No plan to fix bay run lights

No plan to fix bay run lights

Poor lighting around the Iron Cove bay run will continue despite a joint “Wayfinding Strategy” being launched by Leichhardt, Canada Bay and Ashfield councils.

The strategy will create new signage along the track and develop a smartphone application to help users with navigation, but improvements to lighting will be relegated to the backburner. A report which came before Leichhardt Council last week speculates about lighting improvements within the Leichhardt-administered section, but designates those as “future considerations” rather than current recommendations.

Users of the bay run have expressed concern that parts of the track are very poorly lit in addition to a signage deficit.

“The lighting is extremely inadequate,” said Ewen Doddrell, who regularly jogs in the area. “The unlit parts definitely feel more dangerous, and a lot of my female friends find it even scarier than I do.”

Mr Doddrell said he worried about being mugged or accidentally running into someone due to the poor lighting.

“For a lot of people who work during the day, running at night is the only time they can realistically get out,” he said.

The section which runs through Callan Park, between Iron Cove Bridge and Glover Street in Lilyfield, is particularly dark in the evening.

“It’s a real deterrent to people making use of the facility,” Mayor Darcy Byrne recognised.

The majority of Callan Park is managed by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SFHA). A Leichhardt Council spokesperson said the Council had asked SHFA to install lighting along the Callan Park section of the track. However, a SHFA spokesperson said no such request could be found.

The bay run is one of the most used recreational facilities in the state. The track is utilised for many community events, including the annual “Bay Run” event which last year attracted three thousand participants. Leichhardt Council says a similar number of people use the track every Saturday.

The report stated that signage templates, shared path markings distance markers and path configuration varied wildly between council jurisdictions, and that this problem could only be solved by consistent construction and maintenance of the track.

The 2013 Bay Run fun run will be held this Sunday, August 4.

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