hobart@edwinjohnstone.com.au
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State of the City Address
Today I attended the inaugural State of the City Address with Ald Louise Bloomfield. It was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on Hobart’s progress: Economy – Hobart’s economy is now valued at $9.3B, powered by the people, services and industries that keep our city thriving. Community – Our population is getting younger, more diverse and
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Small Business Expo 2025
Yesterday in my role as Chair of the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business I had a stall at Tasmanian Small Business Expo. Great to see the small business community coming together to share ideas, seek advice and build relationships. Shoutout to the The van Diemen Project for organising such a great event and helping the
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Bike lane bullies
When the bike lanes in Collin St debate first started many businesses in the area vocalised their opposition to the proposal, but they quickly stopped being public about it. Behind the scenes support from businesses did not stop but they were genuinely concerned about tactics being deployed by those in favour of the proposal. The
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Midson Report: Collins Street Bicycle Lanes Technical Assessment
Introduction This technical assessment evaluates Hobart City Council’s proposed on-road bicycle lanes along Collins Street between Molle Street and Murray Street, Hobart. Council’s project aims to enhance active transport infrastructure by providing dedicated cycling lanes, improving connectivity between the South Hobart Rivulet Track and the Hobart CBD. However, this assessment identifies several significant challenges that
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Practical Solutions for Bike Lanes and Traffic Needed
DEBATE RAGING OVER BIKE LANES IN THE CBD MUST BE STEERED TOWARDS PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS IT’S TIME THE CYCLING LOBBY PUT THE BRAKES ON ITS IDEOLOGICAL APPROACH AND LISTENED TO THE VIEWS OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS, WRITES EDWIN JOHNSTONE The ongoing debate over the dual bike lane proposal for Collins St in Hobart’s CBD needs to focus
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Scrambling to Hurt Hobart Businesses
A majority of Hobart councillors voted to continue the scramble crossing trial indefinitely. Why call these things a trial? The outcomes are predetermined and never put in place with local businesses in mind, just ideology. Scramble crossing make no sense with our mainly one-way streets. They are a terribly inefficient way to aid in the
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Business Wants Data on Cycleway Impact
Last week over 100 concerned business owners and residents of Hobart attended a public meeting on the bike lane proposal for Collins St. The event was organised by the Confederation of Greater Hobart Business. The consensus was the current proposal for Collins St goes too far with dual bike lanes taking up both sides of
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No such thing as a free ride for Council
It is welcome news that the Tasmanian government will not progress with funding for the Collins St bike lanes. Collins St is a vital service road in the inner CDB of a capital city, it is not a suburban street. The CBD has come a long way, it is already a much safer and pedestrian-friendly
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Parking Crucial For City Traders
Hobart’s Central Business District is undergoing significant changes at the moment with many more planned. A total of 59 parking spaces are about to be removed from Collins St for dual bike lanes and this is only the tip of the iceberg. While the push for more bike lanes and the removal of parking has
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Small businesses need help as well
There is no doubt that small businesses are doing it tough at the moment. The growing number of vacant shops is an obvious sign with many more just scraping by. Now more than ever it is vital the State Government recognises this and assists where possible. But why help small businesses isn’t the Government better