Petition update - 24 June 2021

The petition has been in a winter lul - advocating for the polka dot removal behind the scenes. 

As it stands, local community members are still reporting near misses - arising from the simple fact that both drivers and pedestrians have no clarity about right of way (who gives way to whom). Let alone the ongoing matters around children allured onto the road by the colourful polka dots - lesser so now as the outdoor pop up park areas are lesser frequented during the cooler winter months. 

We continue to advocate for the polka dots removal and would encourage all signatories to this petition to ask your community to add their feedback on the official Maribyrnong council project feedback page here: https://www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au/polka-dot-road-safety-project

Add your feedback on the wall (requires registration) and also vote in the poll to exclaim the polka dots must GO! 

The end of the six month trial is slated to end on the 17th September 2021. We need to make it as difficult as possible for council to have any reason to retain these dots beyond ths trial period (Ideally for these dots to be removed before them), and make it crystal clear that the overwhelming community sentiment is for these dots to be removed. 

We are in the process of also putting around "community awareness posters" around the community on noticeboards about this issue.

We would point out that just today (24th June) Maribyrnong council have advertised two employment roles as "Community engagement advisor" and "Coordinator Community Engagement" here: https://maribyrnong.recruitmenthub.com.au/Vacancies/ . It's clear that the council community engagement team are dysfunctional, incompetent and have not shown a willingness to genuinely engage with our local community and our voices - and this is reflected with the staff turnover. 

Make your voice heard on this important issue. The council thinks this campaign to remove the dots has gone quiet and that they can continue to get away with this hazardous installation - Thats a no. The community and our petition will continue to work behind the scenes with stakeholders and our leverage to have these dots removed.