Melburnians return to CBD as restriction announcement looms

Bourke Street Mall is beginning to resemble its former glory as Melburnians return to the city in increasing numbers.

Foot traffic in the mall between 1pm and 2pm on Wednesday was up 81 per cent on typical pedestrian numbers for the same time of day in the previous four weeks, City of Melbourne data shows.

Shoppers, workers and residents could be seen in close proximity to each other outside Target on Bourke Street, while further down the street, the mall looked more crowded than in recent weeks.

Pedestrian numbers in the CBD plummeted at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The city's foot traffic sensors counted almost 3500 people passing through the mall between 1pm and 2pm on a typical Wednesday pre-lockdown.

That almost halved to 1859 on Wednesday, March 18, three days before social distancing laws were introduced.

On March 25, just 592 people were in the mall and two weeks later there were only 337.

This Wednesday, the number has doubled, with 751 people recorded passing through the sensors at the same time of day.

It is still a long way off numbers seen in the mall before the pandemic, but shows a steady return to the crowds we are used to seeing in the city.

The City of Melbourne has set up sensors at fixed locations throughout the CBD and surrounding areas that count pedestrians passing through each hour.

The sensors are installed on light poles or awnings, and keep track of the footpath below.

Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce in coming days whether restrictions in Victoria will be eased on May 11 after a review of the state of emergency.