St John Street turning lane change planned

The council’s $2.5 million plan to upgrade St John Street as part of its City Heart project will include widened footpaths, a mid-block pedestrian crossing and other enhancements. 

To cater for the project, the dedicated right-hand turning into York Street will be demolished.

City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten confirmed the traffic plan would also see the right-hand turn lane from St John Street into The Avenue, gone.

“Traffic modelling indicates the proposed changes will have minimal impact.”

This week business owners at the York Street end of St John Street have raised concerns about relocating the bus stop to the front of their businesses.

The owners were concerned about anti-social behaviour at the stop.

But Alderman van Zetten said it was “something we are seeking to address through a redesign of the street”.

“The vast majority of public transport users are a boon for our CBD, being commuters, students, shoppers or tourists who are utilising the services and facilities in the city without taking up parking spaces,” he said. 

“While it's true that a tiny minority may cause issues from time to time, Tasmania Police will act on complaints. 

“We're eager to see more police patrols in areas that people perceive as hot spots, and we'll continue to talk to Tasmania Police about that.”

He said the redesigned streetscape would allow the council to improve CCTV coverage in the area and improve the investigative tools available to Tasmania Police.

But Alderman van Zetten did not provide a specific cost of relocating the bus stop 20 metres from its existing location.

“The estimate for the whole project is around $2.5 million, but it is incorrect to assume it is only about moving bus stops,” he said. 

“The council is eager to invest this significant amount of money into this section of St John Street to create new opportunities.”