Deadly Trolleys

Councils around Australia are recognising the problem caused by abandoned shopping trolleys.

One of the latest is Brimbank Council in Victoria who adopted the following bylaw late last year:

Mayor of Brimbank, Cr Margaret Giudice said the review of the local law meant that there would be less restrictions about trading activities and obstructions on Council Property and more responsibility put on traders to reduce the number of shopping trolleys abandoned in streets and public places throughout the municipality.

From 1 July 2008, traders must now provide trolleys with either a coin mechanism or electronic wheel locking devices attached.

Brimbank joins Frankston as being amongst the local authorities looking a permanent solutions.

Unfortunately we've not yet had a response from Councillor Dawn Crichlow from the Gold Coast City Council about the issue, so I'm going to contact her again today.

While researching for this post on Trolley Hell, I discovered another good reason why trolley should be locked from the ACT's Workcover Department:

The collection of shopping trolleys at shopping centres has been the source of several serious manual handling injuries. The shopping trolleys are left by shoppers throughout shopping centres and car parks. The collection of these trolleys is required so that other persons can use them. The trolleys are commonly collected and run together into lines of 20-30 and pushed by a single person. From time to time the trolleys are secured together by means of a rope attachment. An ocey strap has in the past been used but following a fatal accident when the ocey strap gave way their use has been prohibited.

In fact a 13-year-old Western Australian trolley collector died in 1996 after being struck in the throat by an elastic 'occy' strap which had given way while he was collecting trolleys.

Using ropes may be safer, but it certainly doesn't stop the issues of other injuries.