Sydney Light Rail - followup

I got the following response from Sydney Light Rail this morning:

Thank you for your e-mail will have someone look at this station today.

Many thanks,

Andrea
Receptionist

I won't be driving past again for a few days, but we'll see if it's clean next time I do.

Sydney Light Rail

Sydney Light Rail (the company that operates the trams that run from Central to Lilyfield) have a station right on the City West Link - which happens to be a road that I drove down about once a week.  

As I went past yesterday, I noticed that the entranceway to the station had been vandalised.  I've never taken a tram out that way, so I have no idea whether the stations are staffed or not, and therefore whether there would be anyone around to notice the damage.

A quick bit of Googling took me to their website, and the contacts page for their operations people.  I sent them an email telling them the nature of the problem - now I'll see how long it takes them to clean it off.

Canada Bay graffiti management strategy

Canada Bay Council is working on a graffiti management strategy, and it is at the stage where the Council is talking to local businesses about what the strategy involves and what else should be included in it.

I attended a workshop this week, and came away quite impressed.

First the bad news - Council sent invitations out to 1,000 businesses in the area, and 1% showed up.  I don't find that surprising - there are very few real leaders in any population, and I've generally found through experience that you're lucky to find more than 2% in any group of people.

The good news is that a lot of information was exchanged at the meeting, and I'm hoping that the Council reps went away with some more good ideas.  The strategy was certainly viewed as a positive thing, and I was pleased that no one stood up and attacked the Council - things always go downhill when some nutter jumps up and starts abusing the people that are trying to fix the problem.

A disappointing note is that although the Police were invited, and supposedly accepted, no one actually turned up.  

Here's some stats that I found interesting (and I am lifting this straight from the Council handouts):

• 75% of graffiti writers are under 18
• 64% males under 18
• From a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds
• Linked to hip hop culture
• Linked to respect amongst peers, self recognition and credibility
• linked to boredom

Canada Bay is ranked 137th out of 143 NSW Councils (although I thought there were 152 Councils in NSW).

In the 14 months between 1 Jan 2007 and 1 March 2008:

• 732 incidents removed
• 93% were tags
• 86% applied with paint, 13% with marker pens
• 34% in Five Dock, 29% Concord and 11% Drummoyne
• 63% removed from Council property
• 24% removed from private property
• 11% removed from commercial property

These stats generated quite a bit of discussion.  For starters, this only covers graffiti that was reported to Council.  The 11% removed from commercial property probably reflects the presumption that business owners take care of cleaning up their own property most of the time, and rarely bring Council into the matter.  They just clean it up and don't bother reporting it.

A Drummoyne resident disputed the statistic that his suburb rated so low on the list, but it was pointed out that this simply reflected what was reported.  If residents don't report it, it won't show up in the figures.  

I think everyone found that only 732 incidents reported over 14 months was laughably low, but that number simply measures how active people are in reporting graffiti, rather than how active people are in spraying it.  A lot of discussion then took place regarding how to get the message out to residents to report graffiti to Council.  

I made the point that the Police probably won't appreciate that, as it will drive up the reported crime figures, and someone will collect some heat from head office over that.  However, the local Police Command might also take graffiti a bit more seriously if they start getting murdered by the statistics.  Their performance is judged on how well they manage their numbers, and if the stats get worse, they'll be out of a job.  Police managers, like many managers, will only focus on what they can measure, and they take their cue from the numbers.  If the numbers are bad, they'll get attention.  If you know how the bureaucracy is motivated, you can use it to your advantage.

One suggestion was that the Council has to make it easier for people to report graffiti.  The Canada Bay website has an online form for just about everything - except graffiti.  A form is required, and it has to accept the uploading of photos.  Many people have a camera phone these days, and even more have a digital camera.  Taking a photo has never been easier - we just have to start making use of the technology.

Council is adopting a CPTED strategy, which stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.  I take it that this means that you design your buildings or infrastructure to make them difficult to vandalise.  A case in point is that the RTA has planted creepers on the rear side of the noise barriers along the City West Link.  Graffiti is only found in the spaces where the creeper is not growing.  

