc), the default new treatment is physically separated bicycle lanes, with a case needing to be made and reported to Council if officers are recommending against this for whatever reason.

We also need to urgently address two streets that have recently been altered but which are generally unsafe: Exhibition St (the peak hour bicycle lanes are not effective) and Queensberry Street (the Metro rail conversion of the road to a four-lane arterial with poor visibility alongside construction zones is unsafe for cyclists).

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

I support both, noting of course that the latter requires regulation to ensure that mass pedestrian movements are not being obstructed and that differently abled people are not being prevented from moving about the street network safely.

Council’s ability to regulate dockless bikes is very difficult, and would require State legislative change in order to provide direct enforceable rules, so in the meantime we need strong advocacy from the Lord Mayor to hold companies to account and broker fair voluntary agreements.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

By implementing the bicycle plan’s list of projects in full, as well as those from the previous plan that were not implemented due to VicRoads intransigence.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

I have already announced that I will not commute to and from Town Hall using the chauffeured mayoral car. I am a keen cyclist and will cycle, or take public transport, between my home and Town Hall. Where practicable I will also seek to lead by example by attending meetings and appearances within the CBD by foot or by bike.

Please note that I am the only candidate to have released a Transport policy: melbournecitygreens.com/transport.

Responses from Sally Warhaft have not yet been given to Bicycle Network.

Responses from Alex MacDonald have not yet been given to Bicycle Network.

While unsure about the council’s current plans and budgets, Allan agrees with the principle of protected bike lanes and would be happy to see improvements that make bike riding more comfortable and help the city achieve the goals in its 2016-2020 plan.

In his senior years now, Allan doesn’t think he would be too flash on a bike himself. He does believe that the Mayoral car gives the opportunity to catch up on homework in the back seat while travelling to functions and appearances.

Allan Watson’s responses were given over the phone.

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

Yes, subject to engineering advice I want all future bike lanes to be protected bike lanes. I also want to get serious about delivering a properly connected network of bike lanes across the city.

As Lord Mayor, I will work with the bicycle community to deliver more protected bike lanes and a better connected bike network.

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

I strongly support share bikes in Melbourne however I do not believe that the dockless oBike has not delivered a positive outcome for the City.

That’s why if elected Lord Mayor, I will ban oBike until they can comply with community expectations.

The negative impact on the environment and our streetscape has been unacceptable. I will not continue to give oBike a free pass to litter our City.

If a dockless bike share program is going to work in Melbourne it requires bikes with built-in GPS locating and well resourced local support team.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

As Lord Mayor, I will commence a review of the current plan (in conjunction with the Walk Plan and other relevant Council programs) to get clarity around the progress that has been to date.

I want to see how we can best achieve the aim of having 25% of vehicles entering the CBD in the morning be bicycles. I think one possible answer is to create a specialist section in Council to deliver the Walk and Bike Plans.

This team would work across Council to ensure the City has a properly connected network of bike lanes with future upgrades delivering protected bike lanes, which are better for all road users.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

As Lord Mayor, I will ride around the City and be an active ambassador for cycling in Melbourne. I do however recognise that at times it is necessary to use a car for logistical reasons.

Responses from Gary Morgan have not yet been given to Bicycle Network.

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

Being that I will need to consult with the current team of councillors and review the budget that has been set, I cannot answer this question how you would like to as I do not make promises I cannot keep.

What I can do is obviously get feedback from cyclists on where they think they should be and discuss that with the councillors. If there is no room in the budget to make it happen during this short term it can potentially be implemented
into the next one.

I believe cycling and any form of exercise is not only good for mental health but also for overall health and should be encouraged however cyclists should also be held accountable to sharing pathways and roads and adhering to rules regarding such.

I have almost been hit by cyclists speeding through southbank boulevard, and no I am not on my phone when I walk so I am definitely paying attention :)

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

I fully support docked bicycles however I believe the dockless bikes need to be reviewed and improved. From my 14th floor balcony I see them littering the streets and yarra river damaged and unusable. There is no ownership or care for them by users and it is a waste of money to continuously be repairing or replacing them.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

I am actually in favour of no vehicles being in the city and making it more pedestrian/ bike friendly to increase traffic for stores and restaurants.

I believe if there was no cars we could implement more bike lanes and separate any pedestrians and cyclists to avoid any issues with shared pathways.

Provided cyclists followed the guidelines involved and did not ride where pedestrians are. I don't see it being a problem.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

I actually do not like driving or being in a vehicle therefore I walk or use public transport as often as I can.

I highly doubt I would I would use the car unless it was absolutely necessary.

We have a beautiful city and I love meeting the people so I don't see me changing in that sense – I will continue to use pubic transport or walk everywhere that I can.

