Sunbury commuters and traders increase pressure on Hume Council and State Government over parking

RENEWED pushes are being made to increase public car parking in Sunbury.

Jenny Keep, Kent Waghorne and Mark Botten from the Sunbury Business Association are frustrated by a lack of parking. Picture: Kylie ELse

RENEWED pushes are being made to increase public car parking in Sunbury.

Train commuters and traders have urged Hume Council and the State Government to take a lead in providing more spaces.

Sunbury resident Leanne Morgan, a member of the Sunbury Train Association, said she had started encouraging others to give their feedback to the council.

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Ms Morgan is helping to distribute advocacy cards, drawn up by the council, which ask residents to detail their parking experience.

“It’s been a longstanding issue — more all-day car parking is needed for commuters, while businesses are suffering with shoppers going to Watergardens,” she said.

“We need people to put their names on these cards and send them in to the council, so hopefully we can get Hume Council to do the necessary advocacy.”

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A longstanding dynamic in Sunbury has been the number of public all-day parking spaces set aside for rail commuters and the effect this has on traders.

Ms Morgan said the Sunbury community had successfully got behind a campaign to maintain V/Line services in Sunbury, which were threatened under new timetable provisions.

She said with the Sunbury out of Hume issue resolved, it was now time to reignite a push for more parking in the town centre.

The Sunbury Business Association also resolved to campaign for increased parking in Sunbury last week.

SBA president Michael Osborne said parking was one of three issues prioritised by the association.

“Everyone has been finger pointing on this issue for a few years, but it’s high time responsibility was taken and we all start working on a solution,” he said.

Irelands Florist of Sunbury proprietor Jenny Keep said she and her staff had to continually try and avoid parking tickets, with the dearth of car parking making getting a spot anywhere near the shop difficult.

It was clear the crush on car parking was getting worse, she said, from her observations and those of shoppers.

“I drive past the Diggers Rest station where there were few commuters parking, but now it’s full every morning,” she said.

“Then you hear from customers who won’t shop in Sunbury.

“I know of one businesswomen who works from home and refuses to shop here as she says it is too chaotic.”

A multistorey carpark had been earmarked for Sunbury in 2011 with developer Sunbury Central Pty Ltd, and the Department of Transport to work with council deliver the project, but the project was abandoned.

The Sunbury Business Association had pushed for $10 million from the State Government’s Park and Ride Program to fund two additional levels in the planned multi-level car park in Evans St, organising a petition.