So, how do we get the message out to local residents and businesses?

Well, if you live or own a business in the Canada Bay area, my suggestion is that you attend the next information session that the Council holds.  

Alternatively, you can contact the Economic Development staff at Canada Bay Council.

NAB - followup

I went past the NAB branch in Five Dock during the week and noticed that the graffiti next to the entrance has been painted over.

Nothing has been done about the graffiti down the side though.  I was hoping that the person called out to do the painting would have had the common sense to clean up the side of the bank, but that was not to be.

Bunnings - followup

I had some followup from the Police this week in regard to Bunnings.  The store was visited, and it turns out that Bunnings are complying with the law - the Summary Offenses Act was amended to allow storage of spray paint at a height greater than 2.1 metres.  The legal database that I consulted is clearly out of date.

Council maintenance

Canada Bay Council eventually repaired the broken gate at the Five Dock park playground.  I'm not sure when this was properly fixed, but it's done, and that's all I'm worried about.

I am not sure what caused this gate to be properly repaired.  Either the crew that did the job originally just patched it up and then went away to look for the right parts, or it was me nagging one of the Councillors to get it done right.  I'd like to think that it was the Council maintenance crew doing the right thing.

RailCorp inches toward action

A follow up letter arrived from RailCorp this week.  It is a month since I first wrote to them, and my letter has been passed to the group tasked with cleaning up the defaced bridge.

Let's see how long it takes someone to be despatched to the bridge in question with a brush and a tin of paint.

Telstra - continued

After waiting 3 weeks for a response from Telstra, I followed up today by calling their general switchboard on 1300 388 387 and after a few queries (and a short wait) I was put through to their Property Management Group. I turns out that their property is managed by Transfield, so I ended up talking to a Transfield operator. I got a reference number (41528299) which is the most important thing.

I didn't get a direct number for Transfield though - if I have to call them again, I'll go through the switchboard and ask for their direct line.

The graffiti is not offensive, so we'll see how long it takes them to clean it up. They've got my phone number, so I'm also interested to see if they call back when its cleaned up.

NAB gets hit again

Just to the right of the door in the photo below, you can see a scrawled tag.  This has appeared in the last few days.  I'm not going to assume that any of the bank staff will notice it and report it - I'm going to phone NAB again on 13 22 65 and get it cleaned off.

I figure that if I keep at it, the bank manager will start to do a daily inspection of the outside of the premises, and take care of any graffiti that appears.

Bunnings

I was in my local Bunnings Warehouse in Ashfield this morning and noticed that although they have a locked cage for storing spray paint (as per the regulations), they are storing excess stock on top of the cage where it is easily accessible to anyone walking past.

The excess stock included glossy spray paint and line marking paint.

There are quite a few boxes of paint up there.

Since this appears to contravene the Summary Offences Act 1988 Section 10D, I rang the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 and reported it.  The response that I got was that the next available car will visit the store and have a look.  Events like this don't get a COPS Event Number as it is not malicious damage or something like that.  Although I presume some sort of event number will be recorded if they prosecute the store.

The Summary Offences Act says that:

(2) A spray paint can is properly secured if it is displayed:

(a) in a locked cabinet, or

(b) within or behind a counter in such a manner that members of the public are not able to gain access to the can without the assistance of the occupier or an employee or agent of the occupier, or

(c) in any other manner prescribed by the regulations.

The RTA half cleans the City West Link

I was driving around the City West Link not long ago and spotted a crew cleaning away graffiti from the sound barriers.  Then this letter arrived.

The CEO is half right.  His cleanup crew has indeed removed all the graffiti that you can see when you drive around the City West Link.  However, as this photo shows, they didn't remove the graffiti on the rear side of the sound barriers - and I asked for that to be done in my original letter.