If I am in a car, how will I truly learn what the issues are in the city?

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

The summary of proposals for future bike lane projects in the current Draft Bicycle Plan 2016 – 2020, put forward by the Future Melbourne Committee in Appendix 5, pages 79 to 83, seem quite extensively thought out; and informed by over 7000 contributors. So improving and protecting existing riding courses, would be a priority from the start.

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

Strongly support. However, the dockless bikes need supportive locations so as not to cause safety hazard problems, should the vehicles be prone to tipping over, or are able to be strung about.

Vandalism or theft could also cause further difficulties for the bike owners. I have personally seen quite a number of abandoned docked bikes left abandoned in outer Melbourne suburbs.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

By including the “Priority Locations” as referred to on pages 19 to 20, also in the current Draft Bicycle Plan 2016 – 2020; and by activating
“Like Spots” locations, as referred to in Figure 4 on page page 12 as above, which could increase accessibility for bicycle riders; and of course according to budget allocation and affordability.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

Unfortunately, due to previous shoulder surgery form a sporting injury I am now unable to ride my bike; (used to do extensive long weekend group bike rides from Melbourne to destinations like Sorrento and Healesville).

I currently rely on using my car or public transport, to get around Melbourne. Should I be elected Lord Mayor I would use the vehicle strictly in accordance with carrying out my official duties, as required.

Other ideas for bike riders I would like to see encouraged or implemented

  • Taking senior citizens or disabled persons or children for bike rides around the Melbourne City area or Melbourne City Precincts, using purposely built bike riding equipment.

    Getting out doors, looking at old or new locations, experiencing the weather or visiting the various amenities around our city, could be a win/win situation for the rider and passenger, for health and family connectedness and improved self-esteem for the older passengers especially.

    Apparently this idea has originated from Denmark and first came to my attention on Facebook, by “Power of Positivity - Cycling Without Age”.

  • I would like to initiate a safety awareness program for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians. It seems a lot of people are not bothered so much about bike or road safety issues until an accident actually happens.

Q: Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

Probably on Exhibition Street as it is regularly used to get down to the Yarra trail. The other route would be Spencer Street as it is the western North-South route.

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

I support both as they are part of our sustainable transport modes. However, we will need some regulation about the dockless share bikes to ensure they do not cause clutter or obstacles.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

To achieve this, the city will need more bicycle parking allocations in the city – on street bike-racks as well as more bicycle parking spaces in all city office buildings replacing some car parks.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

I have stated I would not use the Mayoral Car and I prefer to walk to all meetings if possible. Otherwise, I would take public transport or drive my own car. I have not actively ridden a bike for many years and would probably get involved in an accident if I rode.

Where will you have protected bike lanes installed in the City of Melbourne during your first term?

A reasonable question in some ways, but the Lord Mayor is not responsible for all urban planning, even if some of the candidates would pretend otherwise.

I am very sympathetic to making the city more walkable and rideable, which will improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of transport in the city. I would like to move to close streets to car traffic, and try and differentiate more between the roads and the streets (there are currently too many stroads!). Key arterial roads should be improved to sustain the traffic loads; Key shopping streets should be closed to car traffic in order to facilitate more street ‘life’ (walking, shopping, talking, etc).

How strongly would you support both docked and dockless share bikes in the City of Melbourne?

Somewhat more strongly than they are currently supported. It would be relatively inexpensive to provide a greater range of facilities to active commuters, without relying on the private facilities that not everybody has access to. Bike parking areas, change facilities, docking stations, etc.

In order to proactively move to more sustainable transport in the city, leadership from the Mayor is important. Many of our current arrangements feel ‘cobbled together’, as they were done somewhat in the face of opposition from the previous incumbent.

The 2016-2020 City of Melbourne bike plan wants 25 per cent of vehicles entering the CBD during mornings to be bicycles. How will you make sure this is achieved?

I have nothing like the detailed knowledge required to give you any specifics.

How often would you use the Mayoral car and would you ride a bike to meetings and appearances?

I would forgo (cancel) the Lord Mayor’s car, which seems quite unnecessary. It is possible to get anywhere in the city using much more efficient transport. How can the Lord Mayor, in many cases not a resident of Melbourne, possibly understand the problems that most people face in the city if he gets to escape them by using a privileged transport option? The Lord Mayor should walk, bike or take a tram.

 

Regardless of which candidate is successful, we will work with them to improve bike riding conditions in the City of Melbourne and hold them accountable to the responses they have given us.

Candidates have been listed as per the Victorian Electoral Commission ballot draw order.

Responses from each candidate have been published verbatim.

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