Push to fix traffic woe
Paramedic’s deputy mayor bid
THE city’s traffic woes are just one issue a Hobart father hopes to address when he runs for deputy mayor in the coming local government elections.
Paramedic Ryan Posselt said he wants to bring fresh ideas to the council.
“I am going to put my hand up for deputy mayor, I don’t think it’s wise to run for mayor if you have no council experience,” Mr Posselt said.
“Broadly the council is strong and the direction is good but there’s many things we can address that can make life better for all people in the Hobart local government area and the vulnerable.”
Mr Posselt has been a paramedic for 13 years and has spent eight of those years in Tasmania.
The soon-to-be father of two said Hobart was noticeably more congested.
“Every ambulance is crewed with two paramedics, one job I’ll drive and the next I’ll look after the patient, so I spend 50 per cent of my job driving.
“The traffic change is noticeable. I’ve worked in Sydney in the past and some of the things I need to do now are some of the techniques I had to do in Sydney. Once upon a time I could always find my way through on the right side of the road without crossing over.”
He said traffic and mobility were issues that affected everyone.
“When mobility access fails, when we have gridlock, congestion, unsafe cycle ways, it creates a real point of stress,” Mr Posselt said.
“I want to see a city that has functional protected bike lanes, in 2022, no longer is a bike lane just for bikes.”
Mr Posselt is also passionate about housing. “I would like to see us address the housing crisis by encouraging developers to build appropriate apartment developments.
“Maybe 5 per cent of any new development over 30 units needs to be social housing … the outcomes for social housing tenants is better when it’s distributed among conventional housing rather than lumped together in ghettos.”