Illawarra Greens. Social justice, environmental sustainability, peace and non-violence and grassroots democracy.

Greens candidates celebrate a win for safer streets in Figtree

Greens candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker and candidate for Lord Mayor and Ward 1 Jess Whittaker joined local residents in Figtree to celebrate a new priority pedestrian crossing at Uralba street Figtree.

The new pedestrian crossing has been included in the Council’s Delivery Program 2022-2026 and Operational Plan 2024-2025 following pressure from local residents and the Greens candidates.

“For many years the community has been campaigning for a pedestrian crossing at Uralba Street to help with the safety concerns of local residents,” Kit said.

“It was a privilege to join with the community in this campaign to get a simple pedestrian safety crossing at this notorious spot. This is a win for the whole community but especially more vulnerable members in our city such as those with mobility issues or parents with children, I would also like to thank Councillor Cath Blakey for all her advocacy on this issue,” Kit said.

“The campaign for safer and more accessible streets does not end here. The next Wollongong City Council must commit to back every person's right to navigate their village safely and without barriers. I look forward to continuing this campaign for safe and easily accessible streets alongside Jess and Deidre in the next Council,” Kit said.

Greens Lord Mayoral Candidate Jess Whittaker said: “The Greens have a vision for Wollongong that can easily be achieved if we have Greens representation on council after the September election. We all want to see safe streets so our kids can walk and cycle to school each day, and priority pedestrian crossings so the elderly and people with a disability can move around the city without fear of cars. We also want to see an urban street tree canopy that will cool our streets in summer so people can still get around safely without relying on an air conditioned vehicle. We want to see cyclists kept safe and look at ways where we avoid the conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and cars by providing more separated cycleways that will connect people to the places they need to go each day,” Jess said.

“The only thing getting in the way of achieving a greener city is the political will. Unfortunately the two main political parties have shown us that when they dominate the council these simple measures to keep kids safe, such as the basic request for a priority pedestrian crossing, are ignored. A council with strong Greens representation will mean that council will talk and listen to the community, as we have done here for the families of Uralba street,” Jess said

 

Media contact:

Jess Whittaker    e: [email protected]

Kit Docker