Seal Chong Wah

Tam, Laurie, and their family were recently joined on the morning day-care drop-off by Diane, Stephen, and Seal Chong Wah, the Greens candidate for Paddington Ward.

Seal has been riding around the city for decades and uses a bicycle as her main mode of transport, supplemented with walking and driving sparingly. She’s an advocate for safe streets and the childhood independence that comes with them. We sometimes encounter Seal riding around the city to appointments, always dressed for the destination rather than the ride.

Tam was not comfortable cycling on the Terraces of Paddington with the children. Hence we followed her as she slowly, carefully, and respectfully negotiated the ups and downs of the pavement and the hazards of cars. At one point, Tam channelled Stretch Armstrong himself to struggle to reach a beg button at the corner of Given and Latrobe Terraces, all while carefully keeping her front wheel away from the carriageway. (Council could address this common issue through automatic pedestrian sequences on traffic lights and better sensors.)

We continued to childcare where Laurie took the children inside, while Tam converted her box bike into a cycle ute with a simple flip of the rigid lockable box cover, handy for weekly grocery shops. Next, we proceeded back up to Given Terrace to continue our ride to Rosalie where Stephen regularly cycles from Ashgrove to family appointments at Rosalie Children’s Centre.

Leaving Paddington, we kept to the footpath again for safety and comfort until we reached Given and Latrobe where we all agreed that we typically ride on the road towards Fernberg Road, Elena Street, and finally Nash St. Here we paused at the location of the recently cancelled pedestrian crossing at the corner of Nash St and Baroona Road; a decision that has not been popular in the community and prioritizes through traffic and short-term parking over life in the village. It was heartening to see the hustle and bustle of people walking and riding through the village as part of their daily routine, even despite two skirmishes we observed on crossings with drivers failing to yield to pedestrians crossing with the right of way.

We finished our group ride at Eighty Six Cafe where we chatted over a coffee about active transport and community issues and watched people start their days. Seal and Tam bonded over their experiences during maternity leave of navigating their neighbourhoods with small people, and resolving to use any spare moments to get involved in community advocacy.

We’re delighted Seal has taken that passion for creating more child-friendly streets and suburban centres and put up her hand to run for election on March 16. Thanks for joining us on the ride and sharing first-hand how locals are using bicycles in their daily household logistics. See you on the streets… and perhaps in City Hall representing Paddington Ward!