Public Transport Into CBD Paused For Anti-Lockdown Rally This Saturday

Melbournians' are encouraged to avoid the CBD this Saturday with public transport heading into the CBD halted in a bid to keep anti-lockdown protestors in a 'World Wide Rally for Freedom' from storming the city. 

News Corp are reporting that public transport services will be stopped from entering the CBD between 8am and 2pm, with thousands of Police officers keeping a close eye on things.

The Victoria Briefing

The Department of Transport has confirmed some parts of the transit network will be paused with services terminated at suburban stations and stops.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said officers will be on trains ensuring passengers disembarking were doing do lawfully and within the health regulations and were not coming into the city to protest.

“The risk is so great from a convergence of thousands of people, as we saw recently,” Mr Patton said.

“We will have over 2000 police involved in this. It’s a significant operation and a huge demand on police resources”

The Chief Commissioner also said a range of traffic management points will also be established including hard barricades, traffic blocks and roving police patrols.

“We realise people are fatigued and this is a significant step for us. We didn’t take this lightly but given the circumstances and where we are with Covid, we cannot afford to allow transmission to occur.”

“We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” he said

Meanwhile, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp told Nine the 'selfish' action of some means a double blow to businesses.

"The fact that we won't have public transport coming into the city, that we're going to have barricades, it’s going to be difficult for people to get through means that for businesses doing their best to try and trade this Saturday it’s going to be even more challenging, and this is so disappointing and frustrating"

Cr Capp said protestors could threaten Victoria reaching that all important milestone.

"We're right on the cusp of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," she said

"We hit 70 per cent first dose vaccinations, this week, today, tomorrow and we are racing towards that 80 per cent target and big protest like this could certainly be events that set us back"

- Cr Sally Capp

Ubers and taxis will be banned from travelling through the city unless a passenger has an exemption for essential reasons.

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