Back to the keyboard.  Another letter coming right up.3

------------------------

Mr Les Wielinga

Chief Executive

Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW

P.O. Box K198, Haymarket 1240

13 June 2008

Dr Mr Wielinga

Cleanup of graffiti along the City West Link

I refer to your letter CE08/769.

I happened to be driving along the City West Link on 29 May and spotted the cleaning crew in action.  From the road side, the noise barriers are now quite respectable in appearance.

However, please note that in my original letter, I pointed out that graffiti was to be found on both sides of the noise barrier – that facing the road, and that facing the houses behind the barriers.  The photo below was taken at the corner of Lilyfield Rd and Balmain Rd, and shows the reverse side of a noise barrier that has been extensively defaced.  

(photo) 

The bridge over the railway line at this point has also been heavily defaced, and the graffiti is clearly visible when driving into the city.  Given that the City West Link is one of the key gateways into the city, graffiti along it presents a poor impression of Sydney to residents and visitors.

 

I included this photograph in my previous letter.  It shows the reverse side of the noise barrier along the City West Link.  I returned to this spot on 12 June and found that the barrier was still in this state.  This is just a small sample of the graffiti along this barrier.

(photo)  

Please get your crew to revisit the City West Link.  They have done a great job on one side of the barrier – it would be great if they could do the same to the other.

Yours sincerely

NOTSEP

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Update

I noticed this morning that I completely goofed when I asked the RTA to clean a bridge over the railway next to the City West Link.  I had placed a defaced noise barrier and a railway overbridge at the same spot, when they are at two different intersections.  The bridge below is at the Catherine St intersection.  Regardless of the location, it still needs cleaning up.

Australia Post - followup

I got a letter from Australia Post back on 23 May letting me know that my letter about this defaced letterbox was in their system, and something would be done about it.

It's now 13 June, and this photo was taken this morning.  Three weeks, and still no action.  How hard is it to send someone around with a rag and a bottle of turps?

What do you do about a site like this?

I am pretty sure this building is near the old Arnott's factory on Burwood Road in Cabarita - although I might be wrong.  What I do know is that the residents of a new development have to look at this eyesore everytime they drive out of the gates of their expensive new apartment complex.  A coat of paint would not go astray.  

The Red Box

This one might be interesting.  The Red Box is a theatre of some sort in Lilyfield.  I go past it on a regular basis, and have long noticed that the graffiti on every external door never seems to be cleaned up.

Even the sign at the front has been defaced.

The challenge with this place is finding who to contact in order to get it cleaned up.  I googled the company name, and quickly found a promising looking site with some contacts.  However, I am not sure that the buildings in the photos above actually below to this theatre company.  It's a reasonably large industrial-type site, and it may well be that the defaced buildings belong to some state government department that is overseeing their redevelopment, or a developer that is just sitting on them.

But there is no point in speculating.  I'm going to write to Vyvian Wilson, who is listed as the General Manager of the Legs on the Wall theatre company occupying the site and see what happens.  At worst, I'll be told that it is not their problem.  Fifty cents and 10 minutes of my time down the drain, but on the other hand, they might give me the contact details of someone who can fix it.

I'm not holding out a lot of hope.  In order to get to the Legs on the Wall theatre, you have to drive past all that graffiti.  They haven't lifted a finger to get it fixed to date, which means it is probably somebody else's problem to them.

Adopt a substation

In the spirit of not allowing things to become somebody else's problem, I am recruiting two friends to adopt their local substation, shown below.  All that they need to do is have a look at it every time they drive past, and to call Energy Australia on 13 15 35 if they see graffiti.

Simple.  

There are a few dozen substations across the Canada Bay area.  All that I need to do now is get a substation adoption program going.  I'm going to print out a flyer and stick it in the letterboxes of the houses that are closest to each substation, asking them to adopt their substation and simply call 13 15 35 if it needs to be repainted.  

It will be interesting to see what the uptake is like.

Getting abandoned cars removed

A car cannot be treated as abandoned and towed by Council if it is still registered.  Council also can't tow it away until the Police have visited the car, checked the rego and removed the license plates.

