Safety will be significantly improved at Flinders Street Station as the next stage of a suite of Melbourne CBD security measures funded by the Andrews Labor Government are unveiled.
Protective bollards and barriers will be installed around an expanded forecourt at Flinders Street Station. This will add 130 square metres of space and widen the pedestrian crossing by more than three metres, easing congestion caused by foot traffic.
The traffic lanes on Swanston Street will be reconfigured to accommodate the expanded forecourt and protective measures, after a public consultation and approval process by City of Melbourne. Under the proposed new lane configuration, motorists will continue to be able to turn right or left, and cyclists will retain their dedicated lane.
Across the CBD, nine sites will be upgraded from concrete blocks to permanent protections, in line with advice from security experts.
By December, permanent measures will begin to be rolled out across three sites – the Flinders Street Station forecourt, Princes Bridge and the second phase of Bourke Street Mall.
Temporary barriers currently in place on Princes Bridge will be replaced by reinforced concrete blocks and permanent bollards designed by heritage architects. The mall’s protective design, currently in consultation with mall traders, includes new street furniture, planter boxes and bollards.
Six other sites will be upgraded to permanent protections by the end of 2019, which include Federation Square, Southbank, Southern Cross Station, State Library, Queen Victoria Market, and Olympic Boulevard.
This is a part of the Labor Government’s $50 million investment to increase security in and around the Melbourne CBD, which is also delivering a new public-address system and enhanced CCTV in 2018.
For more information about the progress for each of the sites, visit: vic.gov.au/melbournesecurityupgrade.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville
“We’ve invested $50 million in CBD security upgrades to support a safer city with permanent security improvements at key locations, as well as a new public-address system and major CCTV expansion.”
“The Flinders Street upgrades will improve safety for thousands of pedestrians and visitors to our city who cross this intersection at peak times – it will also improve pedestrian flow outside the station.”
“While there is no way to completely eliminate risk, we are doing everything we can to keep pedestrians safe.”
Quotes attributable to City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp
“We’re working with the State Government to help ensure a safe environment for everyone who visits, lives and works in our great city so they can enjoy all that Melbourne has to offer.
“I’m pleased that as well as improving safety, extra space for pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station will help people move more easily through one of our busiest intersections.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020