Thursday, 16 November 2023

Yarra speed limits

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (09:59): My members statement is on my local electorate in the City of Yarra, where the City of Yarra have taken a decision to make most streets 30 kilometres an hour for drivers. The City of Yarra is punishing people that drive through it and punishing their residents. I am yet to meet a single constituent who thinks the glacial pace at which the congested traffic moves through the City of Yarra is too fast. It is absolutely ridiculous. The Allan Labor government has some authority over this. They can choose to reject this proposal, and I hope they do.

There is one issue on which I do have some sympathy for the City of Yarra. They have gone on strike ‍– a strike of their road maintenance – because of cost shifting. They voted for a strike affecting 20 roads and government land. The council have blamed cost shifting. As someone who regularly meets with the mayors and CEOs of all my councils, I know it is not just Yarra; it is everyone. Whether it be for maternal and child health, whether it be for waste or whether it be for road maintenance, this Labor government is broke and it is shifting the cost onto councils and therefore onto ratepayers.