The registration sticker on this car is from 2005, and it has not moved for at least 6 months.  I have reported it to Council twice, but it still hasn't moved.  That could be because the car is in fact still registered, but the owner has not attached the proper registration sticker (something that can earn you a $71 fine), or the Police have not gotten around to visiting it for any number of reasons.

I have discovered that the process goes something like this:

- You, the citizen, report the car to Council, stating its location (down to street number), colour, make and model and registration number.

- That information is printed out and given to a Council ranger, who visits the car to confirm the details.  On three occasions in the last 12 months, a ranger has called me to verify details of abandoned cars because not all the information that I provided was passed on.  For some reason, they always seem to check on abandoned cars on a Saturday, when the Council offices are closed and there is no one there to look up the details that they require.

- The ranger then fills out a form, which is sent to the local Police station.  The Police then check the registration and visit the car and remove the number plates if it has expired.  On one occasion, I was visiting my local Police station and noticed a stack of these forms hiding behind the computer monitor on the front desk.  I asked the Constable on duty if he was going to process those forms when things were quiet, and his answer was, "What forms?"  It's just so easy for paperwork to slip between the cracks.  Unless your Council has a really solid records management system that flags things for follow up, the forms could be lost and nothing ever done about the abandoned car.  

- The Police notify the Council, the ranger revisits the car and attaches a sticker saying it will be towed in 14 days.

- At some point in the next 3 months or so, the car is towed (I have seen cars sitting on the side of the road for a lot longer than 14 days with the tow-away sticker attached).

When I find an abandoned car, I take a close up photo of the car to get the number plate correct and I take another photo showing where it is on the street (and I try and include a street sign or house number).  That makes it easier for the rangers to find it.

I also take a close up photo of the registration sticker, showing the date the registration expired.  You have a pretty clear cut case if you can tell Council that the registration expired on 7 May 2005, and have a photo to prove it.

I generally report abandoned cars in the Canada Bay area via the Council web site, but I am going to report this one for the third time via a letter with photos included.  I've reported quite a few cars via the web site without a problem, but this one just won't go away - hence the escalation to a letter.

Not all Councils are that up to date with their IT systems.  Most Councils appear to have a general email box for this sort of thing, but you can never be sure that it is being monitored by someone, or that your email hasn't been lost in a flood of spam.  If you're unsure, spend fifty cents on a letter.  I've used that approach on Leichhardt Council twice, and both cars have been towed away quickly.

--------------------------

General Manager

Leichhardt Municipal Council
P.O Box 45
Leichhardt NSW 2040

14 February 2008 

Dear Sir

 Abandoned vehicle – McCleer St, Rozelle

 I am writing to report an abandoned vehicle that is parked near the corner of McCleer and Springside Streets, Rozelle. 

The registration is NZQ 658. 

The vehicle is a light brown Commodore station wagon. 

According to the registration sticker, the registration expired on 12 May 2007. 

The vehicle has been sitting in McCleer St for at least 3 months.

 Yours sincerely

Not somebody else's problem

Dealing with councils - part III

Our Council is generally on the ball when it comes to dealing with graffiti, but they clearly have some way to go.  From my recent correspondence with them, I have learned that Council staff are encouraged to report graffiti etc, so that it can be cleaned up.

That's a great idea, and I fully support it - but in reality, most Council staff must be walking around with a guide dog.  This photo is of an Energy Australia substation.  That building in the background is the Canada Bay Council chambers.

Here's a side on view of the substation - the graffiti is not that bad, so maybe no one has thought that it is in such a state that it needs reporting yet.

Here's a clearer view of the Council chambers.  You can see the graffiti on the substation from the front steps of the chambers - I've checked.

This is the view of the substation from the Council Chambers side (taken from my car as I was waiting at the lights).

Across the road to the east there is a private property with graffiti along most of the fence facing the Council chambers.  This has been there for some time.

