For some reason the Alice Springs Town Council has decided to continue to ban skaters in the northern end of what was Todd Mall - despite putting in some very flash and expensive skatable furniture.
Last week it was reported our mayor told his colleagues that it was all ok to skate in this area now it was no longer a Mall. But last night the councillors were told that no, by-laws absolutely forbid the fearsome sk8ers from putting their wheels to the ground anywhere in the CBD.
Foot traffic is pretty sparse up this end of the ex- Mall - hence the millions of dollars that was spent digging it up and making it car friendly, but not skate friendly. Councillors refused to look at amending by-laws to allow sk8ers to use the furniture I assume was put there largely for their use, and of course to give people somewhere to chill while they wait for the bottle-o to open.
There was a very positive reaction on social media when it was reported that the ex-Mall (what do we call this place now?) was open for sk8 business. Our youngest councillor Chansey Paech was commended for working to ensure sk8ers and the general public could happily co-exist.
Paech says he's very disappointed but happily he isn't giving up the fight. He's started a poll on social media to gauge reaction and hopefully get his fellow councillors to realise that sk8ers aren't out to mow them down and most pursue their activity responsibly.
Wouldn't it be great to see young people pursuing an active outdoor activity in a part of our CBD that really only attracts a crowd when the takeaways open?
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