Canberra cannot build a night-time economy if people do not feel safe after dark |
Canberra has long seen itself as a safe city, but recent reporting on falling safety perceptions shows that confidence is being tested in ways government cannot ignore.
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The Canberra Times article, "Trust in ACT police officers declines amid falling safety perceptions", reported that nearly 45 per cent of Canberrans do not feel safe walking around their neighbourhood at night, 64 per cent do not feel safe using public transport at night, and more than 74 per cent see speeding cars and dangerous driving as a problem in their area.
It also gave voice to residents, retail workers and women who now think twice before going out, closing a shop, walking to a car, or catching public transport after dark.
This cannot be dismissed as perception alone, because when people feel unsafe, they change how they live. They avoid town centres, avoid public transport, leave work differently, tell their children to be careful in places that should feel normal and safe, and slowly withdraw from the public spaces that make a city function.
That is both a public safety problem and an economic problem.
The ACT Legislative Assembly's inquiry into Canberra's night-time economy is examining the future of Canberra after dark, with submissions now closed and the inquiry still ongoing. That inquiry should not be seen only as a discussion about bars, restaurants, music venues or trading hours, because a night-time economy depends on whether people feel safe enough to use the city, work in it, spend money in it, and travel home from it.
Public submissions to the inquiry make this point clearly. ClubsACT argued that Canberra's night-time economy is being held back not only by regulation, but by declining public-realm amenity, including poor lighting, graffiti, rubbish, damaged footpaths, unsafe access routes and inconsistent policing presence. It also argued that policing visibility, active CCTV coverage and coordinated precinct response capability should be recognised as essential infrastructure for a safe and growing night-time economy.
The Canberra Region........