Letter: Getting the Priorities Right

IN response to article Waverley Woes and Worries published yesterday, I would like to encourage all residents to bring things that matter to them to our attention.

Council is not infallible and I understand how residents may become frustrated with government processes.

As Mayor, one of my aims has been to streamline those processes so that the things that matter can happen more easily.

Mayor, Wayne Bedggood.

The bike path to St Mary’s is clearly an issue that is important, we all want to see our children safe and it is wonderful to live in a community where our kids can enjoy riding their bikes to school with their friends.

When this matter was brought to my attention I reviewed the Bicycle Plan which can be found here: Upper Hunter Bicycle Plan.

At the moment there is a planned footpath to St Mary’s but not a cycle-way, but if as a community we feel it needs to be a cycle-way, then let’s look at doing that.

Government process can be frustrating, but when you understand how the local government system works you can also use that process to prioritise what the community needs.

Certainly raising an issue with a Councillor or putting something in writing to the Council is the first step in raising a community concern or idea.

Through various systems and processes we try and collate all of the information we get from the community and prioritise things into 12 month budgets and operating plans.

It will never be a perfect system and sometimes important things do drop off that list, but I’d also encourage people who are passionate about an issue to follow through with where their idea is up to and to question why it is or isn’t included in a budget.

In the same way, it was good to hear from local resident John Hind at the Works and Technical Services committee ask why it was necessary to spend more than $2 million on the Middlebrook Bridge (see story: Over Engineered Bridge).

It’s a fair question and one I’ve asked Council staff to address and help me prepare a response to.

We want the community to be more involved with prioritising what is important to them and question if there is a better way of doing things.

Getting back to the issue of the St Mary’s bike path, the Roads and Maritime Services more readily provides funding for projects on major roads, compared to our smaller roads, hence there is funding for the extension of the bike path to the TAFE.

However, I think the St Mary’s road and footpath/cycleway debate is something we can take to the Council through our Traffic Committee and Works and Technical Services Committee considering the area is a junction for so many school buses and there are certainly more children using the roads near the school than we have riding to TAFE, so it is something I will continue to follow through.

Note that continuing the bicycle pathway is also discussed in the Bicycle Plan, particularly on p26.

And in the same way the condition of Waverley Street is important both in terms of safety for children riding their bikes, but also for residents on a busy bus route contending with an eroding road, so we need to reassess where that is on our priority list.

Council is here to serve the community and while we can’t do every project and solve every issue we certainly want to hear what the community thinks are the priorities.

Regards,

Cr Wayne Bedggood,
Mayor Upper Hunter Shire Council