YarraBUG April - May 2026 newsletter + heaps of news
Elizabeth Street protected bike lanes downgrade, North Richmond Bike Bus: Sunday Ride, Yarra Council: 2026–27 draft budget, 4000+ Signatures for Protected Bike Lanes on Johnston St, Nicer Wellington Street + more!
🟩 mailchi.mp/6f17155c21c1...
YarraBUG April - May 2026 newsletter + heaps of news
Elizabeth Street protected bike lanes downgrade, North Richmond Bike Bus: Sunday Ride, Yarra Council: 2026–27 draft budget, 4000+ Signatures for Protected Bike Lanes on Johnston St, Nicer Wellington Street + more!
🟩 mailchi.mp/6f17155c21c1...
Bridge Road, Richmond will be closed to traffic between Punt Rd & Church St from 10pm, Friday 10 April to 4.30am Monday 13 April 2026. Notice of works 2 page pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f9VDqIhlURxdJnHmTPjCdeiIu3zD9ny_/view?usp=sharing https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2026/04/09/bridge-rd-resurfacing-disrupts-bike-route/
Bridge Road, Richmond will be closed to traffic between Punt Rd & Church St from 10pm, Friday 10 April to 4.30am Monday 13 April 2026.
Notice of works 2 page pdf drive.google.com/file/d/1f9VD...
bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/202...
Heard about '2026 Victoria’s Active Transport Plan' a few weeks back - had no media release.
www.3cr.org.au/yarrabug/epi...
North Richmond Bike Bus Ride! Sunday 19th April 2026 10.00am Meet on the East West Pathway, opposite 36 Lennox St 10.15am Ride the streets of Richmond / Smith St 11.30am Finish after games and bike activities Lennox St Kids and parents ride together BYO bike or ask for help Snacks and drinks provided Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/north-richmond-bike-bus-sunday-ride North Richmond Bike Bus / Yarra Bicycle Users Group YarraBUG.org This project is supported through the Yarra City Council North Richmond Precinct Grant Program (2026). The North Richmond Bike Bus was supported by the Victorian Government.
Come and try out the North Richmond Bike Bus without the stress of getting ready for school!
Meet on the East West Pathway, opposite 36 Lennox Street, Richmond 10am - 11:30am, Sun 19 April 2026,
Register here: events.humanitix.com/north-richmo...
New @3crmelbourne.bsky.social podcast: Talking to Kathryn Good: defending legal ebikes in Queensland. News incl. Wellington St, North Richmond Bike Bus, Critical Mass + more!
www.3cr.org.au/yarrabug/epi...
Image of massed group of bicycle and micro-mobility riders heading north on a road somewhere in Melbourne, Victoria. Text: Save the date: next naarm Melbourne Critical Mass - Friday 24 April 2026, follow for more details. https://criticalmass.melbourne/
Save the date: next naarm Melbourne Critical Mass - Friday 24 April 2026, follow for more details. criticalmass.melbourne
North Richmond Bike Bus Ride! Sunday 19th April 2026 10.00am Meet on the East West Pathway, opposite 36 Lennox St 10.15am Ride the streets of Richmond / Smith St 11.30am Finish after games and bike activities Lennox St Kids and parents ride together BYO bike or ask for help Snacks and drinks provided Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/north-richmond-bike-bus-sunday-ride North Richmond Bike Bus / Yarra Bicycle Users Group YarraBUG.org This project is supported through the Yarra City Council North Richmond Precinct Grant Program (2026). The North Richmond Bike Bus was supported by the Victorian Government.
Come and try out the North Richmond Bike Bus without the stress of getting ready for school!
Meet on the East West Pathway, opposite 36 Lennox Street, Richmond 10am - 11:30am, Sun 19 April 2026,
Register here: events.humanitix.com/north-richmo...
Come on @cityofmelbourne.bsky.social #victoria #australia @victorianlabor.bsky.social
we need way more safe bike & car free infrastructure
make Melbourne better
The Department of Pedalling and Perspiration suggests #cyclists should be paid $1 per kilometre and up to $50 a day for their efforts in reducing #fuel consumption. I feel quite the April fool for wishing it were true.
Interested in saying yes to a new Wellington Street?
