The 2023 Merri-bek Council budget had a substantial deficiency in funding dedicated cycling projects that would help to encourage choice of safe mobility options such as walking and cycling to reduce transport emissions. Protected and dedicated cycling projects were particuilarly lacking in the budget, even for doing project design.

Council has set 75 per cent emissions reduction by 2030, and net-zero by 2035 and has strong vision statements. But they mean little if resources are not put into the infrastructure that enables citizens to actively choos to do more walking and cycling and so reduce transport emissions. The State Government in a 2021 Climate Pladge set a 25 per cent active transport target by 2030. The State Bicycle Strategy emphasises the need for greater dedicated protected cycling paths and lanes. This was all outlined in our Budget submission.

Over 70% of all submissions received on the Council budget were about building more protected bike lanes in Merri-bek. Merri-bek Bicycle User Group campaigned strongly for changes to the budget and in particular identified Victoria street, Brunswick protected bike lanes to Pearson street that could be done pro-actively by Council.

Faith Hunter, Convenor of Merribek BUG, described the outcomes in an email to the 700 BUG members:

“Last night’s meeting saw three wins.

1) Officers revised the budget to provide for unallocated funds for bicycle only projects to be increased by $220,000 to allow for additional works. This is a small change and we still believe the proportion of the Transport Budget being spent on bike only projects (protected bike lanes ) is still too small compared to that spent on shared paths and road amenity, but a welcome change. 

Shared paths and road amenity projects, low traffic neighbourhoods  etc are all really important parts of the puzzle and it is good to see Merri-bek working on these, but they need to be connected by a network of protected bike lanes. 

2). Last night Merri-bek Councillors voted UNANIMOUSLY to fund $135,000 for the Design of the Victoria St Brunswick protected bike lanes in 23/24. Again this is only one project and not a pipeline of projects but still an important change to get made at this point. This funding was re-allocated from the Roads budget.

The Council Quarterly Review in November will also see $400,000 for the building of the Victoria Street bike lanes being considered IF funds are available. But having designs ready does mean that this project can be considered for State or federal funding opportunities.

3). Council also voted UNANIMOUSLY that Officers report in October on how Council could accelerate the roll out of active transport infrastructure and on indexing the $10 per head minimum spend on active transport infrastructure each year in line with inflation.

Crs Conlan, Bolton and Pulford worked hard on getting these changes through. It was also pleasing to see that these changes were all supported unanimously by all Councillors present.

Most importantly it was clear from many Councillors comments that the need for more protected bike lanes was heard loud and clear and many recognise that there will have to be ongoing changes to budgeting to see the bike network in Merri-bek built.

Email from Faith Hunter, BUDGET UPDATE – some good news, 21 June 2023

Climate Action Merribek question

Climate Action Merribek Convenor John Englart asked the following question of Councillors: 

Re 7.1 Merri-bek City Council 4-Year Budget 2023-2027 and Council Action Plan 2023-2024

I outlined in my verbal presentation following Climate Action Merribeck written submission that not having any dedicated bike lane projects in design means Council cannot take advantage of $$210 million funding by Victorian Government in the state Budget over next 4 years in the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program. And the advice of the Victorian Cycling Strategy 2018-28 stressing the importance of “initiatives that will result in more direct, separated cycle paths.” This appears to have been totally ignored by Council Officers in their response to the Climate Action Merribek submission. 

Q: Why aren’t there dedicated cycling projects, consistent with the State Bicycle Strategy, at the very least in design in the budget to make use of state government grant funding in the next 4 years?

Answer: Council staff are already liasing with State Government and Department of Transport about active transport project funding under the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program.

