The creation of a bike-friendly boulevard from St Kilda Road to Beaconsfield Parade is taking shape with a vision for the project being revealed to the public.
Four project objectives have been adopted:
- Green Boulevard
- Links and Connections
- Celebrating Local Stories
- Usable Open Space
The Links and Connections objective aims to "make it easier and safer for all trail and road users to find their way and move through the area”, connecting with other attractions and destinations in surrounding neighbourhoods and with networks that reach further afield.
Announced in 2018, Shrine to Sea envisages developing the route along Albert and Kerferd Roads in Albert Park and South Melbourne into a boulevard that will promote active travel and improve environmental conditions and deliver improved public spaces.
The draft approach underlying the Links and Connections planning includes:
- Prioritising active transport (e.g. walking, cycling)
- Identifying and designing for movement priorities along the corridor and network
- Designing and advocating for safer, more accessible and visible crossings
- Building a sense of arrival with safe and welcoming gateways, entrances and crossings, and acknowledge the Traditional Owners
- Expressing a continuous journey experience through boulevard trees, landscape design and wayfinding
- Reinforcing existing character, points of pause, local landmarks and destinations.
The project has released the concept for public comment, with interactive maps and surveys.
The information on Links and Connections can be found here.https://engage.vic.gov.au/shrinetosea/links-and-connections
And you can access the information on the other aspects of the project here.
For a more complete overview the project is conducting two webinars in the coming days.
Webinar #1 is on Monday 4 October 2021, 06:00 pm – 07:00 pm. You can register for this webinar here.
Webinar #2 is on Wednesday 6 October 2021 10:00 am – 11:00 am. You can register for this webinar here.
The project is being managed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
It is working in partnership with the City of Port Phillip, the Department of Transport, and Parks Victoria to deliver the project.
To date the project has been conducting site assessments, community engagement, technical reports from traffic analysts, tree specialists, and historians and working with traditional owners, local council, government departments and agencies.
The final draft of the master plan is expected early next year, with detailed design, planning approvals and delivery of works from mid 2022 to late 2023.