Our First Topic in Australia

PlaceSpeak is proud to announce our first topic in Australia.

Alum Cliffs Track Dog Walking

Kingborough Council is finalising the procurement of rights of way for the extension of the Alum Cliffs walking track north from the Shot Tower to Wandella Avenue .

This will mark the completion of the track which has been over 20 years in the making, including countless hours of work by Council and many thousands of dollars.

However, on 22 December 2014, eight out of 10 Kingborough Councillors voted to advertise Council’s intention to ban dogs from the new section of the track.

The existing track between the Shot Tower and Kingston Beach is a designated ‘on lead’ area, whereby responsible dog owners are able to utilise the track.  It is extremely popular with dog owners, with anecdotal evidence suggesting around half of the track’s users do so while walking their dog.

Banning dogs would mean that after years of work by Council to secure public access to the northern section of the track, around half its potential users would be prohibited. They would be expected to walk half of the track, then turn around and walk back.

The reasons provided by Council for the banning of dogs on the new section of track are predominantly around concern for native wildlife and a desire to obey for the wishes of nearby property owners.  However, it is unlikely dogs on lead pose any significant threat to wildlife in these areas and irresponsible dog owners not using leads would likely do so irrespective of whether the area prohibited dogs or is designated as ‘on lead’.

So what do you think?

Share your thoughts on the PlaceSpeak topic page.