News
Making roads for people, rather than cars? That's the plan in Darebin, Australia. Darebin Council's new transport plan is the first in the Melbourne region to explicitly give priority to trams, pedestrians and cyclists on key roads. Changes in lights, lane arrangements and the like will change the relative attractiveness of the different modes of transport.
[This is an EXCERPT: you can read the whole article, titled "Radical plan to drive cars from key roads," here. -Ed.]
by Clay Lucas
"SPEED limits will be dropped on key routes, lanes removed and traffic lights changed to favour public transport and pedestrians under a new strategy for Melbourne's inner north to be launched by Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky today.
"Darebin Council's new transport plan — the first in Melbourne to explicitly give priority to trams, pedestrians and cyclists on key roads — could lead to the removal of clearways on some routes in a bid to discourage drivers.
"'It's about moving people rather than moving cars,' said Darebin councillor Peter Stephenson. ... The strategy seeks to 'decrease the attractiveness of the car through reduced priority and other travel demand management techniques'."
"'Any initiative that changes the focus from purely car-based planning is a good thing,' [Planning Institute president Jason Black] said. 'If we don't do this, we will never get any closer to planning communities that are for people and not just cars.'"
Photo credit: Jes 
