A couple of people mentioned the issue of safety and security, hoons in the area, vandalism and graffiti. Not surprising concerns, nor to me were thoughts on the solutions surprising. More police presence was identified as a necessary stop gap measure, however it was repeatedly stated that we needed to focus on the real problems, some of the solutions mentioned were:
more sports facilities for young people,
better transport to enable young people to get to other activities,
pushing more responsibility onto parents for their children's behaviour,
enhancing education to encompass more self respect,
provide greater options in education for less academic streams.
It's pretty clear to these individuals that the solutions are infrastructure not punishment.
Public transport was another common theme, parking at train stations so far away that it was unsafe to walk back to the car, no transport options for kids on the weekend so they had to be driven by mum's taxi, a lack of a sense of safety on trains so not willing to take the kids on the train. There was some bemusement as to what exactly was going to happen over the next few years when 10,000 more people move in, with the trains and roads already full.
Another woman had been campaigning for the planting of more trees in the area, however her appeals and lobbying continued to fall on deaf ears.
There's nothing surprising in these responses, there's nothing outrageous or preposterous, though they all represent challenges, they will require new and imaginative approaches to solve and to fund. It is unlikely that the government alone can solve these problems, more importantly the government needs to provide the environment where communities, businesses and government can find new solutions to deal with a whole new set of challenges.
It seems pretty clear that we need government to lead, not lag behind the people.
Public transport was another common theme, parking at train stations so far away that it was unsafe to walk back to the car, no transport options for kids on the weekend so they had to be driven by mum's taxi, a lack of a sense of safety on trains so not willing to take the kids on the train. There was some bemusement as to what exactly was going to happen over the next few years when 10,000 more people move in, with the trains and roads already full.
Another woman had been campaigning for the planting of more trees in the area, however her appeals and lobbying continued to fall on deaf ears.
There's nothing surprising in these responses, there's nothing outrageous or preposterous, though they all represent challenges, they will require new and imaginative approaches to solve and to fund. It is unlikely that the government alone can solve these problems, more importantly the government needs to provide the environment where communities, businesses and government can find new solutions to deal with a whole new set of challenges.
It seems pretty clear that we need government to lead, not lag behind the people.
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