Melbourne CBD bounces back to life after reopening

‘There was also a 12 per cent spike in traffic on the city’s roads.’ Department of Transport spokeswoman Georgia Main said.

Melbourne bounced back to life after months of lockdown on Wednesday, with pedestrian data showing people flocked to CBD hotspots.

According to Melbourne City Council data, 526,391 pedestrians were clocked in the CBD on Wednesday — more than three times the Wednesday average in recent weeks.

BOURKE STREET MALL

More than 28,000 people were recorded walking through the Bourke Street Mall on Wednesday, according to pedestrian sensor data. It was a huge jump on the past four Wednesdays, which saw an average of just 5,035 people being detected in the mall.

Not surprisingly, Wednesday’s peak came in the afternoon.

FLINDERS AND ELIZABETH STREETS INTERSECTION

One of the busiest parts of the CBD, is the intersection of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street.

Flinders Street Station has an exit near the intersection, there are numerous restaurants and shops nearby, and there is also a tram hub for commuters travelling to the city’s east, west and north.

On an average Wednesday in 2019, a pedestrian sensor recorded about 46,000 people using the intersection.

This week it was 18,395 — a jump of about 74 per cent on the four-week average during lockdown.

SOUTHBANK

It’s normally lined with bustling restaurants, buskers, tourists and the odd cyclist — but for much of 2020, Southbank has been eerily quiet.

In 2019, an average of 29,351 people were tracked at the location on Wednesdays.

This week, there was an encouraging reprieve as more than 10,000 pedestrians were clocked on the strip by the Yarra River.

It was well above the four-week Wednesday average of about 5,900.

CHINATOWN

Melbourne’s Chinatown, which has existed since the 1850s, is home to some of the city’s best Asian restaurants.

The narrow strip on Little Bourke Street has taken a significant financial hit during the pandemic.

Data from Wednesday shows there was a lunchtime rush as customers returned to their favourite restaurants, along with a spike for dinner.