Dancing in streets as bike riders ousted
TRANSPORT
Elizabeth Street residents in North Richmond like me haven't stopped dancing in the street since Yarra Council's decision to scale back the bike lane and reinstate parking to both sides of the road (″ Mayor backpedals on wider bike lanes for privileged few ″, 13/8).
The nightmare for we long-suffering Elizabeth St residents began in the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown in June 2020 when we received a flyer in our letterbox with a bike rider cycling down Elizabeth St and a notification of imminent works to upgrade the long-standing bike lane and remove ″some parking″. The jackhammers soon started, the newly planted street vegetation was destroyed, with the former Greens council digging up my side of the street first and installing a bike lane so wide semi-trailers could park in it. Residents then realised parking could only realistically be on the opposing north-side of Elizabeth thus halving our existing parking.
Elizabeth St residents were aghast when the new bike lane nirvana was complete and rallied together, even with all the COVID-19 restrictions, lockdowns and curfews. There were Microsoft Teams upon Microsoft Teams meetings between residents and the council – complete with translators for the high number of people from non-English speaking backgrounds and many Elizabeth St professional residents lending their PCs, tablets and even their living rooms to disadvantaged residents in the street who didn't have computers or internet at home.
It all amounted to nothing, and Elizabeth St residents stopped taking part in the former council's sham consultation process. But, on Tuesday, the new Yarra Council listened to its Elizabeth St residents and voted to modify the bike lane and restore parking to both sides of our street. Residents in Elizabeth St, North Richmond, will finally have their street back.
Dora Houpis, Richmond
Bike riders, rich and poor, want a better city
(Re ″ Mayor backpedals on wider bike lanes for privileged few ″, 13/8). We're passionate bike riders, rich and poor, and we want a better city. We ride to work, school drop-off, the shops, the market – it's how we get around. Yarra's population is forecast to grow by 45,440 by 2046 and if everyone drives the place will seize up. We want a safe bike lane in Elizabeth Street as part of a network for all bike riders from everywhere. Richmond housing towers redevelopment could have a bike lane away from Elizabeth Street, the Vietnamese Buddhist temple could have drop off and pick up zones with parking nearby. There are alternatives. Bikes are a cheap, practical, healthy way of getting around. Oh and Gen Z, feeling ripped off again? Going for you first job in AI's brave new world? Grab a bike, it will lift your spirits.
Elizabeth Clarke, Richmond
West treated with contempt by Allan government
Re ″ Marelen wastes thousands of hours commuting to work. She wants two things to change ″, 14/8.
In the absence of a functional state opposition, thank heavens we have The Age to do their job of calling current and previous Labor state governments to account for their consistent neglect of the western suburbs of Melbourne.
What does it say about the Allan government, that it is prepared to drag the state deeper in dept for SRL East when the same value capture case can be made for catch up strategic economic development supported by better rail infrastructure?
And whatever happened to East Werribee tech employment precinct?
We don't need another vision talkfest, the people of the west deserve the chance to cross examine the relevant ministers as to why they are and long have been treated with such contempt.
So much for Labor governments past and present planning for all Victorians, or at least those who voted for them.
Bernadette George, Mildura
THE FORUM
Crash and burn politics
Opposition Leader's Sussan Ley's words about being a consensus-seeking politician lasted barely a month. She is sounding more like Tony Abbott and Peter Dutton every day. She's criticised the government despite interest rates falling, because it recognised Palestine as part of a bipartisan solution, because Anthony Albanese hasn't visited Donald Trump, because Australia has some of the lowest tariff increases under Trump's regime.
She's already damned the results of the economic roundtable discussions that haven't been held yet. Every chance she gets, she slams the government. Obviously, she has no idea what consensus and bipartisanship mean. She is wooing those on the right rather than those in the middle where the bulk of the votes she needs are.
As a pilot, you would think that she'd know that continually turning right will take you nowhere, will cause you to run out of fuel, and to crash and burn.
Greg Tuck, Warragul
Beyond recognition
Recognising Palestine and a two-state solution is just a diplomatic issue and the easiest to resolve. And it's a good start.
But what about the West Bank and the illegal settlements? That's Palestine too.
What about control over the Temple Mount; a feature fiercely claimed by two incompatible religions as uniquely spiritual to them alone?
And what about Jerusalem? Palestine will claim it as their capital city as does Israel.
Plenty of potential for further friction, disagreement and slaughter for years to come.
Andrew Barnes, Ringwood
Changing course
Re your correspondent's letter (″The West is dreaming″, 14/8). I don't recall any country rushing out to recognise Palestine after the attacks on October 7, 2023.
What's changed since then has been the conduct of Israel and its unwillingness to try to mitigate the careless killing and starvation of thousands of Palestinians.
Recognition of Palestine is a way of trying something new to change the course of this conflict. More and more countries in the world are coming around to this thinking.
Cao Phan, Glen Iris
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