A NEW proposal to turn most of the Mildura’s streets in the CBD into a 30km/h speed zone for vehicles has been slammed as “unworkable” and “unrealistic”.
A discussion paper by the Melbourne-based Institute for Sensible Transport is calling for the streets that run parallel between Seventh and Eleventh streets to be restricted to 30km/h speed limits.
It would be the same along the arterial roads of San Mateo and Walnut avenues, with some streets closer to Langtree Mall reduced even further to 10km/h and 20km/h speed limits.
The 25-page Mildura CBD Access and Mobility Strategy – which was presented at local workshops this week – sets a goal of a 15 per cent increase in walking, cycling and public transport in the city centre by 2036.
Mildura councillor Glenn Milne yesterday said the Melbourne consultants’ proposal “really needs a rethink” ahead of it going out for public feedback later this month.
“My personal view on this is that it’s an unworkable plan,” the former mayor said, adding that “there is no evidence to support this major change” in the CBD’s speed limits.
“I’ve been a freelance photographer here since the mid-1970s and you get notified on major accidents. But I can’t remember the last time a pedestrian was hit by a car in the CBD,” he said.
“You’ve got to have solid evidence to back up any changes you make like this. If the city centre’s streets are dangerous, where is the evidence to back that up? I haven’t seen any.”
A Mildura Rural City Council document said the project started in August last year after the adoption of the 2020-2035 CBD plan.
“(It) aims to improve access and mobility to and around the Mildura CBD. A key objective is to encourage more people to walk, cycle and scooter into the CBD rather than drive,” it said.
According to the report’s authors, the “lower traffic volume on pedestrian-priority streets” would lead to more “vibrant and productive streets” and “reduced demand and frustrations associated with car parking”.
“Mildura has the potential to become Victoria’s most vibrant, sustainable regional city,” the report says.
Cr Milne said the plan was “more suitable for inner-city living in Melbourne – not Mildura”.
“I don’t this is realistic for a place like Mildura,” he said.
“Melbourne is going towards more people riding their bikes and pedestrians around the city. But on a 40-odd degree day in the middle of summer here, you don’t see a soul on the streets here. It’s just too hot for people.
“I just want to know what the safety problem is with our streets in the city centre to trigger this plan. I want to see the evidence that one exists.”
Mildura councillor for economic development Stefano de Pieri said the consultants’ ideas were “just a proposal at this stage” and “they need to be debated”.
“My view is that there are people who speed through the city centre. But I don’t know if reducing the speed limit is the answer, or if it needs more monitoring,” Cr de Pieri said.
The council did not respond to a request on how much the report cost ratepayers.
