Victorian Government – Yarra Reporter archive

In her three separate tenures as Mayor of the City of Yarra, Cr Jackie Fristacky has invited residents and visitors to ‘travel the Yarra way’.

“To travel the Yarra way is to walk, cycle and use public transport,” Cr Fristacky said.

In December 2013, the City of Yarra released the four-year Yarra Environment Strategy 2013-2017 (YES).

The strategy’s aim was to provide the direction and actions required to make the City of Yarra more sustainable.

A key pathway in this strategy is ‘Sustainable Transport’ and more broadly, sustainable infrastructure.

“Despite the larger projects such as rail and road being the responsibility of Federal and State Government, at a council level, we have created great developments for the City of Yarra’s infrastructure,” Cr Fristacky said.

One development is the adoption of a bike path on every road in the City of Yarra.

The project was created in 2003 and has progressively been rolled out.

“There are line markings on most roads, as part of ongoing maintenance, some line markings need to be redone,” Cr Fristacky said.

Melbourne Bike Share is a public bicycle hire scheme designed for short trips across the city and is another example of a recent addition to the City of Yarra’s sustainable infrastructure.

“Bike Share is growing, with already 51 stations across the city and thousands of users annually,” Cr Fristacky said.

Two men hiring a bike using Melbourne Bike Share. Photo: Flickr

Australian Bureau of Statistics data comparing the method of travel of people living in the City of Yarra showed a 2.1% increase in bicycle use between 2006 and 2011, with this number expected to rise once 2016 data is available according to Cr Fristacky.

“Bike paths are embedded in every road project as an important part of cycling infrastructure,” Cr Fristacky said.

Cycling isn’t the only transport priority for the City of Yarra.

In 2014, the route 12 tram was established, travelling from Victoria Parade to St Kilda.

“The route 12 tram shuttle was enormously important for Yarra,” Cr Fristacky said.

“Instead of the route 109 to Box Hill, route 12 provided a quicker, additional service for people to get around the City of Yarra, particularly through Victoria Parade,” Cr Fristacky said.

The City of Yarra is proposing a similar shuttle on Brunswick Street, as a joint venture between the Yarra and Moreland councils.

Tram in the City of Yarra. Photo: Flickr

Dr Kane Nicholls has lived in Clifton Hill for two years and has embraced the sustainable transport mantra.

While 34.4% of residents in the City of Yarra get to work by car, Dr Nicholls isn’t one of them.

“I take the train from Clifton Hill station to work and then repeat the journey on the way home,” Dr Nicholls said.

“I rarely use my car, only when I go grocery shopping or to suburbs without a quick transport option such as Doncaster,” Dr Nicholls said.

The Doncaster Rail Project has been a buzz topic for the City of Yarra and a political issue for State Government for some time.

“We support Doncaster Rail as it will reduce sole occupancy vehicles on roads in the City of Yarra,” Cr Fristacky said.

“We opposed the East West link and the West Gate tunnel. These will have the opposite effect of a new public transport network,” Cr Fristacky said.

The Victorian State Government recently announced $10 million towards devising a new airport rail plan, despite a 2013 study by Public Transport Victoria concluding the high costs of the plan outweigh the project’s benefits.

“Airport Rail would reduce the number of people using the Eastern Freeway and lessen the number of cars driving through the City of Yarra, which is desirable,” Cr Fristacky said.

Both Cr Fristacky and Dr Nicholls are supporters of travelling ‘the Yarra way’ and next time you visit the City of Yarra, if you don’t already, maybe you should too.

Written by Nicholas Nakos

Richmond locals are fighting hard to keep their home of sport, after the Victorian Government announced plans to sell the land to property developers.

The recreational courts at Ryan’s Reserve have been a much-loved part of the community for over 25 years, however, its future has now come under threat.

Under the Victorian Government’s plan to re-zone the facility, the public space will be sold to developers, to cater for predicted population growth in the Yarra suburbs.

In a bid to keep their beloved courts open, locals have launched the ‘Saving Ryan’s Reserve’ campaign, raising awareness across surrounding suburbs and money for potential redevelopments.

Amongst those pioneering the campaign is Richmond local Maree Nihill, whose daughters have been using the court’s netball and tennis facilities for 13 years.

With the courts thriving on weeknights and weekends, Ms Nihill believes removing the facility would be a mistake.

“Healthy communities need easy access to sporting opportunities… you should place recreational facilities amongst it, not remove them,” she said.

Ms Nihill is not alone in supporting the recreational courts. Over 300 locals have joined the ‘Saving Ryan’s Reserve’ Facebook page, while another 1,400 have signed a petition to keep it open. On top of that, almost $1,000 has been donated to the cause.

The support to save Ryan’s Reserve has not only come from Richmond locals, but from surrounding suburbs too, as the courts also service the wider community.

“At present Ryan’s Reserve caters for local users, people who live in the south-west of Boroondara, Stonnington and further afield,” Nihill said.

“We all need access to recreational opportunities within our neighbourhoods.”

Despite the overwhelming support for Ryan’s Reserve, the Victorian Government may still decide to go ahead with the redevelopment plans.

The City of Yarra is predicting a 33 per cent growth over the next 20 years, while a population growth of 79 per cent is predicted for the Burnley and Cremone areas.

As developments are on the rise around the inner city suburbs, the state government sees Ryan’s Reserve as another housing opportunity.

A property lawyer, who chose not to be named, said that the development would be advantageous for the area.

“A development at Ryan’s Reserve would create jobs both directly and indirectly and, with new residents, was likely to be a boost for local businesses,” he said.

“The council would ensure that there was sufficient open space compensation if Ryan’s Reserve was sold for development purposes.”

While the Government continues to deliberate the matter, Ms Nihill hopes the community’s hard work can save the local facility.

“A Public Parks and Recreation Zone should not be for sale… Nothing justifies the loss of Ryan’s Reserve,” she said.

There has been no official word on the future of Ryan’s Reserve, as a final decision is yet to be reached.

Sign the petition, join the Facebook group or donate to show support for Ryan’s Reserve.

By Marnie Cohen