jacm

People are often shocked by how I rate Reservoir. Probably the worst part of this suburb is it's reputation. I may be biased because I grew up here, but Reservoir truly is underrated. It still has that old neighbourly spirit... I knew my neighbours by their first name, and could rely on them to watch on the house when I was away, and to collect the mail.
The streets are OK, we had a few potholes in our street and the gutters would flood, but I've noticed recently there has been a lot of street and stormwater improvements in the area. The "spaghetti" intersection at the Reservoir Station has always been (and feels like it always will be) a major traffic congestion problem, with promises at every election to make improvements, however Reservoir falls within one of the nation's safest seats and consequently nothing ever gets done about it.
Apart from that, generally traffic in Reservoir is OK... however there have been a lot of streets (like Broadway and Tyler Street) cut-in-half to allow for extremely wide bike lanes, causing a bit more congestion but it's generally OK.
The nightlife in the area is improving radically, with a new bar or caf opening up every few months along High Street or Plenty Road, which is exciting to see and great for the area.
The diversity of fresh food options are fantastic, with Italian and Asian grocers and independent supermarkets, as well as the larger chains. The new shopping centre in Summerhill has everything you need, and generally prices are competitive.
What I like most about it is the proximity to the city. Reservoir has an inner suburb feel, but without all the cars parked in the street. Allotments are large and most houses have garages and driveways which gives the area a feeling of spaciousness which is disappearing in neighbouring suburbs Coburg and Preston.
Unfortunately though, make sure if you are wanting to move to Reservoir to invest in good security for your house. We were burgled on multiple occasions, as were our neighbours. Even though the area generally feels very safe and I'm comfortable walking the streets alone, crime rate for some reason is still high.