Bicycle lane a concern

THE project to revitalise Geelong’s CBD is ongoing.

On Friday, Malop St reopened to traffic and unveiled its picturesque green spine works, complete with street sculptures and bike lanes.

Last week, the Renew Geelong initiative to fill empty buildings with creative enterprise via a 30-day free lease scheme called for expressions of interest. Look around the city’s buildings and you will see the giant photographs celebrating locals as part of Geelong council and Diversitat’s Streetface initiative.

Yes, there is plenty going on to draw people to our CBD — not to mention the many major events, summer activities and the floating Christmas tree that are major drawcards at other times of the year.

But there remains a very real problem with filling our empty shopfronts — a problem that was on the agenda as far back as 2010, when there was a summit on the issue.

So you would think it would be in everyone’s best interest to keep the traders who have committed to setting up business in the CBD happy.

This does not seem to be the case when it comes to the plan to create a bike route along Moorabool St.

Traders have repeatedly spoken out against the proposal to establish bike lanes from Central Geelong to Waurn Ponds via two of Geelong’s busiest streets — Moorabool St and High St in Belmont.

The bike lanes will include a concrete barrier that is estimated to cut 47 car parking spaces along the CBD-bound side of Moorabool St, as well as adding to the congestion of already busy thoroughfares. Affected traders claim that the changes will result in business closures. The alternative they put forward of moving the bike lanes one block over to Yarra St, has been knocked back.

Cyclists remain an important part of the local culture and economy, and the push to get more people out of cars and on their bikes should be applauded.

But given that retaining business in our CBD is essential to our city’s future and already a battle, perhaps some compromise wouldn’t go astray.