It's also a strategic cycling corrdor, here's the details to show support and add your name /4
nicer-collingwood.my.canva.site
And about modal filters, Melbourne's inner north has dozens, including Canning Street, Carlton for example. They're far from some mysterious unknown thing and residents have enjoyed their benefits for decades /3 streets-alive-yarra.org/modal-filters/
Missing from article is context, 2025 was 2nd round of public consultation then presented with 2 options. Also, first stage of Wellington St started way back in 2010, that took forever + incredible amount of work /2
www.change.org/p/yarra-city...
The Age: Wellington Street wars: The plan dividing Collingwood and Clifton Hill Rachael Dexter April 1, 2026 — 11:30am A proposal to transform a 1.1-kilometre stretch of a major inner-city road into a “bicycle street” blocked to most cars has triggered intense community uprisings among residents of Collingwood and Clifton Hill. Yarra City Council will vote in May on whether to press ahead with plans to place “modal filters” such as garden beds and concrete curbs along Wellington Street to block vehicles from driving the full length between Johnston Street in Collingwood and Queens Parade in Clifton Hill.
Such a misleading title about Wellington Street “bicycle street” plan as Abbotsford, Carlton, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Richmond et al had modal filters installed decades ago. Political opportunism has uncanny ability to make nice things miserable /1 archive.is/Of8c3
Australian Government Department of Pedalling and Perspiration MEDIA RELEASE The Hon. Chris Bowen MP Minister for Climate Change and Energy 1 April 2026 RIDE TO SAVE - GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NATIONAL CYCLING REBATE SCHEME As the Albanese Government moves to ease cost-of-living pressures in the wake of the ongoing Iran conflict and its impact on global fuel supply, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy today announced a complementary measure to reduce demand on Australia's strained fuel reserves. Effective immediately, the Australian Government will pay cyclists $1 per kilometre ridden as part of the new Ride to Save initiative. The scheme is open to all Australians new and existing riders and is designed to encourage active transport as a practical alternative to private vehicle use during the current fuel security emergency. Key Details $1 per kilometre ridden on any trip Capped at 50km per day per person (maximum daily payment: $50) Open to all riders - no registration required Scheme runs for three months, in line with the fuel excise reduction period · Claims operate on an honesty system "We're asking Australians to do their bit. Get on a bike, reduce demand at the bowser, and we'll put money back in your pocket. It's that simple." - The Hon. Chris Bowen MP Cyclists are asked to submit their daily kilometre totals via MyGov. No GPS tracking, odometer, or proof of ride is required. The Government thanks Australians for their cooperation during this challenging period. Media enquiries: Minister Bowen's office (02) 6277 7920 Administered by the Department of Pedalling and Perspiration (DPP) on behalf of the Australian Government.
Breaking news from @bikewest.org - Canberra has announced new Ride to Save scheme with national cycling rebate scheme and rapid implementation for safe cycling infrastructure across Australia!
This 👇
New! @3crmelbourne.bsky.social podcast: Raving about Bike Rave Melbourne! Talking to Curtis Hatton, Bike Rave Melbourne. News incl free PT & with limited PT accessibility in many parts of Melbourne shouldn't some pop-up style bike lanes be part of the solution?
www.3cr.org.au/yarrabug/epi...
"The Cycling Week: The new Paris mayor celebrated victory on a bike. Emmanuel Grégoire, 48, won the Paris mayoral race on Sunday with just over half of the vote, defeating conservative rival Rachida Dati in what many observers described as a showdown between car culture and cycling culture. The result sends a strong message about the direction the French capital wants to take in the coming years. Grégoire is not new to the project. He previously served as deputy mayor under Anne Hidalgo, the leader behind the massive transformation that added around 180 km of bike lanes, reduced car traffic, and invested hundreds of millions of euros to make cycling safer and more accessible. Those changes helped Paris rank among the most bike friendly cities in Europe, even ahead of places long considered untouchable for cycling. Right after his victory, Grégoire rode a Vélib rental bike through the streets with his future council members. The message was clear. Cities that invest in bikes do not just change traffic. They can change elections too."
Meanwhile in Paris last week, here's Emmanuel Grégoire, the newly elected mayor ... /3 www.facebook.com/share/p/1CWT...
And also keep in mind with recent calls for pop up bike/mobility lanes in Australian cities, free public transport announced in Victoria and Tasmania, then residents in Melbournes inner north and east forced to deal with a backwards inner north council in a spiral. /2
archive.today/2026.03.28-0...
