The exciting Her Way 2680 project, an initiative aimed at enhancing the perception of safety for women, girls, and gender diverse people in the CBD of Griffith, is moving into the implementation phase.
Griffith City Council is pleased to be partnering with Transport for NSW on the Safer Cities: Her Way Program, which aims to make public spaces around transport hubs feel safer for everyone, especially women, girls and gender diverse people.
Feedback received from the community through a survey in February and March identified the CBD to Coolah Street precinct as an area that required attention.
A vital aspect of the project involved community engagement through walk-shops and Co-Design sessions. A total of 56 participants joined the four walk-shops, which took place along a predefined route in the CBD to Coolah precinct. The walks were conducted during both daylight and night-time hours to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the precinct at different times of the day.
In addition, 53 participants actively contributed to the four Co-Design sessions. These sessions included creative exercises that resulted in over 600 individual responses. Involvement in the sessions was open to the public, high school girls from Murrumbidgee Regional High School, and stakeholders, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives were considered during the design process.
Griffith Mayor, Councillor Doug Curran, said he was pleased to see the project's progression.
"This project will have such a positive impact on the community because it will significantly improve safety for people in our city," Councillor Curran said.
"I'd like to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by members of the community during the consultation phase. Schools, community groups, and individuals all participated actively, providing invaluable insights that have helped shape the project's scope and direction."
Building upon the information gathered from the community consultation, the Her Way 2680 team has developed a project plan that focuses on trialling the key components identified as unsafe and in need of attention. These include the installation of gender sensitive lighting, installation of way finding signage, upgrades to pedestrian bridges, murals and public art, increasing amenity of bus shelters, new landscaping, street furniture, footpaths and a new gathering space.
The project will now progress to the implementation phase, with the development of a concept plan. Quotes will be sought for the necessary assets and upgrades required to trial the identified upgrades and make public spaces feel safer and more enjoyable for all. The Her Way 2680 team will evaluate the success of the trial interventions once they have been implemented.
The Her Way 2680 project recognises the importance of collaboration and stakeholder engagement. In this regard, Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI) has been identified as a key stakeholder, and Council staff are working closely with MI representatives to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes.