Other Climate related Budget commitments

Other key items from a climate perpective in the budget included:

•  Urban Forest Strategy – Tree Planting Regime ($0.5 million) as well as additional funding for preparation to places to plant trees in tricky-to-plant areas ($0.3 million);

•  Continuing the solar and/or thermal grants for low-income earners ($0.4 million);
•  Zero Carbon Merri-bek (ZCM) Emergency Action Plan ($0.3 million);
•  Integration of climate risk & resilience ($0.3 million)

As part of Council’s participatory budgeting process earlier this year, Council is funding six community budget ideas totaling $278,000, including further rollout of public drinking fountains around the strip shopping centres in Merri-bek, a Climate Action Merri-bek suggestion:

• Double Council’s shade structures program for playgrounds and parks $80,000; (CAM supported this suggestion)
• Take the First Step Merri-bek (domestic violence prevention) $33,000;
• Installation of nesting boxes $10,000; (CAM supported this suggestion)
• Accessible tennis facilities and reserves $100,000;
• Drinking fountains in shopping strips $50,000; (This was a CAM suggestion)
• More bins around parklands $5,000.

Background on active transport funding:

Council officers fobbed off all the 87  submissions made on active transport, presenting no budget change. Climate Action Merribek made an 11 page submission on active transport in the budget highlighting Council’s own climate targets, state government targets and identified this lack of funding for dedicated projects, even for design, was a climate issue. 

Major backtrack on active transport projects in Draft Merri-bek Council Budget jeopardizes Climate Targets

This is the Response:

The following is the Council Officer response to our budget submission and in person presentation. Most of the 87 submissions on active transport received a similar cut and paste response, with slight variations. Our main questions went unanswered. None of the proposed projects specifically listed are dedicated path or protected cycle lane projects, and it is disingenous to list these in response, given the State Bicycle strategy emphasis and what was being asked for.

“Officer response:

No change to the overall proposed transport budget

Can this be delivered within existing budget?

Not applicable

Officer commentary:

The Transport Capital Budget has been set so that improvement of facilities for walking and riding make up at least $10 per capita. This is additional to any grant funding for these projects, and additional to $2 million of rates funding for footpath and bike path renewals.

This has meant that some projects displayed in earlier Capital Works Programs have needed to be deferred for a few years. However, it is still intended that the projects be pursued within the 10 year Active Travel Capital Plan.

The budget contains funding for “Planning, design and evaluation of transport projects” to allow

feasibility scoping for projects, including engagement with the community. The projects that will be investigated for feasibility and once scoped at high level, the highest priority projects will proceed to design. In response to community feedback on funding for dedicated bicycle facilities, it is proposed to make some adjustments to the allocation of funding within the Transport Capital Budget to increase the funding available for investigation and design of bike corridors. In addition, further information will be provided on the intended use of this funding.

Dedicated bike routes planned to be investigated over the next 4 years are:

•  The bike routes emerging from the Fawkner Transport Study
•   Harding Street Corridor – Sydney Road to Merri Creek Shared Path
•   Urquhart Street Link between Pentridge Boulevard and Merri Creek
•   Glenlyon Road Corridor – Sydney Road to Nicholson Street

In addition, the following shared user path projects, which also benefit bike riding, are proposed to be investigated and designed:

•  Merri Creek Shared User Path Widening – Clara Street (Moreland Road Underpass)
•  New Shared User Path Link through Hopetoun Ave Reserve – Hopetoun Bridge to Moreland
• Road Shared Path, Brunswick West
•  Finalisation of the designs on Craigieburn Shared Path Stages 3 and 4

The funding to deliver these projects will need to be allocated in future years from the Unallocated sums and used to leverage grant funding opportunities. To help support delivery of bicycle projects, 2025/26 funding from “Walking Facilities – Unallocated” has been moved to “Bicycle Facilities – Unallocated” – accelerating the provision of a larger recurrent capital funding source for Bicycle Facilities and facilitating implementation of infrastructure projects designed in 2023/24 and 2024/25. To implement some earlier projects, surplus carry forward funding of $100,000 from the “Transport Trial Sites – bike lanes (and shared paths)” will be allocated to “Bicycle Facilities – Unallocated”.

With respect to the projects listed in your submission, many of these are still intended to be progressed within the 10 year Active Travel Plan, beyond the 5 year outlook represented in the Capital Works Program.”

Council Agenda 20 June 2023 7.1 Council 4 year Budget Attachment 3