Family warns missing footpath poses 'real danger'
At Monday night's Wollongong City Council meeting, a Helensburgh dad presented a petition calling for a safe path on Parkes Street
A Helensburgh father has revived the cold case of the town’s “missing footpaths”, calling on Wollongong City Council to build a safe route for pedestrians.
“I'm here for my mum Mandy, who's lived in Helensburgh for more than 20 years, and also over 500 residents who have signed our petition,” Angus Mullane told councillors in the public access forum at last night's Council meeting.
“We're asking for the missing footpaths in Helensburgh. The most important one, Parkes Street, from Lilyvale Street to Cemetery Road. This small section joins up the paths that we've already got, and it unlocks a three-kilometre town loop.”
Councillors supported the idea, but ultimately their message – delivered at the end of a meeting that ran to nearly three hours – was to try again later.
'A huge response'
Angus, his wife Madison and 12-month-old baby Montie live on the Mullane family property, Silvergum Stables in Baines Place. To walk to town, they must traverse Parkes Street, a key road from the old highway into Helensburgh and “a real danger”, he said.
Angus’s mum, Mandy Mullane, first sounded the alarm after heading to town with her grandson in the pram. “She thought the baby was about to fall out on the nature strip,” Angus told the Flame, "and had to walk on the road."
Angus posted his concerns to a Facebook group, which had "a huge response”. Within three weeks, 515 people signed the petition for a footpath.
“One woman's lived here 71 years, and she pushes her grandson's wheelchair down Parkes Street on the road because she's got nowhere else to go,” Angus told councillors.
“My mum walks her grandkids, my son, along there in a pram, and where the concrete ends, it's tree roots and washed-out dirt. A pram doesn't get far, so she steps out onto the road with the traffic…”
Pushing a pram on Parkes Street, a key road from the old highway into Helensburgh. Photos: Jess Whittaker
'A big advocate for the town'
Angus set up the petition, but Mandy is the driving force. “Mum's been a horse trainer for a good part of her life. We have a farm where we agist horses; she also runs a wedding venue down there, so gives people a slice of Helensburgh to fall in love at. I got married there myself, as well as many others.
“She’s a big advocate for the town. She loves the people. And now she just wants to try and help it become a safer and stronger community.”
In their quest for a safe footpath, the Mullanes have had support from Ward 1 councillors, including Ryan Morris, who tabled the petition, and Jess Whittaker, who walked that way last month.
“The Parkes Street section is very dangerous,” Cr Whittaker told the Flame.
A goat track shows the need for a footpath, the Greens councillor said: “There is clearly one there, so much so that it's not just the cars that are the hazard, it's the tree roots and the uneven surfaces from so much use.”
Petition tabled at council meeting
On tabling the petition, Cr Morris said: “515 signatories is a very large amount. I haven't seen too many petitions come through here that get over 500.”
The Liberal councillor also submitted a question with notice about the town's wider footpath infrastructure and pedestrian safety.
“We can't do all the footpaths we want to do," Cr Morris told the Flame. "That'll take 75 years to achieve. So we have to pick and choose which ones we think are the most worthy. And obviously, ones around schools and hospitals and community infrastructure are a little bit more important.”
More information is expected in September, he said: “The questions with notice is going to go over two meetings, just because they didn't have enough time to answer all the questions in one go.”
August’s business papers included a seven-page response from council staff explaining where priorities lie. “There are 476 footpath requests on the Infrastructure Request List across the Local Government Area,” the statement said. Helensburgh is not predicted to grow, staff noted, with the principal areas for housing growth including West Dapto and Wollongong city centre.
A design for the Parkes Street footpath exists and it's a high priority, staff confirmed. However, there is no funding allocated in the four-year Infrastructure Delivery Program to 2030.
“There's no money set aside, and this isn't new,” Angus Mullane told councillors. “This same section was listed for construction back in 2012. Thirteen years later, we're still asking for it.”
“The estimate to build this is $500,000. If money is the problem, we've sourced a quote from a local contractor for about half of that on the same section, and we're happy to share that with staff.
“In June, this council put aside an extra $5 million for walking and cycling, specifically to cut down the number of roads with no footpaths. Our case is built on what council's own framework measures: community need, accessibility, road safety, getting to schools, to buses, and to the shops.
“We're not asking you to fix every footpath in Helensburgh tonight. Tonight we're only asking for 850 metres.”
Councillors' respond
Ward 1 Labor Councillor Dan Hayes said funding follows a process and no immediate decision could be made.
Fellow Ward 1 Labor Councillor Richard Martin agreed, saying: “The way the budgeting works is that we have a workshop in November, and councillors put their case for what they want to do. Then we have another workshop in February, and then from that workshop, documents go out to the public. And one of the things that always amazed me when I got on council was that when the budget went out, the submissions were very few.”
He urged everyone who signed the petition to make a submission on the budget papers next year.
“That's going to have a bigger impact on us being able to do those things,” Cr Martin said.
“I have personally been asking Neighbourhood Forum 1 for six years for a list of just six of their top priorities, and I've never had it, never had it. I've never seen a minute from that Neighbourhood Forum 1.
“We are trying to do what we can up in Helensburgh. I know sometimes it's he who shouts the loudest gets the most results. But can I please ask you to try and keep those 550 people together, herded in a corral, and then when the budget comes out, that they put the submissions in – because we take notice.”
Cr Whittaker thanked Angus for raising the issue. “It does really help us push for these things in the next budget cycles.”
Push for parking
Some people have given up walking and now drive to the town centre, Angus told the Flame.
"Lots of people are pushing for more parking," he said.
“An easier solve is just to create better footpaths and a better experience for people to walk and exercise – that option creates a healthier community and puts less cars on the road.”
Council recently lodged a development application for Helensburgh’s new Community Centre and Library that will include 22 parking spaces, double what was originally planned.
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Wollongong City Council
