By Kerri-Anne Mesner
TRAFFIC management and parking issues in Sydenham will remain unresolved after two Brimbank City Council reports led to no immediate actions to combat the issues.
A recommendation that council-owned land abutting the Overton Lea Aged Care Facility in Trickey Ave be used as a car park was not supported by council officers or the majority of councillors at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
A report tabled at the meeting said the site in question was landlocked and had no road access to the site, meaning it was unsuitable for use as a car park.
A report prepared by council officers noted VicRoads correspondence regarding a request for speed cushions along Community Hub, and included a recommendation to not support the request.
However, Councillor Marilyn Zukalski put forward an alternative recommendation for the council to support the installation of speed cushions for funding during the 2008-09 budget consideration, which was supported by the majority of councillors.
Councillor Natalie Suleyman said parking and traffic management issues had been on the rise in Sydenham since the start of the Taylors Rd project, and since the Watergardens Station car park was closed on 21 August 2006 for upgrade works.
“People are parking there because they can’t park at the Watergardens Station,” Cr Zukalski said.
“There’s no other room.”
Speed bumps, car parking, signage, pedestrian crossings and mirrors were among suggestions to improve traffic management by residents who signed separate petitions that were tabled at council meetings in September and November.
One petition, with 178 signatures, was from residents concerned about the frail aged who often had issues with impaired mobility over parking and traffic volumes along Trickey Ave.
The other petition, signed by 36 residents, raised concerns about road safety in Community Hub between Overton Lea Blvd and Calder Park Dr.
Trickey Ave is home to a number of facilities, including a swimming school, and is the major thoroughfare to Watergardens Station and the Catholic Regional College.
According to the report, the council-owned land is designated a ‘municipal reserve’ on its title and it was understood to be the ‘open space’ contribution required from the developer at the time of subdivision.
