COME on Melbourne. This has got to stop.
Maybe you should just be Melbourne, and not try and become all these other cities.
First you tried to develop a project that would rival Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge climb and now you’re planning to create your own Times Square?
Sure Melbourne, you have a certain charm, but you’re a far cry from Manhattan.
Times Square is a major pedestrian plaza in the middle of New York City, with billboards, advertisements and even a naked cowboy.
It’s a hub for Broadway theatre and is one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, with about 50 million people visiting Times Square in the Big Apple every year.
The New York Times reported on Time Square’s busiest days, more than 460,000 pedestrians walked through the busy junction, which is also sometimes called “the heart of the worldâ€.
Still feeling confident Melbourne?
The radical plan proposed by Alexander Urbanism would see Camberwell Junction, 10km east of Melbourne’s CBD, transformed into Melbourne’s own Times Square.
In planning documents, Alexander Urbanism says Times Square was a good comparison to Camberwell Junction.
There were six roadways flowing into Times Square, but two were cut off, leaving only four roads for cars to use.
Alexander Urbanism wants to do the same thing and shut two of the main roadways heading into Camberwell Junction, sacrificing cars for more foot traffic.
Currently it’s a six-way intersection but the urban design company wants to drop it to four and stop cars from entering the junction on Camberwell Road.
Times Square is about 13,000 square metres with 33 per cent road space and 67 per cent people space.
Alexander Urbanism believes turning parts of Camberwell Road into a plaza and creating a four-way intersection would give the junction the opportunity to become the “heart of the town centreâ€.
It is expected to ease congestion and encourage more trips by tram or foot.
However VicRoads told Fairfax Media there were not plans to alter the way Camberwell Junction operated.
This idea is not the first time Melbourne has had delusions of cosmopolitan grandeur.
In February the southern city announce it would create its own Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.
A rooftop walk along the MCG with views of Melbourne’s CBD was meant to rival one of Sydney’s greatest beauties.
Sports Minister John Eren told the Herald Sun the plan for the “world renowned†stadium could be better than the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb but NSW Premier Mike Baird put Melbourne back in its place.
“If Melburnians want to create their own Harbour Bridge climb, they will first need to build a Harbour Bridge,†he said.
“Come to think of it, they will first need to build a harbour.
“We wish them luck.â€
It’s no secret Melburnians are very loyal to the city that has been named the world’s most liveable city the past five years.
But it seems they are always looking for something more.
Even Melbourne besties Ash and Camilla appeared on reality cooking show My Kitchen Rules and claimed the Victorian capital city was “the Paris of the southâ€.
Who knows, maybe Melburnians will decide to turn the Eureka Skydeck into the Eiffel Tower next.