Calls to improve lighting

Residents have raised concerns about poor street lighting in the area of West Melbourne where a woman was sexually assaulted in April.

Locals have conveyed anxieties about the lack of maintenance to the public lighting under the bridge at Railway Place, which has caused low visibility in surrounding streets.

A 23-year-old woman was assaulted on Railway Place, near Dudley St, early in the morning on her way to work in late April.

Victoria Police have charged a 32-year-old man with abduction for a sexual purpose, sex assault, false imprisonment, unlawful assault and robbery.

CitiPower, who are responsible for maintaining the lights, said while they had undertaken temporary repairs to the public lighting beneath the Dudley St rail bridge, more work was needed to address the safety concerns.

In response to questions about their plans to improve the public lighting and safety in the area, the City of Melbourne said it had allocated more than $2.8 million to city safety measures, including investing in critical infrastructure such as CCTV and street lighting, in the draft Annual Plan and Budget 2021/2022.

The council said $1.8 million would be spent on maintaining 16,000 streetlights across the municipality.

“The City of Melbourne works closely with Victoria Police as part of a joint commitment to keep our community safe,” a spokesman for the council said •