Council Minutes - Section C: Notice of Motion - 28 January 2020
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Notices of Motion tabled at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 28 January 2020 which was held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong.
Council’s Clever and Creative Vision and Disability Access and Inclusion Action Plan 2018-2022 both aim to create an inclusive, diverse, healthy and socially connected community and the commitment to working towards full equality for people with a lived experience in disability in the municipality.
The third annual Geelong Rainbow Festival will be held between 4 February 2020 and 9 February 2020. The Festival celebrates our local LGBTQIA community through the provision of events, activities, social connection and support in the Geelong.
As a show of support for this year’s festival, there have been calls to install a rainbow crossing in Little Malop Street.
Council’s support of rainbow crossings in Geelong is expected to be strongly welcomed by our local LGBTQIA community and is consistent with Council strategies and policies to be an inclusive community for all. The installation of rainbow crossings/rainbow road treatments at a high-profile location such as the Moorabool St pedestrian crossing delivers on Council’s strategies and policies. The crossing at Moorabool St is also known to impede disability access.
Accessibility issues with the Moorabool St crossing
In February 2018 Councillor Aitken lodged an enquiry about the current pedestrian crossing in Moorabool St between the Lt Malop St Mall and west Lt Malop St following representations from members of the Geelong disabled community whom are wheelchair dependent.
The current crossing is managed through traffic signals. Investigations supported the issue raised that buses and cars were entering the crossing or being caught in the traffic and blocking the pedestrian crossing during traffic signalled times that indicated pedestrians to enter. Abled bodied pedestrians could cross by navigating their way around the stationery vehicles in the pedestrian crossing, however, wheel chair dependent pedestrians could not, and evidence showed they sometimes waited for 3 traffic signal cycles before the crossing would be clear of buses and cars and provide a clear path to navigate in a wheel chair.
Councillor Aitken and the Director of City Services Guy Wilson-Browne canvassed a number of proposals and suggested solutions over an 18-month period. These included contacting the bus companies to educate the drivers of the impact of entering the crossing during non-signalled access periods and installation of a rainbow crossing. Most were rejected on technical grounds, aesthetic grounds or suggestions that the issue would be addressed in longer term strategic reviews current being undertaken with the Mall Masterplan and the Public Transport Bus review.
As Moorabool St and Central Geelong have significant State Government interest and oversight, Councillor Aitken canvassed the personal position of the local State Government member Christine Couzens MP, who has indicated her support for the introduction of rainbow crossings in Central Geelong and under her signature canvassed Regional Roads Victoria views on the issue raised about the current Moorabool St pedestrian crossing.
Christine has advised Councillor Aitken that Regional Roads Victoria have indicated their preparedness to work with Council to find a solution.
Councillor Aitken moved, Councillor Nelson seconded -
That Council:
Supports the introduction of rainbow crossings/rainbow road pavement treatments within the City of Greater Geelong;
Requests that the first rainbow crossing to be introduced be on Council controlled road in Little Malop St precinct; and
Requests State Government and Regional Roads Victoria support to install with some urgency a rainbow crossing/rainbow road pavement treatment in Moorabool St between the Little Malop St /Mall Precinct and west Little Malop St Precinct.
Carried.
Mirripoa Primary School is a new school located at 80 Unity Drive Mount Duneed (school). The school will open its doors for the first time at the commencement of term one on Wednesday 29 January 2020.
The school has emphasised that the safety of students and families is paramount and believes that a school crossing supervisor is required to ensure their safety.
The City seeks funding contributions for the cost of school crossing supervisors from the state government. For a school crossing supervisor funding to be considered by the state government, pedestrian and vehicle counts are required to be undertaken after the school is opened to verify the need for a school crossing supervisor. Generally, there is no provision in the state government funding model to fund an interim school crossing supervisor while the assessment process takes place.
Councillor Nelson moved, Councillor Murnane seconded -
That Council:
Allocate funding from the 2019-2020 budget to fund a crossing supervisor to be located at the current traffic signals on the corner of Unity Drive and Sovereign Drive, Mount Duneed;
Ensure the crossing supervisor commences on, or as soon as possible after, the first day of the 2020 school term;
Note that the City will undertake further pedestrian and vehicle counts to determine if the threshold is met to place a school crossing supervisor and construct a pedestrian crossing closer to the school near the corner of Armstrong Boulevard and Unity Drive Mount Duneed;
Following the completion of pedestrian and vehicle counts, consider a budget allocation of $115,000 in the 2020/2021 budget for the construction of a school crossing; and
Request the Chief Executive Officer make an application to Regional Roads Victoria for a funding contribution for the school crossing supervisor from the commencement of the first term of school 2020.
Carried.
The Christmas in Geelong program aims to:
Help generate community pride and festive goodwill across the entire Geelong community;
Stimulate economic activity in central Geelong and across the region;
Boost the public and media profile of central Geelong, the City of Greater Geelong and our broader region; and
Offer a range of free celebration activities for all surrounding communities.
A report presented to Council in May 2018 showed that 164,872 people attended to view the floating Christmas tree on the waterfront during the 2017-18 Christmas period.
Overall, the 2017-18 Christmas in Geelong program injected an estimated $17.3 million into the local economy.
As an indication of the floating Christmas tree’s positive impact on the community, face-to-face and online surveys found that 97.3% of visitors rated the tree as important or very important, while 92% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt proud of Central Geelong during the Christmas program.
An independent economic impact and cost benefit analysis from 2016 indicated the tree produced a return on investment of 5.4 to one.
Council approved a total of $2,303,990 over five budgets for maintenance, storage and installation of the tree. This commenced with $420,666 in the 2019-20 budget.
In order to gain an understanding of the investment, opportunities and options to build on and enhance the current Christmas program, and expand the activities available to the broader and wider community, there is a need to engage an appropriately qualified and experienced resource.
Councillor Kontelj moved, Councillor Asher seconded -
That Council:
Request the Chief Executive Officer to:
Appoint an appropriately qualified and experienced Creative Director to review existing and potential Christmas activities and initiatives (Review), and present a proposal to Council for consideration to further enhance the Christmas program over the next 4 years; and
Report to Council on the proposal, including a business case, by no later than March 2020; and
Allocate $50,000 from the 2019/2020 budget to fund the Review.
Carried.
Division Requested:
For: Councillors Murnane, Nelson, Harwood, Sullivan, Mason, Grzybek, Asher, Kontelj, Aitken
Against: Councillor Murrihy
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