What the lord mayor thinks is the ‘biggest key’ to revitalising Melbourne’s CBD

An independent report commissioned by the City of Melbourne says creative transport solutions must be trialled to help the CBD recover as lockdown lifts.

The report suggests offering cyclists financial incentives for bike purchases, and charging a fee for through-traffic which crosses the city without crossing.

But lord mayor Sally Capp says neither of those ideas has been proposed by management, so they’re unlikely to be considered in the immediate future.

“It’s probably not something that’s going to get serious consideration by councillors,” she told Neil Mitchell.

The report is also calling for on-street parking prices to change throughout the day, based on demand.

Ms Capp says the main factor that’ll influence the return of life to the CBD as lockdown lifts will be the mode of transport people use.

“The biggest key to revitalisation is getting people on public transport,” she said.

Press PLAY below to hear the Lord Mayor discuss the changes that could pave the way for post-pandemic recovery