What are your ideas for improving your local area?

Better management of rubbish and litter (enforcement of the rules) and also prompt removal of graffiti when it has no artistic merit. I know that is difficult to judge. Tags have no place but art does.

More one-way streets to reduce local traffic congestion and make traffic flow better. EG: lower O'Connell st, Wells St, Denison St.

More attention by council to core functions that would improve the amenity of the area, such as removing graffiti promptly; sweeping streets and laneways regularly (not using leaf-blowers but brooms); ensuring that residents' bins are stored on their property, not on footpaths; action on abandoned shopping trolleys; repair of footpaths and cleaning of footpaths on shopping strips. Studies show that vandalism and anti-social behaviour are significantly reduced by such policies.

Continual improvement of bicycle infrastructure. Since I started commuting by bike three years ago I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of cyclists doing the same thing and this is something that needs to be encouraged.

I'd like to see community food gardens on council land (i.e. on bits of local parks that are unsuitable for sporting use), and also council facilitation of food gardening on verges, on private property... City of Sydney and Randwick councils also run highly successful composting programs, where people are given bins for free and learn how to use them.

Reducing cars on King St to make it a nicer place to hang out. Two lanes of fast traffic at peak hour gives it a horrible Parramatta Rd vibe. I'd love to see one lane of traffic and one wide bike lane on either side of the road!

And if the traffic is really slow and annoying to drive then that's a good thing! It will encourage people to use alternative transport options...

More trees and better management of existing trees in our streets. It has been shown in many studies that trees in neighbourhoods increase sense of community, reduce crime and promote better health in people. King street would benefit enormously from street tree plantings.

I also agree with christophermoore above, about more community gardens. They are fairly easy and cheap to set up and there is a huge public demand and need for them. Council should provide small 'Start up' grants or 'kits' to interested and willing communities that have an desire to create one on their neighbourhood. They can be a small as a few plots in the corner of a local park, to a large managed garden with wide community involvement.

I live in Petersham but visit Newtown quite alot. Please get the druggies away from the station entrance. It is not a good look - I mean the 50 meters when you turn right coming out of the station.

why are there no public toilets in Newtown?

We desperately need a better street cleaning and graffiti management policy in Newtown and Camperdown.

The area around Australia Street, Denison Street, Kings Street and Bedford street is very dirty, poorly maintained by council and constantly tagged.

Public drinking is the streets and parks around Kings Street is endemic with all the associated anti social behaviour and street litter.

Sydney City Council has a very good graffiti management policy where you submit a graffiti report directly onto their website and they usually clean graffiti very promptly. It is an easy and effective system.

If Marrickville Council can't come up with a satisfactory solution then Newtown residents should consider lobbying the state government to join the Sydney City Council. Look at the good job they have done in Glebe.

Newtown used to be part of Sydney City Council and there is a natural boundary line south of the inner west train line and to the east of Liberty Street.

I'd like to see a campaign by Council for all the King Street & Enmore Road street-facing premises to be well painted. Most are, but a number let the rest down. The rich owners, who usually draw in huge rents, should be shamed & if necessary named if they refuse to cooperate. Because, if the whole streetscape looks well-maintained, this adds substantially to community pride & psychological well-being, & discourages anti-social behaviour.

Also, can that psychopathic nutter who roams about causing trouble everywhere and unexpectedly screaming foul abuse at passing women, be admitted for treatment somewhere for his mental state? He seems to be getting worse, & I'm concerned he will end up stabbing someone, not nice if you're the passing innocent who cops it. Or has every such place been closed by government cost-cutters under the usual misleading slogans?

Better rubbish collection and street cleaning and prompt removal of tags. I like the artistic graffiti but mindless taging is just vandalism. I would also like to see some more spaces for teenage children. Small children are well catered for with playgrounds but there are very few facilities for older children. I suggest cricket nets in Camperdown Park, a basket ball court (or hoop at least), a tennis wall etc

1) Clean the streets properly and regularly of all the scum and grit.

2) Plant trees, everywhere! And care for them!

3) Audit our back streets and do something to reduce/stop rat-running through traffic.

4) Provide more care and services for the local alcoholics, homeless and mad people.

5) King St: Allow parking all the time, paint green bicycle lanes, and reduce the speed limit to 40km/h all the time.

Streets that convey traffic through the Marrickville area should be landscaped & generally provide a better looking streetscape to give the area a better look to those passing through. These streets are better in the northern part of the area than the southern

The ones that are not too bad are - Old Canterbury Rd, Waedell Rd, Douglas St, Salisbury Rd, Liberty St, Percival St, Bridge Rd, Stanmore Rd, King St.

Some of the ones looking tatty & could be improved include -Addison Rd (Enmore end), Sydneyham Rd, Unwins Bridge Rd, Marrickville Rd (Victoria to Railway Sts), Crystal St, Edgeware Rd, Brighton St, Trafalgar St, Carrington Rd, Victoria Rd, New Canterbury Rd (Marrickville Rd to Old Canterbury Rd).

We have some of Sydney's most historic and beautiful architecture along king street and enmore road - especially when you look up! However a lot of it is approaching 120+ years old. And a lot has been divided into separate lots so there is no single body looking after facade maintenance. The unique shopfront architecture gives Newtown and Enmore its fantastic character.

Surely there is something council can do to ensure this heritage is improved with some kind of facade gentrification/beautification, and not lost with future redevelopment. Perhaps a campaign aimed at building owners to get them to recognise their more…

Trafalgar Street in Enmore is the most poorly marked cycle lane in the municipality. It is a one way street for cars but two ways for bikes. The street needs the east-bound cycle way (against the traffic) to be separated by a clear painted line, and ideally painted green similar to the cycle lane on Wilson Street Newtown. Cars are unaware the cycle lane exists. It is poorly signposted, and the recent road works have further degraded this path.

Please do something about the people that don't bring their bins in after collection. It should be a 24hr grace period and then they get the nasty sticker on the bin. Repete offenders should be fined.