Post election

Thanks to all of my supporters and helpers. With your assistance our team was successful in gaining enough votes for one Councillor to be elected. I have been re-elected to Council for another four years and will get down to work.

As you may have read in the press, I do not plan to contest the mayor election next week. I have been talking with other Councillors to try to bring about change of leadership. We will know after the first Council meeting on 30 September.

Bicycle parking

While I am a cyclist, I don't consider myself an expert on cycling or cycling infrastructure. However it seems many designers believe that because they can ride a bike, they have sufficient knowledge to design best practice cycling facilities.

Take for example the new station upgrade at Eastwood. RailCorp has installed two bike racks on the eastern side of the station. Very commendable. They have used one of the better types of rack, but in both cases the racks are installed hard up against a wall, meaning that bikes can only be inserted from one side. For these "Cora" racks to hold their full complement of bikes they need to be accessible from both sides, so that alternate bikes do not clash in the peddle and handlebar areas. Council is to request RailCorp to reposition the racks slightly to enable optimum use.

Eventually we will get the message across that professional advice should be obtained when cycling facilities are to be incorporated in major developments.

Shopping Centre Presentation

A number of residents have complained about the deteriorating appearance of our shopping centres, Eastwood in particular. Some people find it difficult to speak their mind on this matter because they fear being labelled racist. They should not have that fear because the concerns are legitimate and should be aired.

There are three issues:

• the unkempt nature of some shopfronts;
• the use of non-English signs without translation; and
• the cleanliness of the streets and public spaces.

Here is what Council is doing. Street cleanliness has been addressed by more frequent street cleaning, with particular emphasis on weekends. To deal with overflowing litter bins, they are now emptied on Saturdays and Sundays. Furthermore, in October this year existing bins will be replaced with larger bins, currently on order.

Council already has a policy of requiring any new commercial premises wishing to display a non-English sign to display the same message in English using script no smaller than the non-English script. This is a requirement in the Ryde development control plan (DCP) and for some years has been part of any development consent issued for a commercial premises. The principle behind this is sound. We are trying to build a multicultural community where people who may have come from any part of the world feel included. Language should never be used in a manner that excludes people.

In my opinion Council staff have been tardy in enforcing signage requirements. There do not appear to have been any systematic checks of the shopping centre. I believe that had new commercial premises been given a passing inspection from the street for the first few months after opening, this signage issue would not have arisen.

The final issue is the tidiness of shop fronts. Council has no authority here and has to seek cooperation from shopkeepers. I believe that in Eastwood, Council can work with the two chambers of commerce to develop a "Pride in Eastwood" campaign to be marketed to shopkeepers. When I was Mayor in 2005 I had a prototype brochure prepared for distribution to shopkeepers through the chambers of commerce advising them of the things that they could do to improve the appearance of our shopping centre. The mayor election then intervened and was tied in September 2005 and again in 2006. I lost the draw out of the hat both times. My replacement did nothing about this problem, hence it remains unaddressed and the source of ongoing complaints from residents. I am happy to take up the matter again, but we need a mayor who is prepared to give it his/her support.

Shopping trolleys

There is a continuing problem, particularly in the Marsfield area, of shopping trolleys being used to transport items, usually purchases, from shopping areas to residential accommodation and then being abandoned on the footpath. The trolleys are eventually collected by a patrol that roams the streets every few days. Residents are particularly unhappy that trolleys are being used in this manner and left to litter the streets. Sometimes vandals take them for joy rides or dump them down the creek.

The difficulty is that there is little Council can do about this problem. Some years ago we sought the cooperation of supermarkets to introduce a system to encourage trolleys to be kept on the premises, to no avail. They did agree to a hotline number that can be used by anyone to report an abandoned trolley for quick collection.

