Westfield Chermside: Motorists fume at shopping centre parking delays

IT has been dubbed Brisbane’s answer to Mad Max: Fury Road as huge delays trying to park at a suburban shopping centre leave motorists fuming.

Parking at Westfield Chermside has become a nightmare during their renovations and the loss of so many car parks. Picture: Josh Woning.

IT has been dubbed Brisbane’s answer to Mad Max: Fury Road as huge delays trying to park at Westfield Chermside leave motorists fuming.

Patrons of the shopping hub are reporting waits of between 15 and 50 minutes to find a carpark as the centre’s expansion works progress.

Shoppers and centre staff have turned to the Westfield Chermside Facebook page to vent their anger, with 16 people posting one star reviews citing problems with parking since the start of June alone.

“Well that was a waste of time, just drove around for 30+ mins looking for a park. I suggest everyone avoid Chermside Westfield like the bloody plague ...,” Amanda Jane Ridge-Cooke wrote in a review.

At least five other people described the parking situation as a joke, many recommended shopping elsewhere and others said some motorists had even taken out their frustrations on their peers.

“Just witnessed a very heated argument between customers over parking!” Tanya Bastiaans wrote on June 2.

Parking at Westfield Chermside has become a nightmare during their renovations and the loss of so many car parks. Picture: Josh Woning.

“It is like Mad Max out there,” Sarah Brennan wrote on June 23.

Westfield Chermside Centre Manager Garth Haslam said staff were trying to manage patrons’ concerns directly, and off-site car parking for staff had been arranged.

“There’s always pressure on parking during a major redevelopment such as this,” Mr Haslam said.

“We sincerely value the patience of shoppers and retailers as we work to deliver the best possible interim solutions.”

A Westfield spokeswoman said there would be more than 7000 parking spaces once works were complete

A large proportion of those would be available by October, ahead of the busy Christmas period

Stage one works for a new gallery mall with a full new second level of retail shops is due to finish in April 2017

Stage two works on a multi-level entertainment and dining precinct are due to end in July 2017.