General News
3 December, 2024
Resident’s lighting frustration
A Maryborough resident has grown frustrated with the Central Goldfields Shire Council (CGSC) over a street lighting dispute he believes doesn’t reach an “acceptable standard”.
Chris Jackson has lived on Hope Street for over four years and said the lack of lighting has been a constant issue.
“My original concern was the safety issues for my partner, she’s concerned that when she hops out of the car if someone is hiding behind the toilet block across the road, she can’t see them,” he said.
“It got to the point where she would ring me and ask me to pick her up from the local gym, she didn’t want to hop out of the car and come in because she was concerned.
“I have so many friends who have come around and have left at night and rolled their ankle when they go out there, we do it regularly because you can’t see what you are doing.”
Mr Jackson reached out to Powercor to make a formal request for a street lamp on the post outside of his house around six months ago.
“I rang up Powercor and I said ‘we want to get a light put in’ and they said ‘we are happy to do it but it’s got to be done through the council’,” Mr Jackson said.
“From there I put in a formal request [to council] asking for a light to be put in and about a month later I received a formal letter saying that no lights are required and it meets all the standards.
“I was really upset about it, I spoke to Martha Haylett and she said ‘I’ll give council a call’ and then she called me back and said [council] are going to call you, I’ve spoken to them and they came out during the day’.
“I said ‘that’s not acceptable, that doesn’t address the issue and she said ‘they’re aware of that now’.
“Later on that day or the day after I got a phone call from someone at council and I explained the situation and said what council needs to do is get a light meter and do that test.
“We both ended up sort of hanging up on each other and I haven’t heard anything from them since.”
According to Mr Jackson, the one light situated between Peel Street and Newton Street along Hope Street is inadequate in ensuring the safety of residents.
“You don’t need to be a road scholar or rocket scientist, it’s not adequate lighting and it doesn’t provide a safe and healthy environment to walk in,” he said.
“You are expected to be able to see to an acceptable standard to identify hazards and the simple fact is you can’t.
“If council were to come back to me and say we have done the light meter test, everything is good, then that’s ok, but I believe that won’t be the case.”
According to the Victorian Government’s Department of Transport and Planning, all paths and street lighting need to meet Australian Standard 1158 Road Lighting as a minimum.
A guideline listed by the department to “ensure lighting aids night-time wayfinding” states to “provide lighting levels that enable recognition of an approaching person’s face from 10-15 metres away”.
A spokesperson from the CGSC told The Advertiser that council continues to monitor street lighting throughout the shire.
“Following concern about lighting in Hope Street, Maryborough, council officers have offered to visit the location and discuss the prospects for improvement. We encourage residents to advise us of any other concerns they may have,” the spokesperson said.
“Lighting throughout our shire requires ongoing review, to ensure safety and reliability for our community. Maintenance of lighting on council properties and in public spaces is a necessary part of our continual asset and open spaces upkeep.
“Advocacy to other authorities — such as Powercor for improving street lighting for example, is another important role we play for our residents and visitors.
“A proposal to develop a comprehensive Lighting Strategy will be presented for consideration during the upcoming annual budget process. If successful, this will include providing residents with an opportunity to provide feedback through our engagement website or in writing.”