Port Phillip streets are getting friendlier!

As you walk down Port Phillip streets ten out of every 100 people you pass are likely to smile or nod or say g'day, up from 8 out of every 100 last year.

The new Smiles per Hour signs are the rating for each neighbourhood, not just the main shopping street they appear in, as these streets are not always the most representative streets of each of the Port Phillip communities.

Port Melbourne is doing the best in the friendliness stakes with 18 Smiles per Hour, knocking Albert/Middle Park (14 Smiles per Hour) from its top slot. Elwood is in second place with 15 Smiles per Hour, Balaclava is doing well on 9 and South Melbourne on 7. Our laggers, St Kilda Road and St Kilda are up to 2 and 3 respectively.

	2005/2007	2006/2007	Change
Port Melbourne	9	18	9
South Melbourne	6	7	1
Albert/Middle Park	30	14	-16
St Kilda Road	0	2	2
St Kilda	1	3	2
Balaclava	6	9	3
Elwood	4	15	11
Port Phillip Average	8	10	2

Signs showing the Smiles Per Hour rating first went up in the main shopping street in each of the seven Port Phillip neighbourhoods in November 2005. This latest round of data is the average Smiles Per Hour for 2006. The signs will be changed in late 2007/early 2008 with the averaged 2007 results.

The Community Pulse (formerly known as SCPI project) developed the Smiles Per Hour rating to find out just how friendly our streets are . After researching the concept, testing a methodology and conducting hours of surveys Community Pulse now provides an annual Smiles Per Hour rating for 28 streets in Port Phillip, with one street in each neighbourhood sign posted.

The main shopping street, a high, medium and low pedestrian street in each neighbourhood have been chosen and tested. A 'Smile Spy' volunteer walks on a defined section of the street (averaging 400m) for a 15-minute period keeping their faces up and their expression open. In that time everyone who passes them on their side of the street is counted. People who smile, nod, or make any kind of positive greeting are counted separately. These two numbers are converted into a percentage, and this becomes the Smiles Per Hour rating for that section of street. Therefore the highest rating a street can get is 100 and the lowest is 0.

Smiles Per Hour measuring is conducted by community 'Smile Spy' volunteers. Information packs are provided to interested residents with all the info and equipment needed. Smile Spies will be asked to measure four streets (approximately 1 hours work + travel time) on four occasions each year feeding data back to the Community Pulse for the Connectedness Indicator, and to be updated on the Smiles Per Hour street signs.

For more information on becoming a Smile Spy, use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online. If you prefer call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for The Community Pulse.