Erica Sta ndn

c/ o Caul fiel d Gramm ar School

217 Gl en Eira Rd
St Kilda Ea st

14/11/22
Ja ne Addi s
Ma yor of Boroondar a

Dear Cr Jane Addis,

My name is Erica Standen, and I am writing to you because I would like to address the issue of livability in the
suburb of Glen Iris. Maintaining this in the area is important so that the residents find being there more desirable
and safer. I believe that the usability of the local parks and paths (in particular, ‘The Loop’ which travels along parts
of Gardiner’s Creek Trail and the Anniversary Trail), is a key component of this. Should the lighting be improved in
these areas, the community that ride at dusk or in the dark would feel more secure, accidents would decrease, and
participation would increase.
The main reason I think this issue should be addressed as soon as possible is due to the improvement in the safety in
this area for the community. If they know that they can go riding at night and not have to worry about a lack of
visibility or colliding with another cyclist or pedestrian, the number of people using the pathway could potentially
double.
I propose that we add sustainable solar panel lights onto the edges of the cycleways and paths. This will not only
add lighting to the paths as it gets darker but will also make create well-lit safe zones within the parks.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any specific data for Glen Iris, but according to the Bicycle Count Survey conducted by
the Boroondara City Council in 2021; around 1.9% of people in Boroondara ride their bike to work. Many more
people use would also use these paths for recreation and also to commute to the city from other suburbs. About 16%
of the 1.9% of Boroondara riders are woman. As women are more likely to be attacked, inserting lighting poles with
emergency buttons and cameras that send emergency services your location and other helpful information for public
or data and research for the area (e.g., air quality).
In summary, I believe that putting lighting poles around the pathways would improve the health and wellbeing of
the Glen Iris residents and make the park more accessible. I hope you will take my proposal under consideration and
would welcome the opportunity to discuss my with you at your convenience.
Sincerely,

Erica Standen
 Figure 1- Rough Map of 'The Loop'

Bibliography
- 2021 Glen Iris (Vic.), Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021,
Abs.gov.au, Australian Bureau of Statistics, viewed 15 November 2022,
<https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL21010>.
- City of Boroondara 2022, Bicycle riding in Boroondara today, City of Boroondara, viewed 15
November 2022, <https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/parks-recreation/cycling-and-walking/
boroondara-bicycle-strategy-2022/bicycle-riding-boroondara-today#:~:text=Bicycle%20riding
%20participation&text=The%20cycle%20to%20work%20mode,Greater%20Melbourne
%20average%20of%201.4%25.>.
- million 2019, 3.43 million Australians ride bikes for transport or recreation each week,
Austroads.com.au, Austroads, viewed 15 November 2022,
<https://austroads.com.au/latest-news/3.43-million-australians-ride-bikes-for-transport-or-
recreation-each-week>.

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