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.

Bus stops

In my travels letterboxing earlier this month I noticed the poor state of infrastructure at many well-used bus stops in Ryde. The hierarchy of infrastructure goes from nothing, to concrete slab, to concrete slab plus seat, to concrete slab plus bus shelter. A number of bus stops appear little used and hence "nothing", meaning a grassy surface, is probably all that is needed. However, there are a number of locations where I observed school students and commuters standing in wet and sometimes muddy conditions.

I think we need a survey of bus facilities in Ryde and a program of progressive improvement, without going overboard and concreting every bus stop. I think the fact that the grass is worn away in an otherwise well-maintained nature strip is an indication of need.

Bushland maintenance

In the last few weeks a number of residents have contacted me regarding weed invasion from Council parks into private property, notably from Outlook Park and Darvall Park. Many years ago when I first became a Councillor there was little or no co-ordinated bush regeneration in Ryde and residents simply put up with neighbouring parkland overgrown with weeds. Then, partly due to my efforts, increased funding was applied to bush regeneration work resulting in a marked improvement to parkland areas.

In many cases this early work was more landscaping than bush regeneration, particularly around the periphery of parks where weed infestation was at its most intense. Weeds were cleared and replaced with indigenous plantings. Residents have become accustomed to the enhanced bushland setting.

However the focus seems to have changed somewhat with more doctrinaire bush regeneration principles now being applied. The focus seems to be on smaller areas with some of the earlier improvements being lost due to lack of maintenance. We are overdue for a discussion of objectives and methods in our bushland parks. The photo shows an orange tree in a resident's yard almost overgrown with invading lantana from the adjoining park.

Star or delta

At the intersection of two streets there is sometimes a splayed corner where the corner property has a diagonal section of fence fronting the intersection. There are two techniques sometimes used to fit a footpath to this situation rather than just have a 90 degree corner that pedestrians may not follow.

The first photo shows a "star" arrangement which is cheaper because it uses less concrete, but it requires pedestrians to deviate from the direct walking route if they are going straight ahead. This was a poor choice for the intersection of Epping Road and Balaclava Road where there is a large splay and a high pedestrian volume heading towards Macquarie University. This location needs attention.

The second photo shows a small "delta" arrangement which covers all possible movement choices. It was a bit of an extravagence to be installed in a cull de sac, but was probably built by the property developer as this is a relatively recent estate. The delta arrangement would probably have been better used at the intersection in the first photo.

Bloopers

With all that walking to deliver brochures you notice the condition of footpaths. Some of the discoveries will appear in the next few posts. Here are a couple of bloopers. Who authorised this!

The first photo shows a recently installed "pram ramp", where a small layback is placed in the kerb to make it easy for prams, strollers, wheelchairs etc to move from the road to the footpath. Why would you do this here where it just leads to steps?

The second photo shows the handiwork of a very obedient foreman or contractor. He was told to install a footpath to the end of the street so that is just what he did - right up to the wire fence of the golf course, beyond any possible walking destination. A walker would know they have come to the end of the footpath when his nose hits the fence!

Elections Approach

I have been spending the last few weeks distributing community newsletters to all 13,000 letterboxes in West Ward. One more session of about 2.5 hours will complete the ward. I like to do all of this first distribution myself because it provides an opportunity to visit every street and see the condition of roads, footpaths and parks.

The newsletter is not very flashy, just a single colour A4 page printed both sides. One of my fellow Councillors has outdone me with a full colour brochure. A number of emails and phone calls have resulted, proving that at least some people read the newsletter. In some cases readers have a grievance with the Council and they just want a person they can email to explain the problem. With the assistance of Council staff I have been able to solve a number of issues to date.

I think most people appreciate receiving the newsletter and the feedback gives me a sense that I am achieving something for the community.