Help shape the Borough’s Active Transport Strategy

HELLO to all residents, ratepayers and visitors to the Borough of Queenscliffe.

As summer rolls on, it’s been wonderful to see our twin towns of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale continue to be pumping with tourists and locals alike as we make the most of the favourable weather.

Let’s all keep supporting our local traders who have battled staff shortages and density restrictions to help provide the best experience for you over the holiday period.

Active Transport Strategy consultation now open

This Monday, Council opened consultation for our first Active Transport Strategy, and we’re now calling on residents and visitors to share their ideas and help shape the plan.

The Active Transport Strategy will guide our investment in walking, cycling and wheeling infrastructure – creating a range of benefits for the whole community and promoting the use of active transport to get around the Borough.

Active transport is great for our health, better for our environment, and accessible for our youngest and oldest residents. Developing a strategy like this will allow us to better invest in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and make it safer and easier to get around the Borough.

One of the key focuses of the strategy is to help link together individual upgrades around town that can benefit from a continuous route.

Gaps in our pedestrian and cycling networks, like busy roads without crossings or footpaths that suddenly end, make it harder to get around safely and easily.

Assessing the active transport needs of the whole Borough under a single strategy will make it easier for Council to identify and fix these gaps, creating continuous networks that are more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.

Council has installed a range of pedestrian safety upgrades over the past six months and the knowledge and experience gained from these installations will help guide what is included in the strategy.

Of course, there’s nothing like local knowledge to assist in finding the best solutions, so this consultation period, we’re using innovative new methods to receive your feedback.

This includes an interactive online map where users can drop a pin at any location in the Borough and add specific, direct comments for that particular area.

Details on how to take part are available on our website at Queenscliffe.vic.gov.au/active. Taking part in this consultation is quick, easy and will help guide Council’s investment for a long time. I’d encourage everyone in our community to share their thoughts with us.

Stay cool at the beach this summer

I’d like to give a quick shout-out to the wonderful hardworking folk down at the Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club who are once again keeping our beaches safe this summer.

The new clubhouse facilities are phenomenal and have already been well frequented by members over the Christmas/New Year period.

The selfless nature of the many volunteers at the PLSLSC have made for a stress-free summer for those attending our numerous beaches across the warmer months.

Remember to slip, slop, slap before attending the beach, swim between the flags in patrolled areas, and never lose sight of your friends and family.

Book your vaccination

More and more Borough locals are rolling up their sleeve to get the coronavirus booster shot with the recent change in eligibility timelines – and just as we made headlines for being the first Council area in the country to reach the two-dose vaccine target, I think we can be similarly influential this time around.

If you had your second dose three or more months ago, you may be due for a third dose of coronavirus vaccine. A COVID-19 third dose is strongly recommended to help keep you and your loved ones protected from COVID-19, as it helps prevent waning immunity (loss of protection).

This is particularly important as case numbers rise in Victoria and in the Borough.

Just as importantly, COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years old are now available at your local GP or pharmacy.

As schools go back soon, getting your child vaccinated is more important than ever to help protect them from getting sick and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

To learn more about the vaccination program and to book your appointment, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

If you have anything you’d like to discuss with me about the Borough, drop me a line via the contact details on Council’s website.

Kind regards,
Cr Ross Ebbels
Mayor, Borough of Queenscliffe