More than 3500 fines have been issued to illegally parked vehicles in streets near Wyndham’s train stations in the past 12 months.
In the 2016-17 financial year, Wyndham council sent 3574 infringement notices to drivers who illegally parked in streets close to the Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Manor Lakes, Tarneit and Williams Landing train stations.
In comparison, the council issued 2598 parking fines to vehicles illegally parked in these streets during the 2015-16 financial year.
The council’s city operations director Stephen Thorpe said the increase in fines could be attributed to two new train stations, Manor Lakes and Tarneit, opening during the time frame.
He said the parking infringements handed out by the council usually ranged from $79 to $159, depending on the offence.
Mr Thorpe said the council did not issue fines to vehicles parked within the train station’s car parks, as this was the responsibility of Public Transport Victoria.
He said the council only issued fines to vehicles which were parked illegally in streets surrounding train stations, such as cars parked on nature strips and across footpaths.
“Many of the parking fines we have issued in areas surrounding train stations are as a result of complaints from residents who are frustrated with the issue in their street,” he said.
Mr Thorpe said the council “continues to lobby the state government for improvements to public transport services and increased commuter car parking”.
“We encourage residents and businesses to make their concerns known to the state government and local state members of parliament as this helps to build awareness of how important this issue is,” he said.
In the past few months,
Star Weekly has published several articles highlighting the fact that most carparks at Wyndham’s train stations are filled by early morning on weekdays. A spokeswoman for Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations had the largest carparks on the V/Line network, with more than 1000 spaces each. Earlier this year the state government announced plans to build 150 new carparking spaces at the Williams Landing station, with construction due to start on July 31.
Truganina woman Judy Webb is among the many commuters who would like to see more car parks installed at the Tarneit train station.
On March 9, Ms Webb received an infringement notice from Wyndham council after she parked her car near the entrance road to the station.
Ms Webb said the council’s letter ordered her to pay $93 for parking on a nature strip.
But the 75-year-old said she actually left her car in a grassed area facing a paddock, near the access road to the station from Leakes Road.
She said she had never parked her car there before, due to ‘no standing’ signs nearby.
However, she said that on March 9, the signs had been removed and there were several other cars parked at the spot, leading her to believe the area had been made into a legal parking site.
“Due to the fact they [the signs] had been removed, my girlfriend, who was with me, and I said, ‘We must be able to park there’,” she said.
After receiving the $93 fine, Ms Webb asked the council to review the infringement due to the lack of ‘no standing’ signs.
Unfortunately, the review did not find in her favour and, after getting a letter on June 8 ordering her to pay the fine, Ms Webb did so.
She said new ‘no standing’ zone signs have since been installed at the site but, with Wyndham’s fast-growing population, more car parks were needed at its train stations.
Plans to build a new station in Tarneit West were at least a decade away, Ms Webb said.
“We need more parking at this station now, not in 10 to 15 years time.”
