Safer at the Junction

East Gippsland Shire Council recently submitted a $250,000 Public Safety Infrastructure Funding application to the Department of Justice.
 
The aim of the Public Safety Infrastructure Fund is to improve community safety, security and confidence in public places. The ‘Safer at the Junction’ Project targets the precinct from Barkes Avenue to Mechanics Street in Lakes Entrance.  Stage One aims to improve lighting across the precinct, way finding through improved signage and increase CCTV camera coverage in the ‘Junction Precinct’.

This project builds on the community consultation undertaken as part of the Lakes Entrance CBD Improvement Master Plan.  The community identified pedestrian fragmentation, excessive length, the lack of aesthetic appeal and the need for ‘one town not four’ as key contributors to the township’s inability to attract and retain pedestrians from end to end.
 
Over time, this has resulted in the CBD developing four different nodes that divide the town into a collection of fragmented clusters of activity. The Junction Precinct is one such area and it is hoped that the proposed improvement to lighting and security within the precinct will lead to more people utilising this important public space, where pedestrians can walk safely from the Esplanade through the precinct and utilise the off road car parking available in Gray Street.
 
The ‘Safer at the Junction’ Project is a good example of local government working with Victoria Police to deliver safer communities in East Gippsland.  Victoria Police, as a part of this project undertook a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Audit of the Lakes Entrance CBD.  This audit has formed the basis of the application and identified the importance of improving the lighting within the precinct.  Feedback was also provided from local residents and traders in the precinct regarding their usage of this public space. The project will also build on the planned upgrade of the pedestrian laneway that links the Esplanade with the Gray Street Car park.
 
The Shire expects to know the outcome of the Department of Justice Public Safety Infrastructure funding application by December 2016.  Keep your fingers crossed that we get these funds.

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