Dangerous Train Of Steel

Last week I wrote a post on dangerous shopping trolleys and just today came across this story from Cairns:

KEITH Denton risks having his foot amputated, three years after his ankle was squashed by shopping trolleys outside a suburban shopping centre...

...In July 2005, The Cairns Post reported on Mr Denton's injuries after he said he was pinned up against a wall by a "dangerous train of steel" of between 30 and 40 trolleys. At the time Centro had fobbed off Mr Denton's claims about the number of trolleys and said footage showed only eight.

The story doesn't describe in detail how the specific incident occured, but if trolleys were locked in corrals when not in actual use, surely it makes sense that workplace injuries due to shopping trolleys would drop.

Trolley Dump 4

As if to illustrate Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow's point with respect to dumped shopping trolleys is this sight, taken only two blocks away from her office.



Dumped trolleys are like graffiti - they contribute to urban pollution and appearance of general carelessness, neglect and ultimately property and personal crime.

Why this is important is articulated in the 1982 article Broken Windows, the substance of which of which the New York Mayor used to dramatically reduce crime in the city.

By addressing the small issues of vandalism, reduces petty crime and, it can be argued, stops major crime as well.

This is just another reason why shopping trolleys should be locked.

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.

Crichlow in trolley push

Southport-based Gold Coast City Councillor Dawn Crichlow is to be congratulated for recognising the real environmental problem of dumped shopping trolleys.

The story at right is from today's Gold Coast Sun Newspaper:
I've written her an e-mail in the hopes that she might follow the lead of Frankston Council in Victoria which has made locking shopping trolleys mandatory. Here is the e-mail:

Dear Councillor Crichlow,
I wanted to thank you for your comments in today's Gold Coast Sun on page 7 regarding the dumping of shopping trolleys.

This has been a pollution problem that I have been concerned with for quite sometime. I've even started a blog about it called http://trolleyhell.blogspot.com, where I have photographed dumped trolleys that are an ugly eyesore on our city.

I believe the only real solution is for all shopping trolleys to be the lockable type like you see at Aldis, Spotlight and Ikea. The coin/token shopping trolley reduces dumpage because people want to get their coin or token back.

There are councils in Victoria and New South Wales which have passed bylaws making it mandatory for these supermarkets and shopping centres to supply locking trolleys. Frankston Council is one of them I believe.

Can I encourage you to move a bylaw for the Gold Coast City that would immediately eliminate the problem of shopping trolley 'strays'. This would also be good for the environment because it would reduce the number of vehicle movements required by the trolley collection tractors and by extension council vehicles as per your suggestion of the council removing and storing uncollected trolleys.

Just to let you know, I'm going to publish this letter on my blog and I hope that I can soon add your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Vickie Lester
Green Shopper
TrolleyHell.Blogspot.com

I'll let you know when we've received a response.

Trolley Dump 3

Unlocked trolleys go astray at any time of day it would seem.

This picture below was taken at Robina Town Centre on Sunday, at a little after 10am - 30 minutes before the official opening time of the centre.

Phantom shoppers?

Who knows.

But there is one thing for certain. If the trolleys had token locks, they'd still be waiting in their corrals waiting for the first shopper of the day.

Dumping on trolley dumpers

The Gold Coast Bulletin had a little column piece in last Saturday's paper about trolley dumpage.



It's great to see that there is a recognition that this is a serious environmental problem.

Large shopping centres that serve a sizable population within walking distance will always experience this problem, unless those shops providing the trolleys have some locking system, dumpage and theft are going to be prevalent.

It would be nice if shopping centre management agencies would introduce them as part of their environmental commitment but if they won't, perhaps it is time for legislators to step in.

Trolley Dump 2

The good news:

18,000-plus people took part in the annual Gold Coast Marathon at the weekend.

The bad news: They all have to run past this:



Again a stray trolley adding to the actual and visual pollution.

And it's Wednesday and the the trolley is still there.

If there's anything good to come out of that at all is at least the trolley is being used as a bin...