Every day, Sam Janet arrives to work an hour early in the hope of securing a parking spot.
Her workplace is located close to St Albans’ Ginifer station — a site notorious for lacking adequate car parks, according to Ms Janet.
It’s been a sore point for most drivers, she said.
“There’s a lot of frustration around parking, I think it’s a major problem.“
Two blocks away from the station, the issue extends down to Sunshine Hospital as well.
“Because there isn’t enough public parking there either, most people are forced into paid spots,” Ms Janet said.
“I’ve seen some cars go down narrow streets to park but end up getting their car mirrors broken by other passing vehicles so it’s concerning.”
In a bid to address some of those concerns, Brimbank council is calling on people who live, work, or visit places near Sunshine Hospital and Ginifer station to help shape a new car parking management plan for these areas.
Council has started a community consultation process to understand the impact visitors, commuters at the station, and local school traffic have on the parking situation.
According to the council, this need for a refreshed plan was identified through traffic surveys, aerial drone footage of the parking zones and residents’ inquiries over the last five years.
Up until May 12, impacted individuals will be asked to detail their experience and give relevant feedback for the management plan — which refers to the parking laws and restrictions applied to individual streets to improve parking efficiency and compliance.
Council has already reviewed parking restrictions within one kilometre of Sunshine Hospital and 500 metres around Ginifer station.
“It’s good that the council is doing this because it’s a problem that needs to be fixed urgently,” Ms Janet said.
Details: yoursay.brimbank.vic.gov.au/
