A PUSH to overturn a ban on dogs in Frankston’s city centre has been called “poor public policy” by a former mayor.
Kris Bolam said the move, pursued by mayor Cr Sandra Mayer, has come out of the blue to “seemingly placate a few people that want to have their canine by their side when they are sipping on lattes”.
“What about the undesirable element that we often see and encounter on Young Street?” Mr Bolam asked.
“Are you going to let these people bring their canines to our town centre and create even more problems? Many of them are hardly responsible members of society let alone responsible pet owners.”
Cr Mayer told radio station 3AW last week that a 20-year ban on dogs in Frankston city centre had come into force in 1995 after it was found to be “a hostile environment to animals”.
The mayor said she had decided to speak to fellow councillors about the possibility of removing the ban at next month’s public council meeting.
Cr Mayer said a Frankston pet owner had told her she travelled to Mt Eliza to dine out accompanied by her dog.
“The concern was about dogs biting people and each other and excrement on the footpaths” when dogs were banned from Frankston city centre streets 20 years ago, according to Cr Mayer.
The mayor believes Frankston is the only city in Victoria which bans dogs from its main streets.
Cr Mayer said councillors had indicated they would support her proposal at next month’s council meeting.
A council officers’ report would then be prepared and community consultation would be sought.
Frankston police told The Times a bylaw change is a decision for council.
Council records show 254 dogs “have been detected in the city centre” since December 2003 with 236 warnings and 18 infringements issued to dog owners.
There have been three “very serious dog attacks” reported in the city centre and the animals were seized.
“Is the council prepared to take responsibility for the inevitable dog-on-dog, dog-on-human and human-on-human conflicts that will arise as a result of such a policy reversal?” Mr Bolam asked.
Cr Mayer told 3AW many people did not realise dogs were banned in the city centre and warning notices for first offences were on the rise.
When The Times asked council for the annual breakdown of warning notices for the past three years council advised the statistics were not available and would take time to collate.
