What led to this vote? Let's start, regardless of anyone's opinion on a three-month trial, its another example of retrogressive partisan politics thats stymied active transport projects for years in Yarra Council /1 https://twitter.com/YarraCouncil/status/1296725989603639301

What's "retrogressive partisan politics" you say? Let explain, it's years of watching an apparently progressive council voting to proceed on an issue: then only to exhaustively fight its initiatives to complete failure. No doubt you know many and its not just cycling projects /2

For years people have made countless public submissions, made time to speak at public question time at Yarra council meetings, contacted councillors, gone through the appropriate channels to communicate what they want council to do. Repetitively the council process fails them /3

NB: councils have a limited role with major infrastructure changes, eg: if road is council controlled or VicRoads, who have a poor reputation dealing with any authority other than themselves. Then there's the spaghetti monster aka Department of Transport which is a mess tbh /4

Returning to Yarra council: the area has one of the highest walking & cycling participation % in Australia & yet couldn't implement its own Bicycle Strategy (2010-2015), Bicycle Strategy Refresh (2016) or complete one separated lane in Wellington St ("half a tennis court") /5

Yarra Bicycle Advisory Committee: we've attended since early 2000s. BAC is open to all residents, lots of dialogue etc, has zero power over Yarra council decisions. BAC is not the omnipresent @BicycleLobby despite the magical thinking others desperately want to apply to it /6

So .. if the so called Yarra "bicycle lobby" has no power to make others do their shadowy, undemocratic bidding & no noticeable influence on council budgets then why crank up more opposition to active transport? Wedge politics & a hefty dose of projection? /7

In regards to Trennery Crescent trial, read 23 June 2020 council docs: internal recommendation, not from BAC. Trennery never mentioned in BAC May minutes or our meeting notes. Any attempt to "pin" blame is disingenuous /8
1. https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/about-us/committees/bicycle-advisory-committee
2. https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/events/2020/06/23/council-meeting-23-june-2020

Vital yet overlooked background to why people now move to inner suburbs: liveability, close to work, facilities, short commutes etc. For years communities fought for better transport options, quieter streets, against East West Link etc which made living here very attractive /9

Elsewhere: Transport for NSW & @cityofsydney working together on pop up lanes, @cityportphillip
voted this week for cycling infra, @cityofmelbourne to fasttrack 40km of lanes, @morelandcouncil voted to fund active transport. See more: https://www.spaceforhealth.org  #SpaceForHealth /10

Q: Back to why Yarra council & /or its processes get kicked in the guts everytime an active transport initiative comes up, that by comparison, are not such an arduous slog at other councils

A: Unworkable partisan politics & this council (2016-2020) it is horrible to watch /11

What do you do? Yarra Council has lot of great people: problem is they are beset by complex external pressures that sometimes are not in good faith

We can all question & make decisions about next council you'd like to see

Hope you're staying nice & warm today /12