Bayside Council will begin installing new lighting to improve safety around four key locations in the new year.
New lighting concepts will be designed and installed in King Street Mall, Rockdale, Ron Rathbone Place, Bexley, Laycock Walk, Mascot and a section of Botany Road, between Coward Street and King Street, Mascot.
The Councilors approved the tender for the design and installation of the new lighting at the extra-ordinary meeting of Council held last Wednesday, 6 December, 2023.
Mayor Bill Saravinovski said the lighting concepts would become an additional feature adding to the visual amenity of the locations as well as providing adequate illumination to ensure everyone, but in particular women and young girls, felt safe walking to and from transport hubs.
The new lighting will be funded by a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) grant for interventions to increase safety for women and girls near transport hubs as part of the Safer Cities ‘Her Way’ program.
The ‘Her Way’ program is part of, and supports, the broader Safer Cities Program objectives and aims to increase women and girls’ safety and access to public spaces, enable women and girls’ to move freely and alone in their community and increase girls’ engagement with how the spaces around them are designed and managed.
As part of an extensive community engagement process, Council worked closely with TfNSW and listened to the voices of local women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
Council also held a series of community “walkshops” where community members walked through local streets sharing feedback and insights with Council officers.
Through this extensive consultation identified Laycock Walk in Mascot and King Street Mall in Rockdale as the ideal sites to improve.
After further investigation, Council identified that lighting could also be improved at Botany Road in Mascot and Ron Rathbone Place in Bexley.
The project has the support of Bayside Council Mayor Bill Saravinovski who expressed his confidence in how the project will improve community safety.
“I am confident that this project will improve safety for our community, and I would like to thank Council staff involved in the community consultation process” Mayor Bill Saravinovski said.
“It was clear from community feedback that improved lighting would ensure everyone in our community feels safe and comfortable.”
Council sought a contractor for the design and construction of new lighting at all sites via an open tender.
Bayside Council accepted the tender from Elec Comm Group Pty Ltd at a Council Meeting on Wednesday 6 December.
It is expected the project will be completed in April 2024, weather permitting, which would meet the requirements of the TfNSW grant funding.