www.cynicismcentral.org

And so we have it,-the all important "its going to happen" before the "public consultation" in relation to the Flinders Mall.
Might I remind Townsville that the Flinders "Pedestrian Mall" is a public gathering area , public space, and not a private commercial concern.

And if you have followed the recent history of development in the inner city public spaces, you will note a pattern or subtle strategy that is involved before handing these public areas to commercial interests.

First you have to talk down the state of these areas and find a bogeyman. Then you use the commercial interest to turn a public gathering point into a private dispersal point.

Putting traffic through the mall fundamentally changes the nature of what it is supposed to be and by default -who it belongs to.
The public should have no faith that the so-called "city square" will be public and not private space or that having it will enhance the rights of the people of Townsville.

Councillors who vote to put traffic through the mall should well consider that this panders to commercial interests and not to the public interest to which the councillors code of conduct is directed.
In this time when councils across the world are concerned with reducing car use and traffic in inner city areas and emissions , here we have a lot acting completely the opposite .

The majority of Townsville citizens appose traffic in the mall and should amongst other things, be given the chance to express this opposition through a local referendum .