The area has a rich concentration of transport options and is highly connected to Melbourne’s CBD. Sydney Road is Merri-bek’s premier main street and commercial spine. It runs parallel to the Upfield train line through Brunswick. Sydney Road contains tram, bus, bike, vehicle and pedestrian routes and the Upfield line contains pedestrian, bike and train routes.

Walking, defined as broadly and inclusively as possible, is the most fundamental means of transport, and the area contains a range of walking routes – both those that are on Council’s Principal Pedestrian Network and those which are not. The Upfield shared bike and pedestrian path runs parallel with the railway line. This path was first built in the late 1980s and connects Royal Park as far north as Fawkner.

This path is also part of the Victorian Government’s Principal Bicycle Network, classified as a Strategic Cycle Corridor. There are on-road bike lanes on Sydney Road and Brunswick Road, managed by VicRoads and Merri-bek’s bike routes criss-cross the area. Public transport consists of trains, trams, and buses. Train services run north-south along the Upfield train line and include Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey Stations within the area. Tracking along Sydney Road is the number 19 North Coburg tram line. Bus services cover the area along six routes. They generally provide for east-west cross-suburb travel.

Sydney Road also connects traffic between Melbourne’s Central Business District to the northern suburbs. It is classified as a Secondary Arterial Road and managed by VicRoads. Brunswick Road, also managed by VicRoads, is the primary arterial road crossing east-west. There is publicly available on-street and off-street parking in the project area. Parking demand is particularly high between Sydney Road and rail corridor.

While Merri-bek has large cohorts of residents who travel to work via public transport (25% compared to 15% in greater Melbourne), most people (51%) still travel to work by car.