Parking spaces could go in grand tram plan to help ease traffic crush A plan to speed up the 96 tram route from Brunswick to the CBD could see parking spaces cut and the loss of some car lanes. NEW plans to speed up trams heading to the CBD would see dozens of parking spaces cut and the loss of some car lanes. Public Transport Victoria has released maps of its 96 tram route project that would see new and bigger stops and greater priority given to trams travelling from Brunswick to the CBD. The plan would allow for bigger low-floor trams to be introduced on the popular route, and reduce delays that have plagued peak-hour journeys since public transport use spiked. But businesses along Nicholson St would see many car spaces vanish to enable the separation of trams and cars. Public consultation with residents in Carlton and surrounding suburbs will be held later this month to see how much of a "trade-off" between cars and trams people are willing to swallow. PTV has put forward a plan showing the separation in two stages, with the final stage likely to see cars barred from tram lanes and sections of the commute reduced from two lanes to one. Parking in some areas would have to be scrapped to allow cars to continue their journey unimpeded. The PTV website says two tram lane options developed were meant to "balance the need to improve reliability and future-proof the route with the impacts that come with separating the tram from traffic." There would also be signalling changes to give trams greater priority. The project would be a test case for changes to other networks near the city, but was likely to cause some controversy. Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the plans had been created to deal with increasing public transport use and a growing population. "With Melbourne's tram patronage the highest since the 1950s, the Victorian Government is investigating options to modernise the network to move more people by tram more effectively," he said. Almost 80 per cent of Melbourne's tram network shares road space with other traffic, significantly higher than other cities around the world. Tram passengers experience their slowest journey times on congested roads during peak hours, at times when passenger numbers are also at their highest. The 96 route runs between St Kilda and Brunswick, and is used by thousands of people a day. Earlier this year the Herald Sun revealed that Yarra Trams chief executive Clement Michel wanted more priority for public transport to allow for bigger trams and more reliable services.