Melbourne council votes to fence dogs from park wildlife, sparking pedestrian safety concerns

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Residents in Melbourne’s north are concerned a plan to fence off part of a popular section of bushland to exclude dogs will create safety issues for pedestrians. Merri-bek council says the fence will protect the creek for native animals including swamp wallabies. But, as Margaret Paul reports, there's concern the fence will corral dog walkers, cyclists and pedestrians onto one narrow path.

Transcript

00:00It's a dog's life on the Merry Creek.

00:04It's so nice, because the dogs love it and it's beautiful,

00:08but it's so nice to know when you're walking here that you'll always run across someone, walk with other people and meet them.

00:12But that's about to change. Marybeck Council will fence

00:16dogs out of this park to keep them away from the creek.

00:20The intention has always been that the Merry Creek will be a haven for

00:24people and wildlife, and we need to be able to get the balance right there.

00:28The idea is to protect the creek for swamp wallaby.

00:32And they are threatened and chased and killed by dogs.

00:36The fence will start back there and run all the way along this side of the path, creating about

00:4017,000 square metres of no dog habitat on that side

00:44of the fence. But some people are worried that will push

00:48everyone onto the one path. It is a safety concern if you're fencing off

00:52a whole area and there's no way for, you know, women,

00:56young kids or dogs to get out of the way of someone

01:00coming the other way or coming up behind them.

01:02Women's safety is of particular

01:04concern here. In 2019,

01:06a man raped and

01:08nearly drowned a woman just up the creek.

01:10The area became a

01:12flashpoint for women's safety

01:14in public spaces.

01:16There have been times where I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

01:18The council has widened the path, cut back vegetation

01:22to increase visibility, and says

01:24it'll listen to feedback about the fence.

01:26Everyone loves their furry friend,

01:28so we've just got to make sure that these spaces

01:30cater for all different user groups.

01:32It's a balancing act.

01:34It's a balancing act.

01:38The final theme in the heart

01:40was not the same way tolers of common

01:48for the stones.

01:50But I really experienced the size

01:52as it were wavetes of summer

01:54and it's a balancing act.

01:56First up to a whole

01:57Cr Jasper to affect the sun

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