Dear Editor,- I have worked in Bailey Street, Bairnsdale, for 19 years.
Since Woolworths have left the area the deterioration in behaviour has become appalling, to the point that I and others feel unsafe and intimidated, which is terrible when we are law-abiding citizens going about our daily business.
I’ll get straight to the point: the taxi rank and Nicholson Street Mall – how much longer is this area going to go unnoticed by the East Gippsland Shire Council?
There has been emails and meetings and yet not a single thing is done about it. It’s out of sight, out of mind for the council. Try being a business in that area or working, or even worse, waiting for a taxi and seeing the constant abuse and fights.
The final straw was a couple of weeks ago when we had this happen: Shooting up drugs in the taxi rank.
Yes, that’s right, this is what is happening, and yes, the police were called, but the caller was put on hold for about five minutes and had to hang up.
I started work at 9am, there was already people drinking and screaming at the taxi rank/mall, the language was vile.
The time has come for something to be done about it. The past couple of weeks has been horrendous. One day in particular was disgraceful; there was the usual yelling and screaming of an intimidatory nature, but this day it was nonstop, and then the shooting up of drugs.
There have been fist fights, people jumping on the bins, screaming abuse at anyone who walks by, all while the elderly and others sit and wait for a taxi. What a disgusting thing to be going on in Bairnsdale. Imagine if that was your mother or elderly relative waiting for a taxi.
It is becoming a frightening place to be.
The police have been called numerous times, but they have their hands tied.
There was a meeting with the police, council and business owners at the RSL over 12 months ago. I spoke to a councillor and the CEO at that meeting, I discussed the taxi rank and my concerns about it then, but nothing has happened other than the amount of violence and abuse which has escalated to a point where it is frightening and unsafe.
The taxi rank is quite secluded, it needs to be in a more visible area, for example the Main Street where the bus stop is at Coles, outside the courthouse, or in Service Street at the side of the Harris Scarfe building, or open Nicholson Street, which then will bring back activity to the area.
Yours etc.,
Wendy McPhan, Bairnsdale
