Council voting vital for cyclists — candidate
Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:20 AM PDT
Source:http://btawa.org.au/
Having people on council that supported people riding bicycles could make a big difference to getting improvements for cyclists, Bassendean Town Council candidate and BTA chief executive Heinrich Benz said today.
“I encourage all people who ride bicycles to ask the people standing for office in the coming local government elections what they will do for cyclists,” he said.
“And equally importantly, make sure you go and cast your vote.
“Having people on council that support people riding bicycles can make a difference to projects, funding and pressure on the State Government to deliver a network of safe roads and shared paths,” he said.
And how's this one too?
Bicycles integral to city transport — mayoral candidate
By Robert Hunt
Published: September 30, 2011
Bicycle facilities and cycleways should be integrated into transport policies for Perth City, Lord Mayoral candidate Anne Bontempo said today.
She would support proposals for secure bicycle parking because one person had complained about a new bicycle being stolen in Adelaide Terrace while he attended a conference – it was the first day that he had used it.
Perth City Council wanted cars in the city because it owned 32 parking stations and wanted the maximum revenue from them.
She would support a proposal for bike racks in existing carparks.
Parking for bicycles and cars could be improved in the longer term by adopting the system of stacking used in Tokyo, she said.
Other systems and techniques for a range of programs that worked in other cities around the world could be adopted relatively quickly because there was no need for exhaustive inquiries into their feasibility.
All that was needed was to put the proposal out for public comment.
She wanted people and organisations to bring their ideas and solutions to the council, which then could go out for public comment.
Various groups already had identified issues and submitted proposals for solutions to the Perth City Council but the submissions had been ignored.
Renowned Danish architect and city planner Jan Gehl had been commissioned by the council and State Government in 2009 to do a plan for public space in the city.
(The Gehl plan – Public Spaces Public Life – said cycling infrastructure was needed in the city and provided detailed maps of where it should go.)
The council had ignored all the Gehl plan, Ms Bontempo said.
Will we see Mayor Peter Taylor take up riding a bike? Or any of the other TRC elected councillors? Probably not, but if riders take the time to email them all, there is a faint chance some of them will start to understand just how 'not quite right' the Toowoomba cycle infrastructure really is.
