Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Matt Hepworth spoke with Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell

Transcript

Matt Hepworth spoke with Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: School is back for term for today and the installation
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: of new electronic speed limit signs at Palmerston College and
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Palmerston Christian School is now complete. To talk more about
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: it is the Mayor of Palmerston, Athena Pasco Bell. Good morning,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Good morning Athena. Can you talk us through these new
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: signs at some of these school zones across Palmerston.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Yes, Palmerstan residents would have noticed these signs going up
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: across other school zones in Palmerston. This was undertaken in
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: conjunction with the Northern Territory government and we've just completed
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: two more which finishes all. There are these speed signs
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: now out the front of every school in Palmerston. If
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: you're approaching the sign at speed, it starts flashing at
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: you and warns you to slow down, and once you
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: reach below forty kilometers an hour, it tells you how
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: fast you're going, so that you are traveling at the
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: right speed through the school zone. Schools return this week,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: so it's a timely remind for everyone to keep a
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: lookout for school zones and look out for children in
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: those areas getting ready to go to school this week.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Now, obviously that speed limit during those areas between
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: seven am and five pm is forty ks. Does that
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: warning change after five pm when the speed limit increases
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: or is it just during school hours?
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: It slashes at school hours. But they are programmed all
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: so we can do basically what we like with them
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: outside of those areas at the outside of those times.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: But for now, they just operate during school hours and
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: slash if you're traveling over forty kilometers an hour during
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  Speaker 2: a school day. They do also log all vehicle speeds
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: at all time, so it does actually collect data for
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: us over the course of the whole day. Anyway, we
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: just don't have them flashing at people outside of those times.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Could that data then be provided to police to say, hey, look,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: we've we've seen a lot of people are speeding at
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: this particular school during this particular time, and then that's
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: something you can work with police on so they can
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: perhaps set up some kind of speed detections and then
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: fines can be issued there if necessary.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Look, they don't take photos, They just tell us how
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: many vehicles may be speeding. There are also trigger points
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: where the council would probably contact the police or look
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: at making changes to the road because a lot of
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: these school zones are on council roads, so it gives
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: us an opportunity as a council to have a look
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: at the road and whether there's any calming device that
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: we could put in. But of course, if it is
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a serious issue of speeding in a particular zone, we
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: can involve police. The best option though is to try
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: and educate drivers to remain within the speed limits at
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: all times.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: And have you had a chance to look at that
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: initial data and has there been any indication that people
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: are slowing down and these signs are a turrent to speeding.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the initial ones that we put out through other
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: areas have shown that people are observant of the sign.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: It's quite easy to forget that you're traveling through a
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: school zone, particularly if you don't travel through there very regularly,
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: and you know, they do look very quiet during the
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: day as well when it isn't that drop off and
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: pick up time. So it does give a very visual
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: reminder to drivers and that has shown that it is
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: keeping people within the speed limits through those school zones.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: And what's the feedback been like from schools who have
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: had those signs installed out in the front of their schools.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: They have been very positive about it. Some schools I
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: think we'll probably ask for some more of them to
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: be put up. We've made sure that we've got those
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: flushings signs at the main entry to all the schools. Now.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Some schools have got a couple of entry points and
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: a couple of school zones around them, so you know,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: we're always willing to take additional feedback from the school
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: but most of the schools have been very positive having
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: this in place, particular along some of the roads which
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: are quite busy during the day, like Emery Avenue in Palmerston,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: which is a significant thoroughfare now to the Bakewall Woolies,
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: which wasn't there previously. It wasn't there in previous years
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: the woolies, but there is now a major attractor there,
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  Speaker 2: so there is a significant amount of traffic now traveling
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: along Emory Avenue.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, a while we've got you on the line, can
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: we talk about the my Palmerston vouchers As understand, I
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: believe Palmeston Council has implemented them. Are they active at
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  Speaker 1: the moment?
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: They are active, so both customers and businesses are still
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: encouraged to register. So if you're a business then you
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: haven't registered, you're still welcome to do so and you'll
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: be able to register throughout the entire promotion. It is
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: also open now for customers to register, and it's very
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: similar to the Mai Darwin app where you get forty
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: dollars worth of discounts each day to spend at a
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: locally owned business in Palmerston. The current round is forty
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: thousand dollars and I think there is just over half
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: way through spending on that and there are another two
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: rounds being offered, another one at the end of October
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: and another one at the end of November leading into Christmas.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: So if you're looking for Christmas presents register. You don't
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: have to be a Parmestan resident to register as a customer,
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  Speaker 2: but you do have to be a Parmestan business, So
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: get out there and start shopping in Parmestan.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: There's reports in the Nten News this morning that Darwin
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Council is also looking at launching another round of the
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: vouchers just before Christmas. It sounds up between you and
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: the Darwin Council you could be in a bit of
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  Speaker 1: a war for Christmas shoppers.
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  Speaker 2: Oh potentially but you know, we all have different businesses
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: in our areas and they offer different things, particularly the
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: locally owned and operated businesses. You know, we've got quite
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: a few good ones in Palmerston, not just for Christmas shopping,
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: but also cafes and restaurants. And you know you've mentioned Darwin,
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: you should also mention Litchfield because they've also got about
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: just beam running as well.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a very good point. I know it was
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: part of that report in the NT News this morning.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: There was talks that if Darwin Council do implement that
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: round about just just before Christmas, that it may come
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: at the cost of free parking over the festive period.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: I know it was Palmerston waived their parking rates during
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: COVID or is that something that's back again. Are you
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: looking at doing it during the festive season? What's the
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: current state of play there.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: We did wave it during COVID and we decided that
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: the parking demand in the city center was not sufficient
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: to reintroduce parking fees. So the City of Palmeston has
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: free parking right now and that will continue for the
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: remainder of this financial year.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's good to hear.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Come into Palmerston. There's free parking and we have the
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: voucher been for you to shop locally as well.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Good stuff. The Mayor of Palmerston Athena Pasco Bell, thank
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: you so much for taking the time to chat to
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: us this morning. Thank you so you know the Mayor
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: of Palmerston there Athena Pasco Bell, with a reminder that
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: all of those Palmerston schools now have those forty kilometers
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: an hour speed zones. Well they're in place at the
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: start of school, but they've also got all those signs
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: up now, so if you're driving through perhaps an unfamiliar
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: area of Palmi and there is a school zone in
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: place there, there will be no excuses for not knowing
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: now because all those signs are in place, and of
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: course that forty and kilometer an hour school zones in
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: place with the start of school today from seven am
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: until five pm.