Last week for feedback on Inkerman Street Bike Lane Proposal
Clearly the persons formulating the City of Port Phillip 'Have Your Say' survey on the Inkerman Street Improvement Project, have never heard of social desirability bias. This bias is one of the most common in surveys and reflects respondents' desire to answer a question in a way they believe is morally or socially preferable.
Council have presented the community with this survey, telling them Option A will have the safest outcome for all road users (which is highly questionable if north side residents are forced to run the gauntlet over busy Inkerman Street after all their parking has been removed) and Option B will have the second safest outcome. For this reason alone, most respondents will automatically vote for Option A without stopping to consider any additional real-world impacts (particularly negative) that Option A might have.
The survey is socially engineered in favour of Option A and is inherently biased towards this option.
The Bicycle Users Group of Port Phillip (BUG) and other Victorian cycling lobby groups have large membership numbers, are mobilised and extremely vocal (understandably) about improving bike safety; as is their right. These organisations have regular meetings, newsletters, Facebook sites and networks the small traders and residents on our street can never hope to match in size or reach. We have been made aware of calls to vote for Option A being published to members of these clubs, however they are not the ratepayers, residents and small businesses on and around our street, who stand to lose the most if Option A gets up. There is no mention anywhere, within their ‘Vote A’ campaigns, of any potential negative impacts to any entity whatsoever.
This is just another example of the clear bias in Council's survey, i.e. sampling bias, in which samples are collected in such a way that some members of the intended population have a lower or higher sampling probability than others. This bias is another of the four most common in surveys. Two out of four for the City of Port Phillip - how was this even allowed to happen?
And let’s also consider for a moment, the fact Council have turned this alleged ‘consultation process’ into a Vote. This is NOT consultation. They have forced people to vote for one of two options – A or B (after effectively encouraging them to vote for A).
After complaints from community members who did not like, or want, to vote for either option, they changed the process so people could skip this question and move ahead to the free text box, where they could provide feedback. HOWEVER… nowhere was this change advertised on the Option A or Option B question page; i.e. ‘You may skip this question’ or ‘You do not have to vote for either option if you don’t want either’ etc.
Now (allegedly) any recently allowed votes for ‘neither option’ will be counted separately by Council; handing them the perfect excuse to split the vote.
With only one week to go in the ‘consultation process’, we’ve had the Bicycle Users Group (BUG) of Port Phillip spruiking the merits of Option A and currying favour with Councillors for all they’re worth. We’ve seen community cycling events (bike ride down Inkerman anyone?), photo opportunities with Councillors and pollies, including Sam Hibbins, pushing the agenda hard. Make no mistake this is political, and the dice aren't loaded in favour of the residents, ratepayers and small traders on Inkerman Street.
Some in our collective have, predictably, been publicly trolled and accused of being bike haters (or worse) by members of this group. One in particular, openly ridiculed Inkerman Street as “hardly a thriving commercial centre in any case”, which I found deeply offensive. There are almost 50 small traders in the tiny 1.2km stretch of road subjected to Council’s current scrutiny; perhaps this person would rather see our street full of McDonalds or 7-Elevens? We pride ourselves on our shop-small, shop local ethos and rely heavily on our drive-up trade, and access for our regular deliveries and pick-ups.
The same troll states ‘parked cars do not generate business, despite what they believe’. Clearly he has never visited Bunnings, Coles or Costco! Our clients being able to park near our businesses, are what brings their business to us. Take that, and you take our livelihood.
PLEASE VOTE FOR OPTION B which will deliver the safe bike lanes and upgraded pedestrian options needed, as well as saving access and amenity for the disabled, mobility impaired and elderly members of our community, along with residents, ratepayers and small traders on and around Inkerman Street.
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say NO to Option A
The Save Inkerman Street Collective are a group of residents, ratepayers and small traders who live on and around Inkerman Street. We do not want to see Option A supported or implemented by Council.
The loss of over 50% of parking (116 car parks in total) from the entire north side of Inkerman Street in the stretch between Hotham Street and St Kilda Road, is a wholly untenable proposition; particularly for north side medical practices (Melbourne Hydrotherapy as just one example) who care for clients with disabilities and catastrophic injuries. Revoking convenient access for these clients and forcing them to navigate two lanes of non-stop traffic plus a bike lane to access these businesses (with no pedestrian crossings nearby) is clearly in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. We're confident the Human Rights Commission will concur. But it's not only the 20% of our population with a disability this will impact negatively.
It's the large families on the north side with no off-street parking, who will now be forced to run the gauntlet back over the same busy street. The small businesses who rely on drive-up / drop-in trade - the milk bar, drycleaner, coffee shops, kosher butcher, barber and bottle shop. The creative arts and design precinct with their regular deliveries of heavy equipment. Our star performers who play and teach music to scores of children, interior designers and fashion designers. The losses experienced by traders in Acland Street, Fitzroy Street and Malop Street (in Geelong) should serve as a stark warning to us all.
We are NOT anti bike lane or pro car. We are NOT politically affiliated or funded. We simply want a solution that is equitable to everyone and least detrimental to everyone. That is not an unreasonable thing to want. We're a disparate group of people from all walks of life who've been forced together by a Council who has pitted members of the Port Phillip community against each other in a voting competition badged as 'consultation'.
Please sign our petition and say NO to Option A (see link below). You MUST print your
full name and
full address on the form, and both must be legible. Photocopied or scanned pages will not be accepted by Council - originals must be returned to me. Please email me at
jaz_bradley@hotmail.com And join our Save Inkerman Street Collective! From little things, big things grow.
>> Download Petition - Inkerman Street Improvement
Project.pdf
Jaz Bradley
