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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

‘Fix My Street’ facility fixes nothing in Hughes!

Letter writer BEC HENSON says the government’s ‘Fix My Street’ service isn’t working for her in Hughes. 

THE “Fix My Street” facility, available via the Access Canberra website, is a great idea. It’s a pity about the useless government employees on the other end that cause nothing but frustration and wasted taxpayers’ money.

Arrows on the footpath… months later the sum effort of the ACT government.

I recently relived my past irritations as I read yet another invitation from the ACT government, via the Access Canberra newsletter, for the public to use the “Fix My Street” portal. This invitation was in order to make Stirling more “age friendly” following previous (pilot) suburbs Hughes and Page in 2018. Let us know what needs to be done, asks the government! Well, good luck with that.

Among other requests I have submitted to “Fix My Street”, one matter in particular concerned the broken and overgrown pavement slabs in a common park area of Hughes.

I actually raised this issue from the get-go in 2018 when Hughes residents were asked – via hard copy snail mail – to submit issues that “impede active travel for seniors”. Nothing was done.

I raised the poor condition of the footpaths yet again in January, this time using “Fix My Street”. Again, nothing.

Well over two months later, I hopped back onto “Fix My Street” only to voice my annoyance at my wasted time and that I wouldn’t be using the facility in the future – life’s too short. And guess what? NFA – no further action. Oh! I tell a lie… someone did come around sometime between January 3 and March 25 to spray paint white arrows on some of the concrete slabs, I presume slabs to be replaced.

This is the sum effort of the ACT government on this issue. Taxpayers’ money hard at work – paying someone to spray paint arrows on the pavement for no reason.

Bec Henson, Hughes

McKellar left to rot

I KEEP reading articles in our local newspapers and magazines about the refurbishment of Canberra shopping centres (in the past week alone these have included Dickson, Manuka and Civic) but what about the neglected – and even forgotten – suburb of McKellar?

McKellar was established in 1983 and we have a population of 2746. I moved in as a 22-year-old in 1984 and, like many other young couples, raised my family here. The shops were less than a kilometre walk and much appreciated by the residents.

Until 2012, we had a friendly and well-stocked supermarket and other small shops, next to a well-patronised grass oval and children’s playground; however, the shops fell into decline, the government no longer maintained the playing field, and the shopping centre site was eventually demolished and sold.

So, despite seeing the auction sign go up, the auction date came and went, and the “SOLD” sign went up on the site. But four years later there is still just a big hole and an abandoned building site where our shops – and our hopes for a revitalised hub – now lie in rubble.

I am now in my late 50s. I am a disabled person. My children have since left the suburb and established homes of their own. There are many older residents like me, and many new young families living in McKellar. To buy milk or bread, I would have to catch a bus to Kaleen or Belconnen (walking to the bus stop is nearly as far as our shops used to be).

 It is not surprising, then, that I watch with dismay as so many other suburban shops (as examples, Charnwood, Kambah, etc) are all getting new paving, new seating, a “facelift” when all we want is for the ACT government to put pressure on the purchaser of the McKellar shops site to actually build the shops they promised and for the ACT government to refurbish our playing oval and children’s playground so that McKellar can continue to have a friendly, thriving community meeting place and services once more.

 Lyn McGregor, McKellar

Vote 1, Costigan!

HAS Canberra Matters columnist Paul Costigan thought about standing as an independent in the ACT government?

We desperately need someone with his strong, intuitive feelings for Canberra to rectify the damage the Barr government has done to our fair city.

Paul, please stand as an independent in the next ACT elections.

Ann Cooper, Wanniassa

 

 

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