Click on the map to access The Penquite Rd. Traffic Management Works Background PaperThe residents impacted upon by Penquite Road met last night and held Launceston City Council to account. It is a sad state of affairs when this kind of action is required, that is calling upon Aldermen and officers to account for their actions – and sometimes their inaction.
If there had been adequate community consultation this meeting would never have happened. If a narrow band of opinion on Council hadn't dogmatically pushed an idea as some kind of one size fits all solution to everything, well this meeting would not have been needed.
For far too long Launcestonians have had second rate decision making imposed upon them. The 'insertion' of bikeways into a narrow carriageway is just a recent example. Ratepayers and residents are used to being fobbed off by Council's officers but it seems that they are finally getting tired of it.
So too it seems are some Aldermen getting both wary and weary of the contention they are left with. Ald. Dean noticeably arrived late and left early, perhaps in order to avoid engagement with his constituents presumably. Also, a couple of other Aldermen left early and presumably because it was unlikely that an bouquets were going to be handed out.
In a nutshell the meeting was raucous and rowdy but it eventually called for a total review of the bikeway and other carriageway works to ensure that they meet community expectations and safety standards.
In addition, the Easter n bypass question was raised yet again since it was first raised in the 1960s.
The real lesson to be learned from this meeting is that when community consultation is taken seriously Council gets to find out what the community's concerns really are. Perhaps, there is an increasing appetite for community consultation. If Council embraces community consultation with more enthusiasm there is not only money to be saved but other benefits to be won as well.
In regard to Penquite Road, TRA is expecting a response from Mr Harry Galea, Director of Infrastructure Services, in the next few days. So watch this space.
If there had been adequate community consultation this meeting would never have happened. If a narrow band of opinion on Council hadn't dogmatically pushed an idea as some kind of one size fits all solution to everything, well this meeting would not have been needed.
For far too long Launcestonians have had second rate decision making imposed upon them. The 'insertion' of bikeways into a narrow carriageway is just a recent example. Ratepayers and residents are used to being fobbed off by Council's officers but it seems that they are finally getting tired of it.
So too it seems are some Aldermen getting both wary and weary of the contention they are left with. Ald. Dean noticeably arrived late and left early, perhaps in order to avoid engagement with his constituents presumably. Also, a couple of other Aldermen left early and presumably because it was unlikely that an bouquets were going to be handed out.
In a nutshell the meeting was raucous and rowdy but it eventually called for a total review of the bikeway and other carriageway works to ensure that they meet community expectations and safety standards.
In addition, the Easter n bypass question was raised yet again since it was first raised in the 1960s.
The real lesson to be learned from this meeting is that when community consultation is taken seriously Council gets to find out what the community's concerns really are. Perhaps, there is an increasing appetite for community consultation. If Council embraces community consultation with more enthusiasm there is not only money to be saved but other benefits to be won as well.
In regard to Penquite Road, TRA is expecting a response from Mr Harry Galea, Director of Infrastructure Services, in the next few days. So watch this space.
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