Shoppers forced to wait three hours, abandon cars in Westfield centre carpark nightmare

Shoppers have spent up to three hours trapped in Westfield Chermside’s carpark during major gridlock on Father’s Day.

Shoppers have endured hours of hell trapped in the Westfield Chermside carpark during major gridlock on Father’s Day.

The situation, which some have contributed to the close of Toombul Shopping Centre and the loss of its 1700 carparks, has triggered concerns of a nightmare come the Christmas shopping rush.

In scenes similar to what was experienced on Mother’s Day this year, many reported taking up to three hours to get out of Westfield Chermside’s carpark despite centre management opening the boom gate.

An announcement over the carpark’s loudspeaker at one point urged people to leave their cars and resume shopping.

The situation was so bad some decided to Uber home before returning later that night to collect their cars.

Shoppers leaving Westfield North Lakes were also forced to wait over an hour to exit after last-minute Father’s Day shopping. Photo: Supplied

A man shopping with his family said he had attempted to leave the carpark at 12.20pm but only “moved four spaces in two and a half hours”.

The man’s partner took their children into the centre for lunch but upon returning, the car had not moved.

After three hours, they parked and caught an Uber home.

“Not the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon,” he said.

Clare Miller said it took her more than an hour to exit the carpark.

“Avoid Westfield Chermside today unless you want to spend your Saturday in a carpark again,” she wrote on Facebook.

Felicity Frewin said she “had to raid the groceries and have eaten a punnet of strawberries” to make it through the wait.

Some shoppers waited three hours to exit the car park, others gave up and abandoned their cars due to the gridlock. Photo: TikTok

Conditions were tight in the carpark. Photo: TikTok

Similar scenes were experienced at Westfield North Lakes.

Burpengary woman Karla Parry, 40, visited the shopping centre for 45 minutes on Saturday, but spent almost twice that long to get out of the carpark.

“It’s not the first time, honestly,” Mrs Parry said.

“As soon as we got into the mess, I knew.”

Mrs Parry even contacted the centre management asking for the carpark’s boom gate to be left often as a way to ease congestion.

“A lot of it has to do with the fact that it’s paid parking – stopping every car on the way out takes so much time,” she said.

Mrs Parry said despite promises the boom gate would be opened, she discovered that was not the case.

Karla Parry (left) and husband Nathan (right) were stuck in the Westfield North Lakes car park for an hour and a quarter, as they waited to collect their daughter Chaise (middle). Photo: Supplied

“I rang them again and said the boom gate was still going down between every car. After that they opened it and we got out in about seven minutes.”

Ms Parry said she would in the future avoid visiting Westfield North Lakes despite it being her local shopping centre.

“Unless I absolutely have to go to North Lakes, I’m just going to shop elsewhere,” she said.

Westfield has been contacted for comment.