Less than 50 metres away is an RTA control box, covered in graffiti.  That brick building in the background is part of the Council building complex.

About 150 metres up the road is this Telstra exchange, which has been lightly defaced.  It's been much worse than this in the past, but it could still do with a cleanup.

This just goes to show that there is no point in waiting around for "the government" to realise that there is a problem.  You - the citizen - has to tell them about it.  Don't treat it as somebody else's problem.

RailCorp bridge followup

Just checking - went past this rail bridge again today, and unfortunately no action has been taken yet.  I'll take a look at it every week or so until it's cleaned up, and then keep an eye on it to see if it needs another cleanup or repaint.

Burnt out car

This photo was taken in a Leichhardt park back in April.  By the time I took this photo, I reckon it had been sitting there for a week.

When I see things like this, I usually take a photo of a nearby street sign or other location indicator so that I can accurately reports its position.  In this case, it was in the car park of King George Park.

My email to Leichhardt Council:

There is a burnt out car in the car park of King George Park, of
Manning St, Rozelle. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but can
you please arrange to have it removed.

-----------

Council response:

Thank you for your email received 30/04/08.  Another resident had already informed us of this car.  Because the car is burnt out it is the matter for Police and possible Insurance Company.

---------------------------------

I could have left it at that, but I didn't.  The response said that it was a matter for the Police, but no mention was made of whether anyone at Council had bothered to contact the Police.

So I looked at the Police website, found the number for the Police Assistance Line (131 444) and rang them.  They gave me an event number - 33042730 - and I left it for a few weeks to see if anything happened.  When I rang the PAL, I specifically told them that Council would not do anything about it until the Police had cleared them to remove it, and I wanted to be sure that the two organisations were talking to each other.  All too often, the paperwork slips between the cracks of the bureaucracy.

I rang the PAL again today and found that the local Police had in fact removed the number plates and told Council that the car could go.  I just happened to be in the area this afternoon, and when I went past the car park, the car had in fact gone.

It may well have been removed without me doing anything at all, but I work on the principal of assuming nothing - I assume that no one else is going to lift a finger until proven otherwise.  As an old boss used to tell me, "Assume makes an ass out of u and me".

Graffiti management plan consultation

This was forwarded to me recently by two loyal readers of NOTSEP.  I've put my hand up to go along.

RTA and the City West Link

Back in April, I noticed that both sides of the noise barriers along the City West Link were being defaced.  So I wrote to the CEO of the RTA (again).

--------------------

Mr Les Wielinga

Chief Executive

Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW
P.O. Box K198, Haymarket 1240

23 April 2008 

Dr Mr Wielinga

 Cleanup of graffiti along the City West Link

 This photo shows a section of the noise barrier that runs along the City West Link.  It has been vandalised on both sides at numerous locations – ie, the side facing the road and the side facing the residents.  This was taken in Wragge St, Lilyfield.

The pedestrian overbridge that crosses the City West Link has also been vandalised with graffiti.  I suggest you get a crew out to check for graffiti from the intersection of Balmain Road around to Boomerang St – on both sides of the noise barrier and on all surrounding infrastructure.

 Yours sincerely

NOTSEP

--------------------------------------

A response came back within 2 weeks, and then not long ago, I was driving along the City West Link and noticed a crew painting over graffiti.  I haven't had a followup letter from the RTA yet, and I don't care whether I get one or not - the important thing is that action has been taken.

Australia Post - followup

I got a response to my letter about a defaced letterbox - turnaround time was a bit under two weeks.  I haven't been back to check on the status of this letterbox, but I'll be going past it in the next week and will have a look when I do so.

Check out the language though - "the complaint has been extended to the respective delivery facility".

"Extended"?  How about saying, "I rang the manager who is reponsible for cleaning this up"?

"The delivery facility will take the necessary action to rectify the situation".

How about, "We're sending someone out there with a tin of red paint".

Abuse of the English language is almost as bad as abuse of public assets.

