Quotes
attributed to Mayor Stephanie Asher:
It’s important to clear
up some misconceptions regarding the council’s decision to modify part of the
Malop Street Green Spine.
Contrary to reports, this is not a council ‘backflip’. The current council had
no part in approving the detailed design of the Green Spine’s first stage –
which was done by government appointed administrators. As such, the designs
were not signed off with input from elected grassroots community
representatives.
In the time since the first stage was built, it has become clear that elements
of the design – notably the concrete kerbing separating the bike lanes from the
road – whilst well intentioned, were too obtrusive. This has created problems
for accessibility and pedestrian safety, and slowed traffic more than was
necessary.
This council is supportive of the long-term aim of reducing Geelong’s reliance
on cars. However, the timing of changes must be carefully planned and clearly
communicated, and in this case that hasn’t happened.We need to be aiming for an orderly transition from cars to other means
of transport.
Building the first stage of the Green Spine without a frequent and reliable
public transport system in place has made it harder for drivers to move into
and through our CBD without giving them a realistic alternative to car travel.
This has created short-term pain that could have been avoided. With no state
government commitment in sight to invest in and improve public transport in our
region, it was important the council acted to do what was in our control to
decrease congestion.
Further to this, the bike lanes on the completed stage of the Green Spine sit
in isolation – not connected at either end. The slow progress of funding for
the remainder of the Green Spine has made this an extremely difficult situation
for residents to accept, and the City’s efforts in communicating the full
vision have not reached the entire community.
The bike lane on the south side of the street will remain in place, and we now
need to work on finding a design that will work for all users – including
cyclists, but also pedestrians, vehicle users and importantly, people with
limited mobility such as wheelchair users.
Having met with the Department of Transport today, I am now more
optimistic about the state government’s newly integrated approach to transport
planning. The Department of Transport, Public Transport Victoria and Regional
Roads Victoria are now all working closely together, where previously they were
fragmented. I’m hopeful this will result in a more holistic approach to
planning and funding transport solutions for our region.
While opponents of the decision have been publicly vocal, councillors have also
received supportive feedback since Tuesday night. We stand by the decision and
remain firmly of the belief that it was in the best interests of the community
we are elected to represent.
