North and West Melbourne projects

• Frustration around timeline of the project and further consultation required due to design changes.
• Issues with the design needing to be updated and why Council didn’t know about underground services.
• Access for homes that would front the proposed Hawke Street greening project.
• Question about why measures weren’t put in place to prevent traffic using Hawke Street once the WGTP opens.
• Questions about whether there will be measures like speed humps in the design.
   

While there were no interim TAP measures specifically on Hawke Street, other changes on surrounding streets are seeking to keep cars moving along key roads and avoid using local roads such as Hawke Street as much as possible. See the Transport Victoria website External link for an overview. Noting that, considering feedback from the local community, DTP and City of Melbourne agreed not to progress with interim works at the intersections of Adderley and Hawke streets (including Ireland Street), and Spencer and Rosslyn streets until traffic movements could be monitored once the WGTP opened.

We do expect Hawke Street to see an increase in traffic when the WGTP opens which is consistent with the WGTP Environmental Effects Statement traffic studies in 2017.  

Traffic volumes and travel patterns will be monitored for six months once the WGTP opens, and prior to the Hawke Street greening project commencing in 2026. City of Melbourne is fully committed to delivering the Hawke Street greening project but has agreed to do so after the monitoring period ends with DTP. We understand and fully acknowledge Hawke Street was due for completion well before the WGTP opened and this delay is not what the community expected.

We apologise to the community for the delays on the project delivery, and the need to change the designs. It was not known to Council when the 2023 concept design was endorsed that there were significant restrictions due to the underground services. Council will continue to work on the designs and to work with external parties to maximise the amount of greenery that can be delivered in Hawke Street.

Full access to homes along Hawke Street for parking will be maintained, and two design options for Hawke Street are now available for consultation. Speed bumps are not part of the designs. Once the final design is agreed following the consultation period, Council will share this with community with a view to start works in the second half of 2026. The earliest we’d be able to start work – pending approvals and procurement – would be around September/October 2026.

The delivery of Hawke Street must be approved by both Council and DTP before proceeding. Council will submit design plans to DTP for approval before commencing work following the monitoring period. Council has funding allocated for the delivery of Hawke Street greening. DTP’s funding contribution is still pending, following a review of the monitoring period and community feedback.

• How much have both DTP and Council spent on the TAP program?
• Why is the Franklin Street transformation part of the TAP program?

You can find a full breakdown of expenditure here External link or by downloading the 'Transport Amenity Program funding table' in the West Gate Tunnel Impacts Notice of Motion - Hawke Street section below. This information is current as of 4 December 2025.

Franklin Street was agreed by City of Melbourne and the DTP at the inception of the TAP program. 

Franklin Street plays a key role in and around the Queen Victoria Market – connecting to key transport routes around Victoria and Elizabeth streets. Located in the northern edge of the CBD, this area will be impacted by the WGTP opening with more traffic expected in this precinct.
 

• Frustration around lack of transparency and information known prior to the tunnel opening – and why there is need for the monitoring period.
• What will be captured in the modelling period, and will traffic flows be accounted for?
• Consideration for more trucks and pollution in the area, and whether this has been considered in the modelling.
• How are we keeping local streets free from trucks and increased traffic volumes?
• When was the last traffic survey?
• Why has it taken this long to consider impacts?
• Has the new hospital been considered in planning?
• Pedestrian safety prioritisation and whether this will be monitored.
• What’s being done to mitigate fumes and noise of increased traffic volumes?

As many in the community know, traffic volumes will increase in North Melbourne and West Melbourne when the WGTP opens. We want to ensure that people travelling from North Melbourne to the city are using the arterial road network - avoiding local streets as shortcuts.

While modelling has been conducted and informed the interim measures, we need to ensure we’re responding to actual post-WGTP travel patterns and community needs. This is why a six-month monitoring period will be in place. 

As part of this monitoring period, DTP and City of Melbourne want to understand how the interim TAP works have changed how you enjoy your local roads and streets.

Residents and businesses will get the chance to share their local insights in the new year.

We and DTP have also been collating feedback received face-to-face, at meetings and via email since the interim measures were implemented. Your feedback via all these channels will be used alongside the traffic monitoring to help determine longer term measures.

The last traffic modelling was conducted in 2025, and a baseline survey was completed in November 2025 to ensure the baseline data is current. 

