At the Council meeting on 13 May 2026, Council resolved to continue the Barrow Street road closure trial for a further 12 months.

This extension will allow further development and community engagement on the Harding Street Streets for People concept design, with a focus on addressing the impacts of the trial on surrounding streets.

Council also resolved to implement safety modifications at the Coburg Street/Sheffield Street intersection. In addition, Council will undertake traffic counts at the narrower southern end of Coburg Street, alongside other parts of Coburg Street, and assess whether further traffic calming measures are needed.

Harding-Munro Street streetscape improvements
During this 12-month period, community engagement and further development will take place on the Harding-Munro Street ‘Streets for People’ project. This project is focused on improving the look, feel and safety of the Harding-Munro street corridor, and will help Council identify and test potential changes to improve safety and amenity on surrounding streets. Learn more on the project page.

The trial so far

Traffic counts from before the trial (March 2024) and after the trial (March 2026) show a significant reduction in traffic on Barrow Street. Vehicle speeds have generally decreased in the area, supporting safer conditions in many locations. However, Council has also identified some areas requiring further attention and will continue monitoring and responding to safety issues during the extended trial.

Traffic volumes have increased on some surrounding local streets, particularly Coburg Street and Patterson Street. While recorded volumes remain below the typical local street capacity of 3,000 vehicles per day, Council recognises community concerns about the impacts of these changes and will continue to assess and respond to these issues during the extended trial