The Blue Mountains Greens have written to NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, urging him to help fund new and improved footpaths in the Mountains.
In response to a public call-out, local residents made more than 130 suggestions to the party for what streets need new and/or improved footpaths. Common suggestions included: Evans Lookout Road in Blackheath, Cascade Street in Katoomba, Blaxland Road in Wentworth Falls, Railway Parade in Hazelbrook, Hawkesbury Road from Springwood to Winmalee and Hawkesbury Heights, Wilson Way in Blaxland and Mount Street in Glenbrook.
Ward 2 Greens Cr Brent Hoare said: "The Blue Mountains Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan 2025 provides a way forward to meet the community's demands of more and better footpaths by mapping out the priorities for construction. However, council can't fund the delivery of the plan by itself.
"Our community has missed out on multiple funding opportunities under this government in recent years, even when the need for new and improved footpaths is very obvious. It's time Mr Stokes works with us to make our streets safer, and to get people walking instead of driving."
Greens candidate for Ward 1, Sarah Redshaw, said there were many streets in the Mountains without footpaths.
"There are many places where there is nowhere off the road to walk. Tourists walk on the road in some dangerous places such as Cliff Drive in Katoomba, Evans Lookout Road in Blackheath and Sublime Point Road in Leura.
"Local residents told us that people are falling over on uneven paths, children are walking on the road to get to school, and that they are using their car more because it's not safe or easy to walk in our villages. We don't need concrete paths everywhere, just safe and even places to walk."
Fellow candidate (for Ward 3), Kingsley Liu, said: "Better quality, and more, footpaths will have many benefits for our community, including increased safety for pedestrians to travel around their villages, increased accessibility and safety for the many tourists that visit the Blue Mountains and drive our local economy, increased accessibility and safety for visitors to community facilities such as parks, medical services, libraries, and sports and recreation facilities, and help address climate change by reducing the reliance on cars, and providing links to public transport."
Mr Stokes has not yet responded to the Blue Mountains Greens.
