Get rid of the trucks

FOR more than a year the new vision for Geelong’s promising ‘West End’ precinct has been gradually taking shape.

The Little Malop St precinct has got a little greener, the roadways a little narrower, the lighting a little moodier, the art a little more interesting and the al fresco areas a little more welcoming.

Backed by a $3 million grant from the State Government, the makeover builds on the precinct’s transformation in recent years thanks to the mix of hospitality businesses which offer a diverse range of mature attractions in friendly, intimate settings.

There’s a lot to like about what is taking place. But the key is the patrons. It’s people who bring life, noise, colour and a sense of community and safety to this nook of the CBD.

It is they who are turning a vision for a more vibrant CBD into a reality.

And the enemy of the people is the motor car.

Over the course of a month, the city council is harvesting opinions from traders and residents about vehicle access and delivery requirements in the West End precinct.

The online survey seeks to find out where and how often traders might receive deliveries, what times are most common and by what size vehicle.

We are not sure why this information has not already been harnessed give the amount of public money which has already been spent rejuvenating the area and the small size of the affected area.

To us the broad approach seems pretty simple.

We want the cars and the vans and most definitely the trucks out of most of that stretch of Little Malop St with limited access to smaller vans to deliver supplies and to collect rubbish.

The Green Spine and the rejuvenation of the CBD laneways has the potential to redefine our city centre.

The time is right to finally commit to the al fresco future of Lttle Malop St.

Other cities seem to be able to manage this, why is this so had to achieve in Geelong?