Car parking would be permanently removed and replaced with a bicycle lane on Sydney Road in Brunswick and Coburg under a draft transport department proposal to redesign the congested road, leaked documents reveal.

The design would be a triumph for cycling groups, which have been campaigning for separate lanes since the 2015 death of Italian cyclist Alberto Paulon. But the proposal is likely to be vehemently opposed by traders and motorists.

Cyclists in Sydney Road, Brunswick. Credit:Paul Jeffers

It is one of several draft “concept layouts” for Sydney Road outlined in a Transport for Victoria "Network Planning” document released to stakeholders in April. The RACV has separately called for a permanent parking ban and a protected cycling lane.

It is understood the draft proposal, which includes designs for a tram ''super stop'', is for the stretch of road between Brunswick Road, Brunswick, and Bell Street, Coburg.