A new community group, Streets People Love – Hobart, looks like it’s here for the long haul after forming to support the Collins Street improvement trial.
The group came about when several people who lived and worked in Hobart got together to brainstorm a campaign that would encourage Hobartians to show their support for the trial.
From that successful campaign, which saw a record turnout of supporters at a public meeting and the failure of Hobart’s business groups to get a petition up for an elector poll, they’ve now set up a committee to work on other campaigns.
The group’s website sets out its goals:
“Our mission is simple: to design streets that prioritise people, safety, and sustainability. We believe Hobart deserves vibrant, welcoming spaces where everyone can connect, move, and thrive.”
Bicycle Network has worked with the group from its early days and our Public Affairs Manager in Tasmania, Alison Hetherington, recently attended the group’s first Annual General Meeting.
“It’s fantastic to see a group like this come together as Bicycle Network for a long time has been a bit of a lone voice in public debates supporting healthy, sustainable transport options,” she said.
“While we focus on getting safer conditions for people riding, Streets People Love has a broader remit that includes walking, public transport and public spaces.
“It looks like we’ll be able to complement and work together to support other important projects.”
The group recently coordinated a ride to the Dark Mofo festival, with riders “blinging” their bikes with fairy lights, reflective tape and costumes. The ride utilised bike lanes and shared paths to get from Molle Street to Dark Park to celebrate the improvements in the active transport network.
Members regularly write blogs for the website: streetspeoplelovehobart.au, have been posting an interesting series of posts on their Facebook (streetspeoplelove) and Instagram pages (streetspeoplelovehobart) and have started making submissions to local and state government consultations.
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