Council elections are happening across Tasmania this October, with councils likely to have fewer councillors if state electoral reforms make it through the upper house in time.
For larger councils like Hobart, Launceston, Clarence, Glenorchy and Kingborough, which are shaping our active transport options, it will mean a drop to 9 councillors.
Other influential councils like Devonport, Burnie, Central Coast and West Tamar will drop to 7 councillors.
Fewer councillors means it’s even more important to elect people who see the benefits of riding for transport, health, recreation and traffic congestion. Voting for people whose views you don’t know could mean the difference between a bike lane project getting up or not.
We are already seeing anti-bike lane rhetoric being used by potential candidates and lobby groups to try and drum up attention for themselves on social and mainstream media.
At times like these it’s important we help communities make informed choices at elections so we get positive action from councils to improve rider safety and amenity.
We will ask contactable candidates where they stand on safe cycling infrastructure and publish their responses so you can see who understands the challenges we face before you cast your vote.
Help us with advocacy like this before the end of the financial year by making a tax-deductible donation to Bicycle Network: https://bicycle-network.raiselysite.com/
Not everyone pays attention to council decisions throughout the year so it can be confusing when it comes time to vote to know who you are voting for. Candidate statements in the electoral commission voting packages are brief and don’t always cover the issues bike riders are interested in.
We want to help you vote for someone who will advance bike riding in Tasmania, not send it backwards.
EOFY donations are used to help fund staff positions in our advocacy and community engagement teams and invest in online and printed materials to get the word out.
Make your donation to help us help you, all donations above $2 are tax deductible: https://bicycle-network.raiselysite.com/
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