Sydney Road is becoming increasingly congested and the RACV wants to see on-street parking along the road permanently removed. The number 19 tram along Sydney Road is now the fifth-busiest route in Melbourne, and its off-peak traffic is the slowest in the state at nine kilometres an hour. The RACV is proposing the removal of on-street parking, and the conversion of many off-street spaces to free parking.

The space gained from removing on-street parking would be converted to a dedicated cycling lane, wider footpaths and larger trading and dining spaces for businesses. “Sydney Road has been a long-term problem and there’s many people trying to use a limited road space,” says Dave Jones, RACV’s Roads and Traffic manager. In the March edition of RoyalAuto magazine, the RACV outlined the current issues surrounding Sydney Road, as well as several proposals it wants to see trialled by 2018.