Broken bottle binge

By Paul Dunlop
GLASS smashed and scattered on Pakenham footpaths is stopping residents in their tracks.
Mums with prams, children on bikes and elderly residents on motorised scooters all say they are suffering from a growing and dangerous problem that’s hurting right across town.
Shards of glass strewn over footpaths by vandals breaking bottles on the concrete pavement is not just unsightly, it poses a safety risk.
One elderly woman had all three tyres on her motorised scooter punctured during a recent trip to the shops.
Residents say the problem has become so bad, they are even sweeping the footpaths themselves in a bid to clear the glass away.
Pakenham man David Fairweather said he started carrying a broom on his trips around town after one of the tyres on his motorised scooter was recently punctured.
Mr Fairweather, 83, makes daily visits to the shops and travels by train to Bunyip, where he visits his wife at the Hillview hostel. Getting there and back again had become increasingly about dodging the glass in his path, he said.
“It’s getting worse and worse. I rely on using the footpaths to get around and the amount of glass is unbelievable. The last two or three months have been particularly bad,” Mr Fairweather said.
“I went along and put up with it until I blew a tyre. I thought, it can’t keep on like this. Something has to be done.”
Keen bike rider Darren Spargo said there was a tremendous amount of glass on roadsides and footpaths and punctures were a constant problem.
“As a cyclist it is very frustrating,” he said.
Pakenham resident John Thomson also relies on a motorised scooter and said glass on the footpaths was more than just an inconvenience for many residents, particularly people with a disability.
“If you get a puncture and you have difficulty walking, you are in all sorts of bother,” he said.
Staff at Bear’s Bikes in Pakenham said they were regularly repairing punctures on children’s bikes.
Mr Fairweather said the broken glass was not just restricted to Pakenham but was a concern in other towns as well.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people about it and everybody says it’s a big problem,” he said.
Cardinia Shire Council mayor Kate Lempriere said: “I will take it up with our local laws officers and we will have a look at it.”
Central Ward councillor Bill Ronald recently flagged plans to improve conditions for people riding bikes around town.
A keen cyclist, Cr Ronald said that hoons smashing bottles on footpaths was a problem and one that had been raised by a number of residents at council’s Ride to Work day last October.