Bicycle Network Victoria wants a car-free Chapel Street.
At least 91 cyclists have been hit by cars on the busy street since 2008. Should we enforce a car ban to prevent such accidents or would that approach be too drastic? The City Journal found out your thoughts on the issue.
Michael Velaris, 24: “As a cyclist and as a car driver, I think anything that makes roads safer for bicycle riders is the way to go. The way forward is getting rid of cars from the inner city. The only thing is it’s going to affect businesses along Chapel Street, so they need to come up with an alternative – maybe build high rise car parks near the area.”
Dani Amayn, 20: “I think it’s a good idea to have some sort of ‘walkway only’ type of area, which there are a lot of overseas. I think it’s safer for keeping such a busy road more towards pedestrian traffic. It’s safer for the business too because it tends to be a ‘night-life’ street, so it’ll prevent any drunken accidents too.”
Nabila Petrucci, 24: “I think banning cars on Chapel Street would be great because it means people can walk freely and be safe, because it’s such a congested and busy area. But also from an environment perspective, less cars in the city would be amazing for creating less pollution. So yes, I think cars should be banned from Chapel Street.”
Adam Kaplan, 23: “As an avid Chapel street goer – it’s usually where I hang out as it’s close to my house – I think it would be a huge mistake if you ban cars and parking. It’s hard enough to park on Chapel Street now, so to limit it even more will be pretty ridiculous.”
