Sunday, May 11, 2008

Safety in Centennial Park

Four our final post we were asked to expand on the topic we had chosen for our earlier post. As my posting was on Centennial Park in general I decided for this post I would focus on the safety of the park.

One potential problem for Centennial Park is that pedestrians or cyclists could be injured by the cars driving around the park. It is in the public interest that pedestrians can feel safe when walking around the park. The speed limit for cars using the park is 30 kilometers per hour. Centennial Park has put in place an interesting initiative to try and get drivers to abide by the 30 kilometer speed limit. Given the prevalence of speed cameras you would think the government would just put lots of speed cameras in and fine everyone speeding. Instead the park has a large screen which records how fast a driver is going and displays it for them on the screen. If they are travelling above the speed limit the words “SLOW DOWN” appear on the screen alongside the speed they are travelling. The idea is that people might not realize they are going too fast and so instead of fining them, this large sign brings it to their attention in the hope they will correct themselves. Perhaps the sign also works because drivers are going to be embarrassed if everyone can see that they are breaking the law and speeding. Mary Wellings, who walks around the park daily said “I usually feel safe walking around the park but the time I feel safest is during the car free day”. Cars are banned from the park on the last Sunday of every season.

The other safety issue for Centennial Park is of course attacks on people in the park. Attacks are not very common but they do happen occasionally. The park has developed a reputation as a no-go area at night. “I would never feel comfortable if I was walking around the park at night” said Jane Smith. The gates of the park lock at a certain time each night to prevent people from entering after dark. “Generally there are so many people in the park in the afternoon that I feel safe because I don’t think anyone would attack me with all these people around” said Sarah Hargreaves.

Overall the atmosphere in Centennial Park is usually one of relaxation and enjoyment. If drivers do the right thing and obey the speed limit, the park is a safe place for everyone to enjoy.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Centennial Park

When thinking of something to take photos of which was a point of interest in Sydney I could not go past the very impressive Centennial Park. Centennial Park is impressive in just its sheer size of 189 hectares but also in the variety of people that use it for their own enjoyment. Any given day at Centennial Park there is a wide variety of different activities going on; from the people going on a simple stroll around the park to the packs of bicycle riders tearing around the park and the people on horseback. Centennial Park has a rich history and it is important the park is kept in good condition for future generations to enjoy.




Here one of the many uses of the park can be seen. This is one of the fields which are hired by local sports teams to train on. This is also the field where many big concerts, such as the recent Jack Johnson one are held.






People walk their dogs all throughout the park. However throughout the park there are strict regulations that dogs be kept on a leash and under control. This area of the park shown above is unique because dogs are allowed off the leash and can run around and interact with other dogs. This area of the park is seen as an important one by the many dog owners who bring their dogs down here every day. Many of them only have small backyards so it is imperative they have somewhere to let their dogs stretch their legs without being on a leash. “My dog is cooped up in my small backyard all day so I really like being able to bring him down here and let him run out all his energy” said Susan Byers. A concern for the park would be that this field would become covered in dog poo however the majority of people do the right thing and bring plastic bags with them when they bring their dogs. If they do not they face fines.









This photo shows an electronic board which tells drivers how fast they are going. If they are going above the speed limit it tells them to “SLOW DOWN”.




There are interesting architectural buildings to see in the park such as this one. The park will be used for massive events such as the upcoming World Youth Festival. Centennial Park has a plethora of uses and is a very important part of Sydney which must be appreciated for its true value. “It’s really nice to come down to the park and unwind after a hard day at the office” said one park user.

http://www.centennialparklands.com.au/
www.discoversydney.com.au/parks/centennial.html