Perth Voice Interactive

PAID parking and higher fines are on the cards for Bayswater—which covers the Morley Galleria areas—as the council conducts a review of its parking laws for the first time in 10 years.

Neighbouring Vincent, Stirling and Perth city councils all charge for parking within their boundaries.

The review will take around six months, including public consultation, and could come back before council in January.

Cr Alan Radford says it’s inevitable paid parking will be introduced: “I think it will benefit certain areas and improve access,” he says.

“For instance, in and around Bayswater railway stations and the Galleria people come from out of the city and park there all day on council-owned land.

Free-up

“Meters would free up bays and enable people to park there for an hour or so and use the local shops.

“Also, if we want to build multi-storey car parks we need the funds to build them.”

Mayor Sylvan Albert is keeping tight-lipped about the likelihood of higher penalties and paid parking.

“All matters related to parking will be considered as part of the review of the local law,” he says.

“Council has made no resolution regarding the introduction of paid parking.

“The review is to ensure that the local laws in relation to parking reflect current practice and are in line with the WALGA model parking local law.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

STUART LOFTHOUSE says he’s to face formal assault charges following a scuffle in Vincent council chambers on July 22.

The Leederville cafe owner has told the Voice police have informed him his summons is in the mail, and he is to be charged with assault of a public officer. Conviction carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ gaol.

Mr Lofthouse says the complaint was lodged by Vincent council’s rangers manager Steve Butler who, along with senior ranger Simon Giles, had attempted to evict Mr Lofthouse from a council meeting when he’d refused to leave.

Mayor John Carey had directed him to leave following sustained interjections.

Mr Lofthouse says he intends to fight the charges, and he still wants to lodge his own police complaint against the rangers.

Police spokesperson Samuel Dinnison has confirmed “both the victim and a person of interest to the investigation have been spoken to, and officers are in the final stages of completing the investigation”.

by DAVID BELL

GROUND has been broken on Vincent council’s bike network, with workers rolling out the bobcats on Bulwer Street this week.

Just over a year ago mayor John Carey—then a councillor—peered at the miserly amount budgeted for bike paths and told colleagues “we’re greatly underfunding bicycle network infrastructure” in the face of crisis-levels of car congestion.

Soon a $2.5million plan was on the table. There were a couple of petitions against the plan from people concerned about the cost and loss of car parking, along with a chorus of cyclist voices in favour of the lanes, but now the year-long works have kicked off.

Bulwer, Vincent and Oxford Streets are up in the first stretch to be finished by June next year. The project’s funded by cash from the sale of land up at Tamala Park, so it’s safe from any belt-tightening needed to address the council’s budget deficit.

After that there’s plans to put lanes down Scarborough Beach Road, though the council’s hoping Main Roads works on that street will see some WA government contribution to the cost.

Mr Carey says with a traffic crisis hitting, a local government “can’t build more roads, we can’t build more public transport, but there is one thing we can do and that’s make a serious investment in bike lanes to encourage people to get out of their car and cycle.

“You’ve got to invest money to encourage people to do that. If people do not think they’re going to be safe to cycle on our roads, they won’t do it.”

NEW bike barriers intended to slow down cyclists in Hyde Park are little more than hazardous barricades says veteran pedaller Ian Ker.

The former Vincent councillor headed the teams that developed the Perth bikeplan of 1985 and the Bike Ahead Strategy in 1996, and says these kinds of barriers reflect outdated thinking.

The world’s moved on to “increased recognition of the need to provide access for all—but not, it seems, in the City of Vincent” he says.

“To control a few rogue cyclists, the City of Vincent has created impediments and hazards for all park users.

Peak

“I wonder if anyone has considered, for example, how these paths are supposed to function at times of peak usage such as the Hyde Park Fair.”

Mr Ker also reckons the barriers have been installed far too close so any rider who’s not a keen BMXer will have to dismount. Riding’s not illegal in Hyde Park, and he’s sceptical of the scale of “problem” riders.

They’re also pretty ineffective since anyone who does want to speed can simply ride around them (those with keen eyes will see trackmarks in the dirt): these kinds of barriers are most effective on bridges where they can’t be bypassed.

Mr Ker says people in wheelchairs or gophers will also find them extremely difficult to negotiate, and they’re at just the right height to give youngsters on trikes a whack on the noggin.

Three of the four barriers have entry on the right of the path, ignoring established convention—and now-legal requirement—for cyclists to keep left.

When the Voice was down there we spotted Vincent’s affable technical services director Rick Lotznicker measuring the distance from the barriers with a tape measure.

After he got back to the office with the results, CEO Len Kosova told us a couple of minor changes would be made.

“We measured the chicanes,” he says, “the gap between the chicanes is approx 1.45m which complies with the standards (absolute minimum 1.2m).”

The most troublesome obstacle near Norfolk Street will have one barrier removed and another moved back 1.45m to make it smoother to get through.

Mr Ker says “just because there is a ‘standard’ doesn’t mean it is right or even appropriate in every situation”.

The barriers cost about $10,000 to install, and only Cr Josh Topelberg opposed them going in.

by DAVID BELL

STIRLING city council has voted to stop letting people build separate granny flats in restrictive covenant areas.

