Pathways

AIDA supports walking as the preferred way of getting around and enjoying our coastal townships and our natural surroundings. It was AIDA’s proposal early in 2004, for the development of an Aireys Inlet Pedestrian Strategy, which ultimately led Council to develop the current Pathways Strategy for the Shire in 2006. AIDA supported the 2006 Pathways Strategy because it included only gravel paths in Aireys Inlet to Eastern View and our endorsement of the strategy was based on that specification. AIDA’s current viewpoint remains largely unchanged. Opposition to concrete pathways has become even firmer in the local community since 2006.

AIDA believes the key priorities for the design and implementation of the Pathways Strategy in our area should be:

1. Protection of our informal local coastal village character by constructing any pathways in compacted gravel of a suitable standard, rather than of concrete, and employing an informal curved design rather than straight alignments;
2. Retaining wherever possible the shared use of residential roads for both pedestrians and vehicles;
3. Completing the establishment of a strategic framework of main pedestrian links between the key parts of our townships and also the key surrounding environmental attractions;
4. Establishing additional pedestrian crossings over the Great Ocean Road;
5. Where appropriate and required within residential areas, creating a limited number of pedestrian cross connections with the main strategic pathway framework;
6. Enhancing pedestrian connections with beaches, cliff tops and surrounding bushland, so as to provide improved recreational opportunities and reduced need for local car use and car parking.