Petition calls for action on Indented Head footpaths

THE Indented Head Community Association (IHCA) has continued its advocacy for improved footpath access within the town, assembling a petition with 300 signatures to back its position.

The petition was presented to the City of Greater Geelong at its June council meeting, and calls for the completion of the missing links that exist between the footpaths on three streets – Grieve Avenue, Batman Road and Ibbotson Street – totalling about 930m of footpath.

Indented Head has a small but ageing population, with more than 60 per cent of its residents aged over 55, and does not receive home deliveries from Australia Post.

Several elderly residents living in the town have restricted mobility and rely on the assistance of walking aids, such as frames or motorised scooters, and flat, even surfaces to get around.

At present, the town has no continuous, off-road footpath circuit allowing residents to walk to and from Indented Head’s key amenities, including the post office and main store, the foreshore, community hall and public transport, forcing residents to share the bitumen with local traffic.

It is a situation the association’s deputy chair David Marks said was “a recipe for a serious accident between car and pedestrian”.

“Residents including children accessing the school bus, mothers pushing toddlers in prams and older residents on mobility scooters and walking frames have to walk on the road to access essential services.

“A bad injury or death from vehicles and pedestrians using the same piece of bitumen is going to occur.”

The IHCA has been campaigning to improve the town’s walkability and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure since 2017, when a walkability action group first identified the three streets as ideal for a footpath loop for the community.

Funding was allocated to the project in the city’s 2019-2020 budget, but the project was never delivered.

In October 2022, the city then proposed to deliver a network of 15 footpaths in Indented Head under a special rates and charged scheme, which created “frustration and anger” in a community that had only ever sought the three missing footpath links.

“Council needs to do the right thing by the Indented Head community, and with the overwhelming support of residents – as the petition proves – reallocate the previously budgeted $125,000 for design and then budget your proportion of the capital for the works,” Mr Marks said while presenting the petition to the Geelong council last week.

“We require you then approach the state government and [Corangamite federal member] Libby Coker at federal level for the remaining funds to achieve a circuit of footpaths to ensure residents can safely walk to the general store to collect mail, access the foreshore, community hall and public transport.”

The council tabled the petition, and now awaits a response from officers.

Ms Coker met with the IHCA in March to discuss their concerns, and this meeting encouraged the association to assemble the petition.

“Indented Head is an amazing part of the Bellarine, with a welcoming community and a diligent, passionate community association who are working hard to improve local infrastructure,” Ms Coker said.

“I do understand why the community is so passionate about safe, accessible footpaths that help older people, parents with prams and people with disability get to where they need to go.

“Alongside the Indented Head community, I am awaiting council’s response to the petition.”