RailCorp followup

When it comes to acknowledging mail, RailCorp are on the ball.  Within 3 days of posting my letter, a response came back - the fastest turnaround of any company that I have dealt with to date.

They haven't given me an answer, but they have committed to providing one within 15 working days.  This is as it should be - I don't expect an organisation of that size to fix the problem overnight, but they acknowledged my letter as quickly as you can (their response probably went out the same day they received my letter) and have stated the time by which they will have an answer.

Now all they need to do is actually clean up the graffiti on their infrastructure, and I'll be happy.

Dealing with councils - part II

Back in mid-May, I decided to write to the General Manager of Canada Bay Council with the aim of getting him to encourage his staff to take a more pro-active approach to dealing with graffiti and other infrastructure problems within our local government area.  I wrote this letter because I sometimes think that many council staff must be roaming around the suburbs with their eyes wide shut.  

---------------------------------------

13 May 2008

 Mr Gary Sawyer

The General Manager
City of Canada Bay
Locked Bag 1470
Drummoyne  2047 

 

Dear Mr Sawyer

 Detection and reporting of graffiti etc in the Canada Bay area

 Over the last few years, I have reported a number of issues to Council staff – I am probably all over your records management system like a rash.  

On the whole, the response by Council staff has been excellent.  Your staff have been responsive, and most of the problems have been fixed reasonably quickly.  I am quite satisfied in general with how the Council deals with issues once it knows about them.

 However, I do have one question for you.  According to the latest Council Annual Report, you currently have 294 full time equivalent staff working for you.  I presume that these people work and shop within the Canada Bay area, and they obviously travel through it to get to Council depots and offices, or to locations for Council inspections and meetings.  In short, your staff should be criss-crossing the Council area on a daily basis, with some areas receiving multiple visits by staff either on your time or theirs. 

If we accept that’s the case, why is it that I find myself reporting so many abandoned cars, vandalised playgrounds, instances of graffiti and so on?  Do you think that your staff are pulling their weight when it comes to reporting pot holes, graffiti, vandalism and so on?  

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I’ve found from experience that the people within an organisation are the least likely to report problems that affect that organisation.  They have their job to do, and as an example, they may view vandalism of a Council park that they are picnicking in on a weekend as “somebody else’s problem”.  

If you want to see what I am talking about, pay a visit to the library at Five Dock.  Don’t drive into the underground car park – park on the street and walk around the building.  Take a good look at the graffiti in Fred Kelly place, the vandalised bus stops on Great North Road, the vandalised street signs and RTA signal boxes, the vandalised shop signage in the laneway leading to Supa Barn and the graffiti on the outside of the library.  

The library is presumably run by Council staff, and I guess that they would have to venture outside from time to time to eat, bank, shop etc etc.  Yet have they ever noticed the vandalism around them, let alone reported it?

 I’d appreciate it if you could encourage your staff to look at our suburbs with a fresh set of eyes; to start noticing these sorts of things, and most importantly, reporting them.  

And not just problems with Council assets – if they notice RTA property has been damaged, they should report it to the RTA.  If Energy Australia substations have been vandalised, they should report that to Energy Australia.  If Telstra phone boxes or exchanges have been hit, they should report that to Telstra.  

---------------------------------------------------

Here is the response that I got:

Now I don't wish to sound narky here, but I just drove past the Council Chambers and dead across the road from their front door is a vandalised electricity substation - one of the substations that Energy Australia has kindly repainted in the last 3 months.  Just around the corner is a vandalised Telstra exchange building.  Across the road diagonally from the Chambers are several private properties that have vandalised fences facing the street, and the Council Chambers.

If Council staff aren't noticing that and doing something about it, then all the systems in the world won't do you much good.  I will be following up on this letter later this week.

----------------

PS - one thing to note is that a day or two after I sent this letter, all the graffiti around the Council library in Five Dock was painted over.  Even if Council staff are not actively running around reporting problems, they are fixing them quickly once they are told about them.  As I like to say, "Report it and it will be fixed".