Byron Shire Council has secured a $1 million Safer Cities: Her Way 2 grant from Transport for NSW to deliver safer, more welcoming and activated walking routes - connecting the Byron Bay Bus Interchange with the CBD, Apex Park, and the foreshore over the next two years.
The Safer Cities: Her Way 2 program supports local councils to improve perceptions of safety in public spaces and transport precincts, with a focus on women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
Mayor Sarah Ndiaye said the funding was a welcome opportunity that would enable Council to address current challenges and help make improvements to how people experience and move through some of Byron Bay's busiest public spaces.
"We are incredibly grateful to receive this funding because we know there are areas in central Byron Bay where people do not always feel safe, particularly at night," the Mayor said.
"Incidents of antisocial behaviour and violence can have devastating impacts on those involved, as well as the broader community's sense of safety and wellbeing. Even when these types of incidences don't occur, things like poorly lit thoroughfares, low visibility in car parks and parkland areas and a lack of people around can also affect how safe and welcome people feel," she said.
"We want our town to feel inviting."
"I think the Safer Cities: Her Way 2 program is brilliant because it recognises how your sense of safety can affect how you access public spaces. A central part of this project involves us consulting women, girls and gender diverse people and listening to their experiences of moving through central Byron Bay. Their experiences will guide the outcomes of the project."
Minister for Transport John Graham said this was the second round of the first-of-its-kind Safer Cities: Her Way program.
"This new funding builds on the success of the Safer Cities program, which has already engaged with around 30,000 people to shape projects across more than 80 communities across the state.
"Whether walking, riding, or using public transport, everyone has the right to travel safely and feel safe in public spaces, both day and night.
"It's important we continue to invest in programs like this to help deliver local upgrades that make a big difference in building safer, vibrant, thriving communities for everyone."
Before any upgrades are designed, Council will undertake a thorough consultation process to better understand the experiences of women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Byron Bay and what would help them feel safer and more welcome in our public spaces.
The consultation will include a series of facilitated walking workshops or 'walkshops,' where participants will walk along key routes and identify, in real time, the factors that influence their feelings of safety and access.
Following the walkshops, a co-design workshop will be facilitated to involve women, girls and gender-diverse community members in developing the solutions to the issues identified.
Participation in the walk-shops and co-design workshop will be a paid opportunity.
There will also be other opportunities for the wider community to have input into the project through face-to-face and online engagement throughout August and September.
