Women on bicycles, men on toilets and no-one in the Gungahlin pool – not even the people fixing it. It’s another “Seven Days” with IAN MEIKLE. 

AS a southsider, I’m mildly panicked by the prospect of four (more) years of tram construction disruption as the work gangs this time head to Woden.

Beyond the enormous debt, I’m anxious about the commuter chaos of getting to Civic over Commonwealth Avenue Bridge and the heritage shock of the project’s blunt bulldozing through the parliamentary triangle. 

And that’s before we get to years of messing up the smooth commute of Adelaide Avenue. 

But for women, it’s going to be a comparative doddle, if the southside member for Murrumbidgee, Labor’s Dr Marisa Paterson, has her druthers. 

She launched her “Her Way” campaign to change their daily commutes to accommodate the construction of light rail stage 2 and blithely called on women living in the ACT’s south to rethink their travel patterns by switching to public transport and more active modes of travel, including walking, bike riding and scooting. No mention of men. Presumably, we just get in our cars and go to work. 

“I’m just like you,” she says. “I recognise that the upcoming construction works for light rail will be very disruptive but I’m also positive about the long-term benefits this huge project will bring for our community. 

“I want to ride a bike but I’m nervous about it, and not quite sure how to make it happen.” 

Oh, really, Marisa? Maybe Deputy Opposition Leader Giulia Jones (and fellow member for Murrumbidgee) could offer some advice on the joys of cycling having lost her driver’s licence for three months for multiple, low-range speeding offences last year. 

“After three months of getting around on my bicycle, it’s given me some additional perspective and I’m looking forward to starting a-fresh,” she said at the time.

But Mrs Jones is having none of “Her Way”, slamming it an insult to Canberra women and saying the campaign highlighted how out of touch the government was, especially mums and families who are required to drop off and pick up children from school and sport as well as travel to work.

Mrs Paterson said: “By rethinking travel options now, people living in Canberra’s south will be able to help relieve pressure and congestion for those who genuinely have no other option but to travel in a private vehicle, as well as exploring other options that are likely to improve their overall quality of life and wellbeing.”

That would be her in the government-provided vehicle heading to, whatever the reduced parking in Civic during the construction period, a certain spot at the Assembly? 

REPORTER Danielle Nohra’s comprehensive look at public toilets in Canberra a couple of weeks ago (“Toilet talk” CN July 29) flushed out, so to speak, a lot of continuing feedback. 

Slightly out of the usual mould is the response from David Tyler, of Macquarie, who gave us something to aspire to in an attached holiday snap. 

Reassuringly, he wrote: “I am not in the habit of photographing toilets, but in Wellington, NZ, a few years ago I was struck by the quality, quantity and cleanliness of these public facilities. 

“My wife reported how impressed she was with the ladies’ cleanliness, which is not often the case in her experience.

“I would also suggest there are more accessible and clean public toilets on Kangaroo Island than there are in the ACT.”

John Coleman, of Monash, wrote to say the ACT government has, in some instances, flicked the responsibility for public toilets to private enterprise.

“As a former homeless persons’ shelter volunteer, I was informed by some shelter guests that public toilets around Civic are locked at night,” he says. 

“Whereas homeless people, including women, can access the reducing number of public toilets and toilets in the larger shopping centres during the day, they have no access to toilets at night, unless they are sleeping in a shelter. 

“Many don’t, and sleep rough and they rightly say that if they’re caught relieving themselves in public they can be in strife because such activities are illegal.”

And finally, Barry Peffer emailed with this waggish suggestion: “Would it be more productive to ask readers which shopping centres and other areas have usable toilets. The list would be much smaller and motorists could fix it to the dashboards of the car for emergency use.”

NEWS that the problematic Gungahlin pool repairs have gone down the gurgler for the foreseeable future got Liberal MLA for Yerrabi Leanne Castley hopping about with indignation. 

She says the leaking pool would still be on track to reopen this year had the ACT government used local Canberra workers to fix it because now the Sydney tiling contractor has been grounded by covid restrictions and no-one knows when he’ll next be back.

Well, that’s interesting, because Sports Minister Yvette Berry has been beleaguered since last summer with Ms Castley’s incessant demands to get the closed pool fixed for the community. 

“Leading to the Budget later this month, the Chief Minister has continually spoken about creating local jobs,” says Leanne. “Surely this is a missed opportunity to support local workers and businesses.”

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon.