Parking stoush erupts between Caulfield Grammar parents and Stonnington City Council
A stoush has erupted between parents of an elite private school and Stonnington City Council after “ridiculous” new parking restrictions were introduced during the school holidays.
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A parking stoush has erupted between parents of an elite private school and a local council in Melbourne’s leafy east after “ridiculous” new restrictions were rolled out, sparking safety concerns.
Parents of students at Caulfield Grammar’s junior Malvern campus are “furious” after Stonnington City Council altered the parking restrictions in three residential streets they rely on to drop off and pick up their children.
The new restrictions were given the green light at a council meeting in late March, with two-hour parking zones on Harold, Willoby and Dorrington avenues in Glen Iris changed to permit zones during school drop-off and pick-up times.
According to the agenda of the council meeting, Caulfield Grammar opposed the changes while more than 50 parents also wrote to the council in fierce opposition.
However, only 19 out of the 53 residents who were sent a survey by the council voted in favour of a permit zone during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Caulfield Grammar parent Sally Crinis said the changes had left her “absolutely livid”.
Another parent, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald Sun the new restrictions, which were implemented over the school holidays, were “ridiculous”.
“It’s a classic case of council appeasing rich residents at the expense of young kids’ safety,” she said.
She added that parents who cannot pull over and drop off their children at the gates – because they attend the Early Learning Centre and must be walked onto the school grounds – will now have to park further away from the campus.
The Herald Sun understands there are supervised school crossings on Wattletree Rd and at the intersection of Wattletree and Burke roads.
However, the mum said it would be safer if parents did not have to make the trek with the children in the first place.
In a letter sent to parents on Wednesday, the head of the Malvern campus Prue Petsinis said it was obvious the changes are “causing significant frustration for families”.
“The congestion and safety concerns along Wattletree Rd was evident,” the letter read.
“As communicated to Malvern campus families on Monday, we share this concern and, accordingly, have again escalated engagement with the council.
“We are emphasising the risks associated with the new traffic and pedestrian flow, which will likely result in more young children crossing busy roads at peak times.
“In the interim, as everyone adjusts to the new parking regulations in place, please keep prioritising your safe travel to and from school, particularly during peak drop-off and pick-up times.”
A Stonnington City Council spokeswoman said the changes made to the residential streets would be trialled for six months.
“The council understands these changes are difficult for parents and the school community and decisions such as these are always tough for council to make,” she said.
“The changes are intended to alleviate the parking impacts in a way that provides gaps along the street to ease the congestion issues that occur during peak school times.
“The council recognises concerns raised by the parents, however safety is a shared responsibility and council encourages Caulfield Grammar to consider offering pick-up and drop-off points within their school site, similar to nearby schools, instead of relying solely on pick-ups and drop-offs in the residential street.”
But Caulfield Grammar principal Ashleigh Martin said he was calling on the council to explore other “alternate traffic management solutions that reduce risk for all community members”.
“We seek a safer and smoother traffic experience that meets the needs of both local residents and school families,” he said.
“Arrangements recently implemented by the council are of particular concern for our Early Learning Centre students and guardians … with the requirement for these three and four-year-old children to be accompanied by foot onto school grounds.”
Caulfield Grammar’s preference was for a one-way flow system, but a handful of residents made it clear they preferred permit zones to ease the congestion issues during peak school times.
“Caulfield Grammar opposed all options due to potential impacts on parent parking,” the agenda of the council meeting states.
“Despite this opposition, resident feedback is prioritised as this is on the residential side of the street.”
The Stonnington City Council spokeswoman said it would continue to engage with the school to address parking concerns.
“We have offered to work with the school to improve parking restrictions along the school frontage in Harold and Willoby avenues, which are not affected by the restrictions recently installed,” she said.
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