Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
The latest deadly car crash in Melbourne’s CBD has stirred up traumatic memories of the 2017 Bourke Street rampage for local traders, who fear people will avoid the city.
Many businesses in Chinatown experienced a significant drop in weekend trade after a car hit pedestrians and two other vehicles on Friday.
Zain Khan has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the fatal Bourke Street crash on Friday.
A 76-year-old Brunswick man died and five other people were injured in the carnage when a white Toyota sedan hit pedestrians and two cars.
The 26-year-old driver of the Toyota, Zain Khan, has been charged with one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder and other offences.
A 23-year-old woman from China, who was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with head injuries, remains in a serious condition. The two people taken to St Vincent’s Hospital have been released, and two others remain in a stable condition at The Alfred.
The man who died at the scene was a philanthropist, had a scholarship under his name at a prestigious Melbourne university and funded an award for female academics in the maths and science sector, Nine News reported on Monday.
Ngoc Le, from the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association, said on Monday he and other businesses feared the tragedy would make it more difficult to attract shoppers.
“Especially in the aftermath of COVID-19, we were already struggling in the city [to get] people coming back,” Ngoc Le from the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association said on Monday.
“Now that we’re eventually getting more people back in the city, this happens.
“[Traders] are worried, obviously. They don’t know how long this is going to last.”
Andy Chen, the owner of the Shanghai Village restaurant, was another of the Chinatown traders concerned about the decline in business.
He told the association businesses were anxious over the weekend and fear a significant drop in customers.
The group wants the City of Melbourne and the state government to explore what more can be done to avoid deadly incidents in the CBD, including more frequent police patrols.
“[The January 2017 tragedy, when six people died and dozens more were injured] was a while ago, but still, it just seems like it was yesterday,” Le said.
“These incidents really do play on your mind, you can’t help but be a bit paranoid and anxious.”
In December 2017, a driver rammed pedestrians crossing the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth streets, killing an elderly man and injuring 17 others.
In November 2018, a man parked his ute on Bourke Street and set it alight before stabbing three people, killing Melbourne cafe owner Sisto Malaspina, in a terror attack.
Chloe Beevers, the president of the City Precinct small business trade association, said the latest Bourke Street crash brought back memories of the deadly 2017 attack.
“[Friday’s incident] is shocking, having been there to witness those previous incidents,” she said.
“Businesses work very hard to make the city a safe space that people enjoy visiting … they are on the front lines.
“It is concerning and obviously distressing to everybody, including people who are visitors to the city, residents and those who are running businesses who are worried for their own safety.”
Beevers, who runs the CBD-based event business Curate Space, said bollards installed following the 2017 attack had improved traders’ sense of safety.
She said the latest incident showed more needed to be done to ensure people received adequate mental health support given the alleged attacker was known to police because of mental health concerns.
Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan on Monday denied Bourke Street has an image problem and declared it a safe place.
“We have had some obviously distressing incidents – one-off incidents – in the last few years, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the CBD is a really important part at the heart of our city,” Allan said.
Premier Daniel Andrews has suggested there is nothing more the government can do to protect CBD pedestrians, but said it would consider any recommendations made by a coroner over the latest death.
AAP, with Gillian Lantouris
Lifeline 13 11 14
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.
Most Viewed in National
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
