Commuters are using the Werribee Mercy Hospital car park (top) when the Hoppers Crossing station car park (above) is at capacity. 71155 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By XAVIER SMERDON
THE parking situation at Hoppers Crossing train station has become so poor that commuters are being forced to pay to park at the Werribee Mercy Hospital, taking up much needed patient and visitor spots.
The revelation comes as Wyndham Council extended two-hour parking restrictions to many of the streets around the station to offer relief for residents who find their streets filled with commuters’ cars.
At last week’s council meeting it was also announced that the Department of Transport has begun the design phase for a car park at the Werribee station to the east of the gym and negotiations are currently underway with Metro regarding formalising a car park at Hoppers Crossing station on the north side of the substation.
Councillor Kim McAliney said she was worried that the Werribee Mercy car park would soon be filled to capacity also.
“One of the things that I have concerns about is, and I’ve noticed this, is recently a lot of car parks at the Werribee Mercy are being filled by people from the train station. At 9.30 in the morning you will find that you can’t get a parking spot.” Cr McAliney said.
“People are prepared to pay the $5 and walk across the road.
“I’ve had to recently visit my family in there and it was very hard to get a car park.”
Werribee Mercy executive director Richard Ainley told Star that while every hospital has issues with car parking, commuters taking up spaces were causing problem in Werribee.
“We are aware of occasions where commuters have used the hospital car park and I ask people to consider the difficulties this can create for our patients and visitors,” Mr Ainley said.
Cr Shane Bourke said that while the situation was frustrating for all residents, recent parking restriction changes were important for residents that lived nearby the station.
“The residents who are there 24/7 have to put up with this day in day out and it is sometimes a little bit too much to deal with,” Cr Bourke said.