Pedestrian connectivity and safety have been crucial in the planning of the interim works. This is connected directly to the traffic measures and mitigating impacts of the WGTP opening. City of Melbourne will continue to plan for TAP projects that address this further and get on with the job post the monitoring period – which includes delivery of Hawke Street greening and the Spencer Street North Master Plan. Other development in the area is considered as part of the planning as well, in line with the West Melbourne Structure Plan and Victoria Street Opportunities Plan.

Noise and congestion increases are inevitable with the increase in traffic. Mitigations such as keeping traffic to arterial roads will help preserve amenity in local streets
 

• When will the modelling be released that has informed the interim measures?
• Why isn’t the modelling being released sooner?
   

The Department of Transport and Planning committed to releasing the traffic modelling by 19 December 2025.

This allowed time for the modelling to be put into a format making it accessible to everyone who is interested in viewing it.

You can view the traffic modelling on DTP’s website External link.  
 

• Whether areas will be clearway or tow-away zones.
• What parking changes have been made so far?
• Removal of carparks as part of the measures so far, and how they release to changed parking conditions and permits.
   

The Department of Transport and Planning has provided details regarding the parking changes as a result of the TAP interim works on the Transport Victoria website External link. This includes clearways and tow-away zones, removal of turns into local streets, and prioritisation of bus and cycling access in some directions.

Works were completed to deliver these interim measures through September 2025. They were required to help ease the impacts of increased traffic in the area, as well as prevent shortcuts being taken through local streets.

Parking bay removals and additions were communicated to residents and business as they were made on a street-by-street basis. These are interim measures and will be assessed as part of the six-month monitoring period.

Feedback from some residents on the loss of car parking has been formally noted. Parking changes were rolled out in West Melbourne from May 2025 as part of City of Melbourne's Parking and Kerbside Management Plan. Changes on a street-by-street view can be found on the Participate Melbourne website External link.

We recognise the timing of these changes and the TAP interim measures coincided. We acknowledge that this could have been better coordinated with DTP in the lead up to works rolling out – especially when communications were sent to residents and businesses. We’ll keep this in mind for future works and parking changes.

• Concerns for pedestrians once the tunnel opens, sighting frequent accidents between cars and trucks already occurring.

Safety is always our number one priority when planning any project.

The interim measures not only look to improve forecasted traffic flows but also keep traffic moving along desired arterial roads. Walking routes are protected through this work as well. We are aware of where accidents have and do occur in the area based on emergency service reporting and ensured additional road space for moving traffic in these areas. 

We also note comments on the night around speed limits and safety, particularly on Victoria Street. Following this, DTP has initiated a speed limit review for this section of road and will assess its feasibility during the six-month monitoring period.
 

• Lack of consultation around interim works.
• How was the information session promoted?
• Ongoing communication with residents regarding TAP status.
• Opportunities to have a say on Hawke Street.
• Opportunities to have a say on traffic interventions.
   

We recognise that residents would have liked more notice and to have been engaged on the TAP interim works before they started.

The interim work program was informed by traffic modelling and specialist review, however we acknowledge there was limited engagement with the community prior and a short lead up between local communications and works starting.

We advertised the community meeting one week ahead of the event on the 20 November via Council’s website, neighbourhood portals, and emailed resident and community groups with a request to help spread the word. We had over 60 people attend on the night, with roughly 20 others registered who did not attend. 

There will be several opportunities for the community to have a say on both the Hawke Street designs and TAP in the coming months via Participate Melbourne and DTP’s community engagement website. Consultation on Hawke Street greening is now live and will run until 8 February 2026. You can find out more and have your say at Participate Melbourne External link.
 

• Extension of the free tram zone.
• Rebates to residents.
• Opportunity to green Stanley Street.

As part of City of Melbourne’s Advocacy and Partnerships Plan 2025-29, which was endorsed by the Future Melbourne Committee on 2 December 2025, Council will advocate to the Victorian Government for solutions to barriers to extend the free tram zone. 

Rebates are not part of the proposed mitigations for the opening of the WGTP. Council has opposed the WGTP since its inception.

Council is open to greening opportunities across the municipality. While Stanley Street is not part of our current plans for greening, we will take this feedback to our Parks and City Greening team.