New Design Guidelines Aim

The Sunday Age

Sunday July 10, 2005

MOIRA O'BRIEN-MALONE, PROPERTY EDITOR

URBAN designers and councils are being asked to use new guidelines to create safer neighbourhoods and cut crime.

All Victorian planning schemes will have to be amended to include the State Government's Safer Design Guidelines for Victoria, which are likely to come into effect from next month.

They will have to be considered in the design of all new buildings and public places.

Planning Minister Rob Hulls said the guidelines were a "commonsense approach that would help promote personal safety and reduce people's fear of crime".

"Good design principles make it possible to design out crime and build in safety," Mr Hulls said.

"While many of us enjoy access to bicycle and pedestrian routes, for example, the guidelines state that they should be designed so that they are well defined, easily accessible, have clear sightlines and avoid blind corners."

The Government says the guidelines have been developed to:

? Increase use of public places, during the day and in the evenings.

? Integrate and connect streets and public places.

? Reduce opportunities for crime and antisocial behaviour.

? Improve the quality of life of residents by improving their perceptions of public places.

? Create more liveable and sustainable environments.

"Our challenge is to provide a safer state for all Victorians and visitors - we can achieve this through minimising the opportunity for crime and creating safer, accessible and liveable places that encourage community participation," the Government says.

It hopes to create "walkable neighbourhoods", to increase visibility in and of public space, and promote better lighting around transport, ATMs and car parks. It also wants to encourage a range of dwelling styles for young families and the elderly to increase the likelihood of people being home to be "eyes on the street" during the day.

In subdivisions, blocks that back on to arterial roads are to be discouraged, as are long blank walls likely to attract graffiti.

Curved cul-de-sacs, because they are said to be isolating and reduce safety, and front doors that do not look on to streets, are also discouraged. Not recommended are pedestrian underpasses, gated communities, high solid fences and road intersections with wide corners (tighter corners are encouraged to slow traffic).

The Government also says safety fears deter people from using public transport.

"Crime and fear of crime is known to reduce public transport use," it says in the guidelines.

"Transit stops should be well-maintained, well lit at night and provide good shelter and seating. They should also be clearly visible from the street, have a high proportion of glazed walls, offer legible passenger information, provide public telephones, rubbish bins and toilets within close proximity to the public transport stop."

While the Municipal Association of Victoria did not comment on the guidelines on Friday, Daniel Bowen, president of the Public Transport Users Association, welcomed them. He said if the recommendations were followed they would "go some way towards alleviating people's fears".

He said accurate timetable information, particularly on bus networks, was lacking.

"We would also like to see more staff at railway stations," he said.

"This also contributes to people's fears when they get to a darkened railway platform that might be isolated from activity on the street."