Box Hill station worst in the state for parking fines

It has the dubious honour of being the state’s worst commuter carpark when it comes to parking fines, so who are frustrated eastern suburbs train users blaming for taking up the precious spaces?

Commuters say the Box Hill station carpark is often full before 6am.

More than 1000 parking fines are being handed out every year at a Whitehorse railway station carpark, making it the state’s worst commuter carpark for infringements.

Parking inspectors hand out hundreds more fines to drivers illegally parked at Box Hill station’s carpark than they do to at any other station.

While 1044 fines were issued at Box Hill last year, only 401 infringements were given out at Sunshine — the second worst station carpark for fines, Department of Transport data showed.

The most common offences were parking in no-stopping areas, not parking within bays and using a parking sport reserved for people with disabilities.

It’s a dubious record Box Hill has held for the past three years.

The underground carpark at Box Hill station. Picture: James Ross

A department spokesman, who refused to be named, said shoppers at Box Hill Central — the station sits underneath the shops — are taking many of the 584 free parking spaces designed for Metro users, while some commuters blamed tradies who were working at nearby construction sites.

Commuters took to Whitehorse Leader’s Facebook page to vent their frustration.

Karen Strozycki said she had to get to the station before 6.15am to find a commuter park.

“By 6.30am the carpark is full of tradies working on the surrounding building sites,” she said.

“The carpark should be available only to those who touch-on their Myki at the entrance, since it’s a commuter carpark.”

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Devaraju Akhil said Box Hill had the “worst carpark”, while Steve Chen agreed drivers had to “get up very early” to get a commuter park.

When Whitehorse Leader reported on the parking woes at Box Hill 12 months ago, RACV spokesman Dave Jones said the management of commuter carparks management needed to be reconsidered.

He said RACV would support controls to verify drivers parking in commuter spaces were train users.

No such measures have been introduced at Box Hill, where the situation has remained unchanged.

The Department of Transport spokesman said the Box Hill Interchange Steering Committee’s suggestions for the interchange’s overhaul would be handed to the government in the coming months.

He said the body had spent 12 months working on a report, which had been contributed to by Whitehorse Council, key education and health operators, businesses, police and nearby landholders.

The most common offence recorded at Box Hill station carpark last year was drivers stopping in a no-stopping area, followed by drivers parking not completely within a parking bay and stopping in a parking area for people with disabilities.