Council acts on discarded trolleys

The number of abandoned shopping trolleys around Bondi Junction is likely to decrease, thanks to a new technology being implemented next month.

An agreement, made between Waverley Council and Shopping centre owners in Bondi,  will see a trolley management system installed in Westfield and Eastgate.

Waverley Council Mayor, John Wakefield, called the current trolley situation a safety hazard: “This has been a long time coming, and the persistence of Council has paid off. We’ve been working with the major retailers and they have finally agreed to take responsibility for their trolleys,”

A magnetic field will be in place under walkways, causing trolley wheels to slow and lock, preventing them from straying from nearby shopping centres. A taxi rank will be in the perimeter of the field.

Weather permitting, the management system is one week away from completion, and will be in effect on September 10.

Mr. Wakefield added: “With the new locking system, we expect to see a significant reduction in the number of shopping trolleys dumped on the streets around Bondi Junction.”

The technology is already in practice in Chatswood Shopping centres.

A spokesperson for Westfield Bondi Junction said: “There have always been concerns about trolleys being left in and around the centre, despite retailers best efforts to have trolleys returned to their stores. Westfield welcomes this initiative between its major retailers and Waverley council. We understand this new system will reduce the number of abandoned trolleys, which will benefit local residents.”

The issue of scattered shopping trolleys in the area has united both Labor and Liberal parties.

Waverley Liberal candidate Andrew Cusack, believes the current shopping trolley situation is careless and dangerous to residents: “Whilst I have been campaigning, residents continually remind me to ensure something is done about trolleys on the Streets so it is an important issue in the community.”

“Shopping trolleys on our streets are untidy, unsightly and potentially dangerous as they can run into cars and pedestrians.”

Mr. Cusack added that work still needs to be done to assure the system stays as effective as possible: “The wheel locking mechanism appears to be a good solution however, the shopping centre owners and supermarkets will need to ensure they regularly collect the trolleys so that they do not accumulate around the entrances to centres”

Target and Kmart in Bondi Junction have not yet agreed to join the new system.