by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Greens candidate in the Yarraman Ward by-election is pushing to rectify Djerring Trail’s missing link in Noble Park.
Robert Lim, a keen cyclist, has zeroed onto the green-coloured bike lane that stops at the end of the Hanna Street cul-de-sac, in his bid to win a seat on Greater Dandenong Council.
The Yarraman-Caulfield trail that seemingly leads to nowhere should be extended to central Dandenong, the 24-year-old Noble Park IT professional argues.
The Eastlink bike trail is nearby but separated by an expanse of gravel and unsealed terrain. In any case, it doesn’t lead to Dandenong’s CBD.
“I bike to save money if I can – but as it is, it’s not safe to ride to Dandenong. Instead, $10 goes to public transport,” Lim says.
Another safety concern is the bike lane on Corrigan Road, Noble Park – which is what initially got Lim interested in politics.
Lim says cyclists tend to ride on the footpath instead due to cars parking in the lane. There needs to be safer alternatives to attract more riders to get around Greater Dandenong.
“The only bike infrastructure that’s worthwhile is one that you would get your kid to ride on.
“Bike lanes feel like a waste of road space. If you’re a beginner cyclist, with cars parked a couple of centimetres away and you have to swerve into traffic, you’re not going to use it again.”
As for any other election issues, Lim was “not too sure”. But he raised the growing number of townhouses that’s leading to a shortage of street parking.
“I’m into transit-oriented development – higher density near train stations instead of near Princes Highway.
“More people would like to live without a car. I feel it’s very required to have a car to get around but it’s expensive. It’s becoming a bit of a burden especially for young people.”
He says it makes sense for more young people to get involved in politics.
“I think because young people have more future to look towards. Young people should be fighting more to protect that.
“Like anyone else my age, I’m worried about climate, housing, jobs, debt.”
Candidly, he rated himself a “zero to 20 per cent” chance of winning the seat.
So far he knows of three other candidates – who he says are aligned with Labor and have “more impressive resumes than I do.”
If elected, Lim will push for Greater Dandenong Council to partly fund the Noble Park-Dandenong bike link – to prompt the State Government to follow suit.
“It just shows how neglected Greater Dandenong is. You can bike on Djerring from Caulfield to Yarraman but not the extra two kilometres to Dandenong.
“Dandenong is meant to be a major activity centre, but they won’t finance a link that serves locals and visitors.”
The Yarraman Ward by-election on 9 March is being held to fill a councillor vacancy at City of Greater Dandenong. General council elections are set for October.
