Wyndham council will undertake community consultation to determine whether to remove 16 parking spaces along Synnot Street, in an effort to improve sight lines and address safety issues.
At a council meeting on Tuesday, October 25, council voted to obtain feedback from nearby businesses and the broader Werribee community about the parking removal and present a report next year outlining the feedback and recommendations.
“We’re probably all experienced or heard stories about near misses along Synnot Street when trying to exit one of the many car parks, due to the parked cars obstructing the view of oncoming traffic,” Councillor Mia Shaw said.
“While I appreciate that on-street parking is a premium, safety is being compromised when cars are parked too close to these exit points.
“We also now have a brand new undercover car park at the Hunter site…it’s great to see people are starting to use that and gives other options for people that are needing to park.
“It’s important that the proposal to remove car parking spaces is discussed further with the community, we are all responsible as drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to contribute to a safe environment.”
The removal of parking spaces was recommended in a report, which was compiled following a notice of motion council passed in 2019, seeking to investigate the Synnot Street sight lines.
A number of action items associated with traffic safety, congestion and traffic movement in the area have since been completed or are nearing completion.
“It is great to see how far we’ve come, even with the interruption of COVID-19,” Councillor Mia Shaw said.
“What we’ve completed so far include, improved signal coordination, improved pedestrian facilities, a school crossing at Duncans Synnot Street, faded line markings re-marked and the soon to be implemented 40 kilometer speed zone in the wattle avenue precinct.”
A report will be presented to council in February 2023, summarising the outcome of the consultation and recommending the next steps.