I suppose it is a change in culture. When Marsfield was developed as a residential area the car was king. Shopping trolleys were meant to be used to transport purchases from the supermarket to the car park for loading into a car. The concept of taking a trolley off the premises was never contemplated. Now we have an increasing number of overseas students occupying share houses, very few of whom drive or have access to a car. Consequently they have taken advantage of the shopping trolley to bring their groceries/books/other goods home. I happened upon the students in the photo who agreed to be photographed.

I have learnt that Woolworths at Marsfield has an application before Council for some minor building modifications. I have asked that the application be brought to a Council meeting for resolution and that Woolworths be notified that we will be seeking a commitment to introducing a coin system for trolleys to discourage abandonment. The students may still take them home, but they will bring them back the next day. Let's see what happens next.

Action this day

A short while ago I photographed a bus stop that I said illustrated the need for Council to develop a program for upgrading well-used bus stops (see post 14 August). About a week later I was doorknocking near to where the photo was taken and an elderly lady told me that some years ago she and a neighbour had approached Council resulting in the seat being put there. However, she said in wet weather the surface was so slippery that they couldn't use the seat and had to stand on the road.

I passed this on to Council staff and they agreed that as a footpaving contractor was working in the area they would arrange for a slab to be laid. Well, there it is. I received a lovely "thank you" card from the lady.

East - West Axis

By chance when doorknocking on a Saturday afternoon I happened to see the two new Top Ryder buses together outside Ryde hospital. This must be an unusual event because they travel around the loop in opposite directions and probably pass on the road. Council introduced this free bus service last month primarily aimed at the elderly and handicapped. By all accounts it has been very well received. The buses were provided by Top Ryde shopping centre and Council fitted them out for wheelchair access. Council operates the service using a contractor.

However, the new service draws attention to a major issue in service delivery. The bus route follows a path essentially parallel to the Parramatta River taking in Gladesville, Putney, Ryde, Meadowbank, West Ryde and the hospital. While the bus is a great service for the areas serviced, it reinforces what I have described as the East-West Axis. There is a vast area to the north, with about half of the City's population, that remains unserviced. I am acutely aware of the plight of people living in the East Ryde, North Ryde and Marsfield areas because I spent all of my teenage years living in North Ryde. North-south transport links in the City of Ryde are very poor. I have encouraged Councillors to be vigilant that Council staff, who may not see the problem, do not focus their attention upon the East-West Axis, leaving people in other areas with poor access to Council services.

When the time comes to review the success of the bus service, if it is to continue, Council must commit to extend it into the northern part of the City to help overcome the potential isolation of people living in that area.

Parking Infringements

In over a month of weekend doorknocking residents have tended to raise minor local concerns, with very few common grievances. One matter that has come up several times is the perceived unfairness of Council rangers in issuing parking fines.

People accept that if they have overstayed in a timed parking zone they may return to their car and find a ticket. That's life. They also accept that there should be zero tolerance around schools to maintain safety for children. What is upsetting is to receive a ticket in the mail after having been photographed while momentarily stopped. One resident was photographed picking up a passenger in a bus zone, with no bus in sight. Another was photographed while waiting on the road for a car to depart from a parking space. These seem to be everyday occurrences and people feel that they have been unfairly treated.

I think the parking enforcement practices should be reviewed. Do our rangers ever tell people to move on, or issue a caution rather than a fine as provided in the code? It is becoming increasingly difficult to pick up or drop off passengers anywhere in our commercial centres if you don't intend to park the car. The preponderance of "no stopping" rather than "no parking" has reduced the available drop off zones. This is crazy! Bus zones, postal zones and disabled parking spaces should be available for a quick drop off or pick up provided the intended users are not inconvenienced. If the ranger observes that a vehicle is waiting or standing in these places or a bus etc comes along, he/she can then take the photo and issue the fine. Otherwise the action is of no consequence and the need for a penalty is questionable.

After the election I will move for a review of our parking enforcement practices to try make them more realistic and fair. This will give residents some comfort that Council is primarily concerned with safety and efficient use of parking resources rather than just revenue raising.