Yarra City Council resolves the next steps on seven proposed intersection upgrades across Yarra
18 December 2025
Project background:
Council sought feedback on 7 proposed cycling and pedestrian spot improvements designed to support safer active transport in our city. They included:
- Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road intersection upgrade
- Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street intersection upgrade
- Johnson Street and Victoria Street intersection upgrade and bike lane construction
- Lennox Street and Bridge Road intersection upgrade
- Lennox Street and Highett Street intersection upgrade
- Lennox Street and Swan Street intersection upgrade
- Wertheim Street and Stawell Street intersection upgrade and safety improvements
These projects have all been funded in the 2025/26 Budget and 3 are scheduled for construction in this financial year.
Considering the scale of these projects individually, these were consulted on as a collective with community members invited to provide feedback on whichever interested or impacted them most.
What did we ask?
- Please select which of the following projects you would like to provide feedback on.
- Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road intersection upgrade
- Do you support the Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road intersection upgrade?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road intersection upgrade?
- Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street intersection upgrade
- Do you support the Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street intersection upgrade?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street intersection upgrade?
- Johnson Street and Victoria Street intersection upgrade and bike lane construction
- Do you support the Johnson Street and Victoria Street intersection upgrade and bike lane construction?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Johnson Street and Victoria Street intersection upgrade and bike lane construction?
- Lennox Street and Bridge Road intersection upgrade
- Do you support the Lennox Street and Bridge Road intersection upgrade?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Lennox Street and Bridge Road intersection upgrade?
- Lennox Street and Highett Street intersection upgrade
- Do you support the Lennox Street and Highett Street intersection upgrade?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Lennox Street and Highett Street intersection upgrade?
- Lennox Street and Swan Street intersection upgrade
- Do you support the Lennox Street and Swan Street intersection upgrade?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Lennox Street and Swan Street intersection upgrade?
- Wertheim Street and Stawell Street intersection upgrade and safety improvements
- Do you support the Wertheim Street and Stawell Street intersection upgrade and safety improvements?
- Please explain why you selected the option above for the Wertheim Street and Stawell Street intersection upgrade and safety improvements?
- Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road intersection upgrade
Who did we hear from?
What did we hear?
A high-level summary of the community feedback received is available below. The detailed data analysis of the feedback received, the Community Engagement Report and the complete list of responses (with personally identifiable information) is available within the Agenda for the Council Meeting on Tuesday 16 December.
Levels of support
Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street, Cremorne
Lennox Street and Swan Street, Richmond
Wertheim Street and Stawell Street, Richmond
Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road, Fitzroy North
Lennox Street and Bridge Road, Richmond
Lennox Street and Highett Street, Richmond
Johnson Street and Victoria Street, Richmond
The table below provides discusses themes that emerged across all intersection upgrades. Many responses included multiple of these themes:
| Theme | Definition | Number of responses mentioned |
| Access | Impacts, benefits or suggestions regarding vehicle access to properties or key destinations. | 37 |
| Active Transport | Impacts, benefits or suggestions related to people walking, cycling or scooting that do not fall in another category. | 208 |
| Consultation | Comments and questions related to the consultation process. | 26 |
| Move bike route | Suggestions to move people cycling to a different route or location | 5 |
| Cycling demand | Comments on observed lack of people cycling in the intersection upgrade location or in general | 78 |
| Out of project scope | Topic that is not within the scope of the project (e.g. statutory planning) or within Council’s authority (e.g. arterial roads) | 51 |
| Parking | Comments about the existing or proposed supply, demand or design of car or bicycle parking | 205 |
| Project cost | Comments on Council’s allocation of funds to the intersection upgrade projects or questions on the cost of specific elements | 77 |
| Project basis | Comments on whether the project is needed and why | 113 |
| Road user behaviour | Behaviour of people using the street or streets in general | 33 |
| Safety | Impacts or benefits to the safety of road users | 561 |
| Speed limits | Requests to increase or decrease speed limits | 5 |
| Streetscape | Impacts or benefits to non-transport elements of the street, such as trees and street furniture | 18 |
| Traffic congestion | Impacts or benefits on motor vehicle traffic delays | 344 |
| Traffic diversion | Potential traffic increases on streets near the project | 84 |
| Traffic signals | Operation of traffic signals (e.g. signal phasing, bicycle head start lanterns) | 26 |
| Turning lanes | Impacts or benefits related to general traffic lanes used to turn at intersections | 171 |
A summary of the number of themes attributed to each intersection upgrade is available below:
| Theme | Balmain Street, Cotter Street and Church Street | Lennox Street and Swan Street | Wertheim Street and Stawell Street | Scotchmer Street and St Georges Road | Lennox Street and Bridge Road | Lennox Street and Highett Street | Johnson Street and Victoria Street |
| Access | 10 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Active Transport | 33 | 20 | 33 | 39 | 20 | 34 | 29 |
| Consultation | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Move bike route | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cycling demand | 20 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Out of project scope | 14 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 7 |
| Parking | 15 | 8 | 70 | 14 | 18 | 57 | 23 |
| Project cost | 14 | 7 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 7 |
| Project basis | 0 | 59 | 10 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 8 |
| Road user behaviour | 13 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Safety | 90 | 83 | 83 | 96 | 81 | 67 | 61 |
| Speed limits | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Streetscape | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Traffic congestion | 47 | 136 | 23 | 21 | 79 | 29 | 9 |
| Traffic diversion | 35 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Traffic signals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Turning lanes | 4 | 102 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 4 | 4 |
What happens next?
At the Council Meeting on Tuesday 16 December 2025, Council resolved how to proceed with the seven proposed intersection upgrades following extensive community feedback received in August 2025.
The next steps for each project are outlined below:
- Design work on this project will consider the requirements of the Council resolution and will be subject to a future budget allocation for delivery.
- Construction of this project has been cancelled with works no longer scheduled for this financial year.
- It will be considered again as part of the Rowena Parade Road Safety Study which is currently underway.
- Construction of this project has been postponed with works no longer scheduled for this financial year.
- Additional design work will be undertaken to consider the requirements of the Council resolution.
- Officers will provide a report to Council in 2026 providing information on the project as per the requirements of the Council resolution.
- This project will progress to detailed design work, and it will be considered for construction in future years, subject to a budget allocation.
- Council will work with the Department of Transport and Planning on pedestrian prioritisation at the traffic lights.
- Construction of this project has been cancelled with works no longer scheduled for this financial year.
- It will be considered again as part of the Rowena Parade Road Safety Study which is currently underway.
- Design work on this project will continue and will incorporate changes specified in the Council resolution.
- Design work on this project will continue to incorporate changes specified in the Council resolution.
Properties affected will be notified ahead of construction, once funding is confirmed in future budgets. To read the complete resolution and learn more about the project, click the link below.
The detailed data analysis of the feedback received, the Community Engagement Report and the complete list of responses is available within the Agenda for the Council Meeting on Tuesday 16 December. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.
Visit the project page
To read more about this consultation please visit the Active transport improvements 2025/26 on Your Say Yarra.
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