Cade Lucas
Candidates standing for Maribyrnong council in October’s election are about to have their environmental credentials put to the test.
A survey asking candidates where they stand on a variety of environmental and climate related issues is currently being distributed in an attempt to provide voters with more information before they head to the polls next month.
The survey is part of the statewide Streets People Love campaign which aims to rate council candidates on their environmental priorities and whether they will lead to safe and sustainable streets.
“We want streets that people love – safe and pleasant streets that enable people to live fulfilling lives while moving safely through their local communities,” said Streets People Love spokesperson Jeremy Lawrence.
“And we want to see 2024 council election candidates commit to delivering streets people love – starting by signing our pledge and taking our survey.”
The pledge candidates are being asked to sign is posted on the Streets People Love website.
“If elected councillor, I pledge to allocate budget and street space to build streets people love, and ensure that residents of all ages and abilities can safely move around our council area, irrespective of whether they choose to walk, cycle, wheel, use public transport or drive.”
The survey questions cover topics such as greenery and tree cover, public and active transport, traffic density and speed limits.
“Each candidate gets scored on their answers and they get a tick rating and the more ticks the higher the support is for safe streets,” explained Georgia Maret from Climate Action Maribyrnong, which along with Bike West, helped bring the Streets People Love campaign to the municipality for the first time.
“The campaign ran in a different form in the last council elections, but it ran in different areas, not the west.”
Ms Maret said while the campaign was driven by climate and sustainability issues, it wasn’t about promoting any particular party or candidate, just better informing voters.
“It’s about helping people figure out who aligns with their vote,” she said.
“So if they don’t want sustainable, healthy streets where people have a good time then they’ll see candidates that align with that.”
Ratings for Maribyrnong council candidates are expected to start appearing on the Streets People Love website on September 26.
Details: streetspeoplelove.org/
