Port Macquarie’s Lake Rd pre-poll location not disability friendly, causing traffic chaos

It is home to an ageing population who have moved here for the sun and surf, but the city’s only open pre-poll booth isn’t set up to welcome many of them.

Port Macquarie is widely considered the retirement capital of NSW — but someone clearly hasn’t told the Australian Electoral Commission.

The one and only pre-polling place currently open is in a commercial unit on Lake Road, where residents and business owners have told the Mid North Coast News they are upset about issues including parking, traffic management and access.

A second pre-polling location that will open this Saturday on Clifton Drive is also believed to have access issues.

The entry to pre-polling on Lake Rd, Port Macquarie, marked with pink tape to encourage social distancing.

In what has already been a record election year for voter registration and early ballots, many locals aren’t satisfied with the access for those using walkers, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and walking sticks.

The Lake Rd unit only has two disabled parking spaces reserved out the front and no ramp to access the building itself.

The entryway features two small steps and no handrail, making it difficult to navigate for those with low mobility.

There’s also no toilets or shade from the rain and sun, as well as being a considerable distance from the nearest available public transport.

The traffic on Lake Rd, which already suffers from congestion at peak hour, has continued to back up as voters hit the pre-polling booths.

While parking is slightly better at the Clifton Dr location, concerns remain for elderly voters who will have to endure extended wait times and long queues.

On what one local has called “the busiest street in town, on one of the busiest corners”, traffic has been banking up from as early as 8am this week on Lake Rd.

Colin Gillespie from Hastings Fresh Meats says it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

“A car was rear-ended on Monday,” he said regarding the first day of pre-polling.

Hastings Fresh Meats have put up signage and are monitoring their carpark to ensure voters aren't using the bays that are meant for staff and customers.

“Another was almost taken out by a semi-trailer when they tried to park across the road, where there isn’t dedicated bays to stop in.

“There must’ve been at least 300 people lined up at the pre-polling yesterday.

“And we’ve got another eight or nine more days of this.”

Mr Gillespie said the AEC and local council have been contacted by multiple business owners, since they can’t understand why only one pre-polling location is available in Port Macquarie this week.

“Nobody can get into the stores because there’s nowhere to park – some businesses here reported having only four customers on Monday, others have experienced their single worst day’s takings,” he said.

“I’ve had someone standing out the front for hours, checking if people are coming into the carpark to visit the shopfronts or attend the pre-polling.

“Someone in Sydney or Canberra has made this decision and they just don’t know what the area is like.”

He said business owners on Lake Rd haven’t experience this problem before, with the local and state elections being smaller and much more manageable in years prior.

Keith Darley, who recently took over management of DCE Electrics, said his business is losing thousands of dollars in sales.

The manager of DCE Electrics, Keith Darley, says he's not happy with the flow-on impacts that pre-polling is having on Lake Rd shops.

“My staff can’t come to work because there’s no parking,” he said.

“My customers can’t get in either, so I’ve lost that much business over the past two days.

“I’m only new to this management role, trying to turn the business around, so it makes things hard.”

Mr Darley said he’s shocked more hasn’t been done to ensure that pre-polling doesn’t create these kinds of problems.

“If you were to hold an event, like a concert, you’d have to prove you have ample safety measures in place, plenty of parking, and you’d need to make sure it didn’t impede on anything else in the area,” he said.

“You can’t do anything unless you tick those three boxes – yet this is happening here, with no safety precautions and no traffic control.

“It’s a deadset accident waiting to happen.”

The AEC have said they are aware of assistance restrictions at the Port Macquarie early voting centre, and suggest those with low mobility wait until the Clifton Dr location opens on the weekend.

“At this venue our polling staff have been diligent in arranging for assistance to vote outside of the venue if that is the voter’s preference,” a spokesperson for the AEC told the Mid North Coast News.

“We have to be ready to run the federal election and secure 8000 voting venues based on an unknown date.

“For the early voting period there is simply not sufficient venues of the required size sitting vacant across Australia, or Port Macquarie, for the required time for us to secure for a rolling ten-month period.”

Some locals have suggested the AEC open additional pre-polling locations such as the CWA building and Gordon St in Port’s CBD – both of which have hosted voting in the past, although the Gordon St location was met with mixed reviews.

“What’s wrong with using an empty basketball stadium or something, one with parking designed to handle large crowds?” another resident suggested.

The AEC has also suggested reviewing the accessibility of each voting location online, waiting until election day when more options will be available, and registering to postal vote.