Speed limits would not be reduced on state-owned roads and highways and any changes would require government approval. The strategy was released following a six-week public consultation and is expected to be endorsed by councillors at next week's council meeting. The council's transport portfolio chair Nicolas Frances Gilley said members of the public complained that inconsistent speed limits caused confusion. This is why council was planning to expand 40km/h speed zones, he said. "Consistency is what we've heard is the most important thing and I completely agree," he said. "If you’re driving in from the east you have 40km/h on the local streets in the City of Yarra, then 50km/h in East Melbourne before reaching the central city where it's 40km/h again.

"We also need to recognise that there may still be areas in the city that because of their particular use, we may want to experiment with 30km/h or lower." Lord mayor Sally Capp said the council was trying to slow down traffic, widen footpaths and reprogram traffic lights to prioritise pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. She said changes were necessary to accommodate an extra 500,000 people expected to be the inner city each day by 2036. "We know we need to make changes and upgrade our infrastructure to cope with our booming population," Cr Capp said. "The strategy to be considered by councillors, aims to upgrade public space and amenity around major public transport hubs, increase space and accessibility for pedestrians and boost bicycle safety with dedicated bike lanes."

The council's 10-year vision for the city would deliver an $870 million boost to Victoria's economy, according to a Deloitte Access Economics report commissioned by the city council. Under the strategy, council will trial lowering the speed limit to 30km/h or less on Melbourne's "Little" streets (Little Collins, Little Bourke, Little Lonsdale, Little La Trobe) and closing those streets to cars at different times of the day to give pedestrians priority. Footpath overcrowding has been identified as a significant problem, with the council warning that 89 per cent of all trips made in the Hoddle Grid are on foot, but just 26 per cent of street space is allocated to footpaths. Traffic lanes will be narrowed in some areas to give pedestrians more space, while some on-street parking bays would be given over to motorcycles and bicycles.