Scared St Kilda woman calls for inner city parking review
A St Kilda woman attacked twice near home has racked up hundreds of dollars in parking fines rather than walk alone at night. And she says the reason why Port Phillip Council won’t let her buy a paid permit is “ridiculous”.
South East
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A terrified St Kilda woman attacked twice near home is begging Port Phillip Council to allow her to buy a parking permit so she can avoid walking the streets late at night and get home safely.
Bek Fabris, 32, is calling on the council to reverse a “ridiculous policy” which forbids residents from getting a permit if their buildings are built after 2002.
And they can’t apply for special consideration due to limited supply.
Ms Fabris said she had already racked up more than $300 in fines after refusing to park in unlimited spaces, most of which she says are dimly lit, dodgy or too far away.
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Ms Fabris has rented a Barkly St apartment for six months, but has to park 15 minutes away or risk hefty fines in timed areas.
She said she now feared for her safety, wasn’t informed about the parking issue when signing the apartment lease, and is now considering moving out.
Her roommate uses the apartment’s underground carpark but there is only one underground spot per apartment.
Ms Fabris said her fears were heightened, after being attacked two years ago on Ormond Rd, within 100m of her Mitford St home, about 9pm after getting off the 96 tram.
She was thrown to the ground and dragged as a man and woman stole her backpack, keys and purse. She was also attacked recently, but did not want details published.
“I constantly worry about walking around St Kilda (and) the looking over your shoulders, pretending to be on your phone is scary,” Ms Fabris said.
“I was under the impression we could just get a paid permit as all our other friends have one along Mitford or Barkly St.
“Now I have to consider whether living in this apartment is more important than my safety.”
A fellow resident said on Facebook she’d sold her place last year because she “couldn’t deal with the uncertainty of street parking”.
But Mayor Dick Gross said while residents’ safety was paramount, there wasn’t enough parking for everyone — and supply would only diminish as population grew.
“(The current parking policy) has a focus on encouraging new residents to rely on sustainable modes of transport or use off-street parking spaces available within their buildings,” Cr Gross said.
He said the parking policy was under review, and encouraged residents to comment from March.
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