Anastasia Smietanka

Party: Greens

I live in city/suburb: Richmond

My commitment: Since being first elected ten years ago in the City of Yarra, the Greens have pushed for cycling to be considered as a serious mode of transport. Yarra has consistently been at the top of the BIXE index for investment in cycling infrastructure and as a result we have the highest rates of cycling in the state. In the first years of having Greens on Council, Yarra concentrated on painting bike lanes onto roads and cyclists responded with increasing numbers of riders. When the current Greens councilors were elected in 2008, we knew we had to take the next step in the development of cycling infrastructure to attract new riders. We initiated Council’s Bicycle Strategy that developed a network of priority bike routes throughout the city and for the first time allocated a budget strategy to guide their rollout. In our second year, we negotiated and extra $1m for mainly upgrading of off-road bike paths. We have driven the installation of bike parking throughout Yarra and are promoting parking for cargo bikes in shopping strips. The next great leap forward is to physically separate riders from cars on roads that carry high numbers of riders. As a team and if re-elected, the Greens will advocate for the installation of Copenhagen Lanes on Wellington St, one of the first decisions facing the new Council. However, we are keen to minimize impacts on traders and have already initiated a trader advisory group to comment on the design of the Copenhagen Lanes. If elected, the Greens will examine other ways of physically separating cyclists from cars to encourage new riders. Yarra’s sustainable transport policies are working – more people are riding and walking and less people are driving cars. On a personal note, I'm an avid bike rider and love the exercise and clear mind that bike riding offers as a commuting choice. At home, my partner and I share 5 bikes between the 2 of us - we collect them in the same way others collect antiques or shoes!

Details on this website: http://www.facebook.com/raywhitebrunswick (opens a new window)

Current sitting member: no