COUNCILLOR Michael Adamson has called on Swan Hill Rural City Council to
consider the removal of bollards from the newly installed path at Lake Boga,
fearing they could pose a significant danger to cyclists.
At last week’s
council meeting Cr Adamson moved a motion as a matter of urgency, calling on
council to remove the existing bollards from the path and reinstall them to meet
Bicycle Network Victoria’s recommended clearance distance of one metre from a
path.
He also called that the future installation of fixtures along similar
paths be placed at the recommended clearance zone of at least 0.5 metres.
His
plight to have the bollards repositioned comes at a time when council has
backpedaled on the path’s purpose.
While it had previously been referred to
as a “shared walkway and cycle path”, council has since said the path was only
intended to be a walking track.
On these grounds Cr Adamson was riding solo
in his quest to have the bollards repositioned, with fellow councillors
unsupportive of his motion, based on the grounds that further investigation was
required surrounding the legalities of the bollards and the purpose of the
path.
Following the council meeting, Cr Adamson said he was disappointed by
the response and his lack of support to fix the issue.
“It’s not about
insurance,” he said.
“It’s about the one kid whose cheek ends up on the side
of the bollard. The potential for an accident and injury is there and we can see
it.
For more of this story, see Wednesday’s Guardian (July 3).
