Tara Murray
Sunshine West’s Glengala Road is the talk of the area after part of the road was painted in bright colours earlier this month.
The project was funded by the state government as part of the West Sunshine 20 Minute Neighbourhood Project, which aims to give people the ability to meet most of their everyday needs within a 20 minute walk of their home.
As part of the project, Brimbank council has included a safe road area, new outdoor seating and dining, landscaping and shopfront improvements in Glengala Village.
The painted road is outside the Glengala Village Shopping Precinct and took five nights to create.
Brimbank council said the designs in the road art reference drawings by local school children.
Many residents have taken to social media since the work was finished, with opinions on the painting mixed.
Many said it was distracting and was a road hazard, while others said it was a waste of money and was embarrassing.
Others said they liked the work and it provided a burst of colour to the area.
Brimbank infrastructure and city services director Neil Whiteside said the Glengala Road Shopping Precinct had undergone a makeover aimed at encouraging more people to walk, cycle and shop in their local neighbourhood.
”The works are another way to encourage locals to think, shop and buy local, which is more important than ever as we respond and recover to the impacts of the pandemic.
“In addition to providing a more vibrant shopping experience, the works also respond to feedback from the local community who wanted a cleaner, greener and a safer shopping experience.”
The speed limit in the area has been temporarily reduced to 20 km/h and the council will be installing a raised pedestrian crossing and speed cushions in the coming weeks.
The council engaged in a road safety audit before any work was done.
