Bell Street is an important public transport and traffic route. It carries about 350 buses and 35,000 vehicles each weekday. Our proposal aims to make Bell Street more 'bus friendly' and reduce delays for all traffic so that buses can provide a quicker, more reliable service.
Community consultation about this proposal was undertaken between 10 August 2009 and 8 October 2009. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.
All feedback will be considered before a final decision is made and announced.
We are proposing to extend clearway hours, introduce new clearway zones and install part-time bus lanes on Bell Street. View a map of the proposed changes [PDF, 419KB, 1pp].
Clearways that operate from 6.30am - 10am and 3pm - 7pm, Monday to Friday, are proposed on these sections of Bell Street:
- from east of Sussex Street to Sutherland Street (eastbound)
- from Kendall Street to Bruce Street (westbound)
- from Sydney Road to Nicholson Street (both directions)
Clearways that operate from 6.30am - 7pm, Monday to Friday, are proposed on these sections of Bell Street:
- from the Tullamarine Freeway exit to east of Sussex Street (eastbound)
- from Sutherland Street to Sydney Road (eastbound)
- from Sydney Road to Kendall Street (westbound)
- from Bruce Street to the Tullamarine Freeway overpass (westbound)
These areas have been identified as critical delay points for buses. Delays caused in these areas cause a ‘flow-on’ effect that increases congestion further along the road. Buses experience delays in these areas throughout the day, not only during peak traffic times.
Part-time bus lanes that operate during peak traffic times are planned on both sides of Bell Street between Sydney Road and Nicholson Street.
Bus lanes are being introduced on key routes across Melbourne to help improve reliability and travel times. Giving buses dedicated space on the road helps them avoid delays along their route.
This proposal is part of a Melbourne-wide effort to improve bus services through the SmartBus program.
Longer clearway hours will reduce delays for everyone travelling along Bell Street, and the combination of clearways and bus lanes will improve bus reliability and travel times.
Melbourne is growing rapidly, and more people means a greater need for effective and efficient public transport. Putting public transport infrastructure such as bus lanes into place now will help ensure bus services remain reliable in the future.
Improved bus services will encourage more people to leave their car at home and use the bus more often. A change in the way people travel around Melbourne will help reduce carbon emissions - making our transport system more environmentally friendly.
To find out more about this proposal please contact us:
Phone: 1300 309 571
Email: smartbus@roads.vic.gov.au