Wyndham council has been accused of spending almost half a million dollars on “gimmicks” to beat the city’s traffic woes, instead of practical measures to alleviate congestion.
As at last December, the council had spent $434,000 on its two-year $2 million Get Wyndham Moving campaign, which has included a website, petition, cinema advertising, events, e-newsletters, recruiting local “transport champions” and securing funding commitments, including $2.5 million to upgrade the corner of Palmers and Leakes roads.
But Point Cook Action Group president Tony Hooper urged the council to focus on research-based rather than advocacy projects.
“We don’t need bumper stickers,” he said.
“The best way for the money to be spent over the next year would be on a 12-month study on the impact Wyndham’s road and public transport congestion is having on people’s health.”
A progress report on the campaign presented to councillors last week states that in the next 12 months the council plans to instigate planning studies and research a car-pooling program based on those running in New South Wales and South Australia.
“There is a stronger focus proposed for 2015 on developing local solutions to our transport problem where council and the community have greater control and are less reliant on actions by state and federal governments,” the report says.
“This will require encouraging people to change their behaviour – to walk, cycle and use public transport.”
The report also says the community will be encouraged to “develop their own solutions” to transport congestion, with planning studies and research on the social impacts of congestion and long commuting times to be made a priority.