Pic 1: 2021 'The Elizabeth Street location was one of the identified areas in the adopted Urban Forest Strategy (2017) analysis of the need for tree plantings (upper canopy)' (21 December 2021: Yarra City Council Meeting Agenda: Item 8.1 Elizabeth Street Protected Bike Lanes Trial) url 1: https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/about-us/council-and-committee-meetings/council-meetings/council-meetings-21-december-2021 url 2: https://www.yarrabug.org/elizabeth-street-protected-bike-lanes-a-history-part-2/
Pic 2: 30 March 2026, Elizabeth Street, Richmond overnight resheeting works prior to marking or instalment of downgraded protected bike/mobility lanes, which will be only plastic bollards, no concrete barriers or any additional tree planting as per original Yarra Council plans. Image supplied by resident.
Contrast the two images: in March-April 2026 with a Australian petrol crisis & crunch time for many household budgets, it is an indictment that Yarra Council decided to proceed with demolition of Elizabeth Street protected lanes exactly when residents need safe, economical transport options /1
Elizabeth Street, Richmond, Saturday morning 28 March 2026. Overcast rainy day, image shows roadwork signage, heavy equipment, a couple of plastic bollards in what was the protected bike lanes
Almost a fortnight after Elizabeth St lanes demolition Yarra Council finally add placcie bollards, something resembling works signage but then park heavy machinery in what was protected bike lane 😖🫠
From Bicycle Network: Yarra pushes on with sub-standard bike lanes
'To squeeze the new redundant parking in, the council has opted for a too-narrow bike lane configuration that does not satisfy national, state or local guidelines for such infrastructure.'
bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/202...
Meanwhile in Richmond, Melbourne, neither Road Safety minister Melissa Horne or Active Transport minister, Gabrielle Williams, know who's responsible for Elizabeth St, a strategic cycling corridor, demolished by Yarra Council & being replaced with not fit for purpose narrow lanes, we have receipts!
New @3crmelbourne.bsky.social Yarra Council downgrades Elizabeth Street protected lanes, interviews, media coverage, actions you can take + more:
www.3cr.org.au/yarrabug/epi...
Remembering Yukako, Will, Carolyn & also reminding City of Melbourne that inaction & blame shifting costs lives.
Ghost bikes become flashpoint between council and cycling advocates
www.cbdnews.com.au/ghost-bikes-...
Ghost bikes should stay where they are until they stop needing to be placed where drivers kill cyclists. Once zero cycling deaths occur cities should put up a ghost memorial with all the names of cyclists lost to political inaction and driver violence.
Remembering Yukako, Will, Carolyn & also reminding City of Melbourne that inaction & blame shifting costs lives.
Ghost bikes become flashpoint between council and cycling advocates
www.cbdnews.com.au/ghost-bikes-...
Cycling on Johnston Street Johnston Street is flagged by the state government as a Strategic Cycling Corridor in their Principal Bicycle Network, yet it is currently unsafe with no dedicated bike lanes, multiple speed limits that exceed other streets in the area, bus usage in the same lanes, and a high risk of dooring by cars. As a Fitzroy/Collingwood local or community member, I am interested in incorporating your experience cycling on this street into my journalistic story on the topic. This survey is purely for educational purposes and will be used to create content for a University of Melbourne Masters of Journalism assignment. As part of completing this form, you are consenting to having your answers used within this assignment, but all private information such as name and contact information will be kept anonymous unless stated by you that I am permitted to reference your name and story in the article. If you would like to be contacted to discuss anything further, or would like to be specifically featured in the article, please record your name and contact information. Thank you!
Cycling on Johnston Street survey 'Hi! I am a university student studying journalism currently pursuing a story on the safety of cycling in Melbourne's inner-north with specific focus on Johnston Street & broader commentary on Melbourne's cycling infrastructure' Link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Add your name to the open letter and say yes a new safer Wellington St, Collingwood 💙🚲
nicer-collingwood.my.canva.site
Australian Prime minister Anthony Albanese on a lovely bike wearing a white shirt, green helemt and smiling at the camera. Quotes include "The Napier Street Link will help more cyclists to feel safe on roads in Melbourne’s west” "Despite Footscray and Brunswick being the same distance from the Melbourne CBD, almost three times as many Brunswick residents cycle to work as those in Footscray" Anthony Albanese - 2019
Critical Mass: WestLink - Albo Approved! Let's link the Veloway to Footscray and the rest of West. 5:30pm start, State Library , Swanston St, Melbourne CBD, Friday 27 March 2026. bikewest.org
criticalmass.melbourne