Portions of Coolbinia, Menora and Mt Lawley are covered by 80-year old covenants allowing just one dwelling per 1000sqm: granny flats up to 70sqm had been exempted, as long as family members lived in them.

But recently the WA government changed planning rules to allow granny flats in covenant areas to be rented out.

Stirling is doing all it can to stop granny flats in covenant areas being rented out: by demanding they be physically attached to the property’s main dwelling they hope to make it an unattractive proposition to homeowners.

Cr Samantha Jenkinson—who has been wheelchair-bound since a road accident when she was 19—says the move could affect people’s privacy.

“I know people who have elderly relatives or people with disabilities living in granny flats and I think it would impact their sense of independence and privacy if it was attached to the main dwelling,” she says.

“In that sense a separate building is preferable.”

Cr Joe Ferrante says the move safeguards Stirling’s heritage.

“People buy into these areas for the soul and the strong heritage protection,” he says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

STIRLING city council will spend around $15,000 to send mayor Giovanni Italiano to an urban regeneration and sustainability conference in Siena, Italy.

The conference runs for three days in September, but the city has budgeted $2196.53 for seven nights’ accommodation ($313.79 a night) and a seven-day cash advance of $1582.

Business-class flights cost $9938.

“I have a keen interest in urban planning and how the city can be proactive in managing the future increase in its population,” wrote Cr Italiano.

“With an increase in population comes many challenges that the city will be facing in future years.”

In May, the council spent $25,000 to send councillors Joe Ferrante and David Lagan  to California for a three-day conference on sustainable infrastructure.

Last year the same pair attended an audit conference in Orlando, Florida costing $32,750, despite Cr Lagan not being on the council’s audit committee.

In May the council voted to spend $6545 flying mayor Italiano and CEO Stuart Jardine business-class to Canberra so they could lobby the government for money.

At the time, Mr Jardine said business-class was the norm, even for four-hour domestic flights: “Such trips help foster economically beneficial outcomes for the community,” he said.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

BAYSWATER ratepayers might have to put up with mounting rubbish after contractor Transpacific grounded its national fleet pending a safety review.

The company operates rubbish collection services across Australia, including Bayswater, and is conducting a safety review following a fatal accident in Adelaide on Monday.

“At this stage it is uncertain when operations will recommence, however, the city will work with Transpacific Cleanaway in any way necessary to minimise the inconvenience caused and residents should still place their bins out for collection on their normal days,” Bayswater spokesperson Jennie Arts says.

“Whilst this situation is regrettable the safety of the workers involved is paramount and the city supports all efforts to ensure that works undertaken by Transpacific Cleanaway on behalf of the city are carried out in a safe manner.

“The city will provide further information via its website as it becomes available.”

THE Court Wine Bar’s refurbishment is one of the ventures seeking a $20,000 grant from Perth city council to liven up the city.

A big part of Perth’s drinking history ended when the notorious ALP hangout the Court Wine Bar closed. It’s since been rebranded “The Dominion League” after a 1930s-era secessionist movement.

The Court Wine Bar—not to be confused with the Court Hotel down the road—started life as a Macedonian cafe 60-odd years ago, later becoming the favoured watering hole for union heavies, Labor hacks and scurrilous journos (ALP HQ is next door).

Following a change of owners the little Court frontage has been closed for months with the windows blacked over, but a small sign has appeared in the window heralding the coming of the Dominion League.

The original league formed at a 1930s public meeting at his Majesty’s Theatre to push for separation of WA from the rest of the country and the British empire. It claimed 10,000 members at its height.

Other businesses in line for funding a new tattoo studio on King Street (sure to raise a few eyebrows amongst toffs shopping for $6000 handbags).

The final decision on the spend rests with the next full Perth council meeting.

by DAVID BELL

IT was a case of Starsky—but no hutch. An East Perth couple have rescued and returned a lost bunny to its owners, after they’d found it hopping around their verge Saturday night. Jenni says they christened the intrepid bunny “Starsky” and put it in their front garden to keep it safe. It stayed there over the weekend and received tidbits from its convivial hosts.After good samaritan Jenni put flyers in Lord Street and around East Perth railway station, they received a call from its owners Tuesday and the escapee is now back home.

WITH the old Cheriton Street cottage narrowly saved from being sold, the Norwood Neighbourhood Association is turning it into a neighbourhood centre.

Vincent city council is soon to start restorations on the cottage, so the NNA’s asking locals to come out to an ideas day on August 30 to think up plans on how to use the centre.

It’s already turned the backyard into a community garden and set up a BBQ, and it’s looking at ideas like a community kitchen or a coffee window for the house itself when it opens early next year.

The community vision workshop runs 1–4pm at 34 Cheriton Street and there’ll be afternnon tea and stuff to keep the kiddies busy.

The saga of the railway house started back in April 2011 when the WA government tried to sell the house.

Locals feared it’d be lost forever but the deal fell through due to a bungled tender, and both sides of politics lobbied to have it transferred to community hands.

by DAVID BELL