Sundays now busier than Mondays in Melbourne
The way Australians interact with their cities has fundamentally changed since the pandemic with Sundays now busier than Mondays, and evening activity significantly higher, new data from the City of Melbourne reveals.
Peak hour commuter activity at Flinders Street Station remains just 59 per cent of pre-COVID levels with Tuesday the busiest day of the week at 64 per cent, amid the decline of the Monday to Friday city office worker.
Crowds at Federation Square as the Matildas kicked off their World Cup campaign on Thursday night. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
The retail sector is suffering, with foot traffic near the Bourke Street Mall just 71 per cent of pre-COVID levels. Foot traffic is now highest on a Saturday.
However, families and workers are coming into the city much more at night and on the weekends and international students have returned, pushing up nighttime activity by 24 per cent increase across the city in June.
Student activity near Melbourne University is also returning, up 20 per cent compared to the same time last year and strongest on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and now at 82 per cent of pre-COVID levels.
Melbourne Mayor Nick Reece said despite the challenges for traditional retail, there were “green shoots” everywhere.
“Work and commuter transport patterns have changed dramatically since 2019, and have shifted again since 2022 — work from home is dead, but it seems flexible working is here to stay,” the acting Melbourne Mayor Nick Reece told The Australian Financial Review.
Commuter activity is still down especially on Mondays. Wayne Taylor
“Evening and weekend activity has increased significantly while the weekday workday has declined. This means Sundays are now busier than Mondays in the
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