Working family … Shirley Wijaya travels from Hoppers Crossing to Tullamarine for work every day, after dropping her daughter Anika at before-school care. 65868
By Alesha Capone
THE daily journey from Hoppers Crossing to work in Tullamarine can take Shirley Wijaya up to 90 minutes.
She drives along the Western Ring Rd every weekday morning so her family can make ends meet.
“Traffic is terrible, most times it’s like a car park, you are either stationary or moving very slowly,” Ms Wijaya said.
“Depending on traffic conditions it can take anywhere between 40 minutes on a good day or up to an hour and a half on a not so good day.
“I try to start early so that I can leave early. If I’m on the road by 4.30pm and there are no accidents, I can be home in about 40 minutes.
“Works on the Ring Road desperately need to be finished so we can get on with it.
“Also, accessibility to public transport needs to be improved. There is no public transport that I am aware of to my place of employment.”
Before she worked in Tullamarine, Ms Wijaya commuted to the city every day, but had trouble finding a car park at Hoppers Crossing Railway Station, where most spaces fill before 6.30am.
Ms Wijaya also drops her seven-year-old daughter at before-school care before travelling on to work.
“I just feel bad for her as she is also having to make the sacrifice of having to get up so very early in the mornings so that mummy can get to work,” Ms Wijaya said.
Ms Wijaya said she would like to see more employment located within Wyndham as well as “better paying jobs”.
