How I fixed the Victoria Road slip lane in 5 minutes (and how you can too)
Image: Victoria Road (New South Wales) Before and AI generated
I finally did it. I fixed that terrible, dangerous slip lane on Victoria Road.
Gone is the high-speed turning circle that terrified pedestrians. In its place? A wide, safe footpath, a protected cycleway, lush tree canopy, and a vibrant "school street" atmosphere where kids can actually walk safely.
It looks incredible, doesn’t it?
Okay, full disclosure: I didn't actually pour the concrete. And sadly, the Council hasn't built it (yet).
But I did create this realistic vision of what our street could be—in about the time it takes to brew a coffee. And I did it for free, without needing a degree in urban design.
The "Imagination Gap"
For years, street advocates have faced a common barrier: the "imagination gap."
We know that our streets can be better. We know that removing a slip lane or narrowing a road makes us safer and happier. But explaining that in a council meeting or a Facebook group is hard. Text descriptions are dry. Engineering diagrams are confusing.
Traditionally, if you wanted to show people a vision of the future, you had two choices:
Spend thousands of dollars hiring a professional renderer.
Spend weeks struggling with Photoshop or SketchUp.
Because visuals are expensive and difficult, we often skip them. And without a vision, it’s hard to get the community excited about change.
Democratising Design with AI
This is where AI tools like Gemini are changing the game for Better Streets advocates.
We have been experimenting with using simple conversational prompts to transform photos of our local streets. It’s not about creating an engineering-perfect plan; it’s about creating a conversation starter. It’s about showing your neighbours that the dangerous intersection down the road doesn’t have to stay that way.
It turns "We should remove the slip lane" into "Look how beautiful this corner would be if we removed the slip lane."
How to create your own visualisation
You don't need to be a tech wizard to do this. If you can take a photo and send a text message, you can create a vision for your street.
We have put together a simple, step-by-step guide on how to use Gemini AI to reimagine your neighbourhood. It covers:
How to take the right "Before" photo.
The exact prompts to use to remove cars and add cycleways.
How to add "life" to your image with people, trees, and street furniture.
Ready to visualise a better street?
👉 Click here to view the full guide: Visualising Better Streets with AI
Let’s bridge the imagination gap and show everyone what’s possible.
