WHY DOES COUNCIL SPEND OUR TAXES ON SEEMINGLY UNNECESSARY ROADWORKS?
Have you noticed your street kerbs slowly inching closer to the centre of the road? A new landscaped area suddenly appearing in the middle of the road? An intersection that suddenly requires traffic lights, a roundabout or a chunk of concrete to block your turn?
If you ask them, they will tell you it is to reduce speeds, improve safety, and “save lives”, despite there usually being no evidence provided of a lack of safety or lives lost.
Meanwhile, footpaths and roads go unrepaired and our rates keep increasing.
The answer lies in council’s Integrated Transport Strategy ‘Move, Connect, Live’. Council projects a 23% increase in population from 2018 to 2027 and they recognise that this would entail an additional 72,000 private car trips every day. They also note that “14 per cent of our City’s greenhouse gas emissions are due to private vehicle use, and a greater reliance on car travel will further increase this”. Just a point of interest: How much does “14 per cent of our City’s greenhouse gas emissions are due to private vehicle use …” equate to in tonnes and what are the other activities?
Wouldn’t you think, with all this additional car travel expected, that council would try to increase the efficiency of our roads? Make sure they are quickly repaired, increase traffic flow during peak hour, and maximise the utility for residents? Apparently not.
The social engineers at council have taken it upon themselves to try to force the residents that pay their wages, to find another way to travel. The Integrated Transport Strategy actively plans for there to be no increase in car trips between 2018 and 2027.
How about taking out a lane on Inkerman St to provide wider cycling lanes? Remove street parking spots and reduce parking spots in new developments. Make residents pay even more for permits to park their cars outside their houses?
Council are certainly doing a good job at making it harder and more expensive to own a car. Its just a pity that for most people, a car is a necessity to get to work, get groceries and function in a spread out municipality.
Do you think council is motorphobic? Are you happy with council reducing the number of carparks across our city?
Are our traders being negatively impacted by council looking into broadening customer car parking restrictions such as new metered parking or parking restrictions times extended from 6pm to 8pm?
Is your car parked most of the time and has low emissions impact? Is your car a necessity, especially when public transport is inadequate and does not service your destinations at any time of the day or night? Does your work or private life demand you transport goods, family or friends but you can’t get them on the back of a bike?
We Say – It’s time council started working for residents, rather than against us?
http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/CoPP_STRATEGY_ITS_0818_FINAL.PD
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=328923141524080&extid=wsmQPwlsKr4GYeiL
Snap poll – Do you think Council should provide more car parking rather than reducing car parking each year?
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