Dear editor ...

Dear editor ...

Until recently in the middle of Bourke St, bounded by Merchant and Cumberland streets, there used to be 21 free parking bays with a two-hour limit. The two-hour limit was enforced 24 hours a day, meaning that cars could not be left there overnight or, in another example, patrons attending Etihad

Stadium could not park their cars in this area whilst attending an event because of the two-hour limit.  This limit enabled residents of my apartment building and others close by to have visitors call over and usually find somewhere to park.

However, late in August workers removed three bays and installed parking meters for the remaining 18 bays in the middle of the street, with signs installed indicating the area is now two-hour meter parking between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Apart from the loss of free parking, the problem, as occurred on a recent Saturday night, was that people going to Etihad stadium were able to park in the area because the meters are only required up until 6.30pm.

I had friends coming over for dinner at 8pm that evening and they were unable to find a parking space anywhere nearby and, in fact had to park and pay at Etihad Stadium at exorbitant rates. By 10.45pm 15 spaces were empty with the football “crowd” having driven away.

I contacted the Melbourne City Council and urged them to consider increasing the meter times to be from 7.30am to 8.30pm. These increased hours would prevent the “Etihad crowd” from parking in the area which hopefully would allow residents to have visitors call over during the evening.

I received a reply from council indicating that meters were required to reduce occupancy rates and provide greater parking opportunities and that a possible means of overcoming the lack of parking opportunities for visitors after 6.30pm would be to introduce a two-hour free limit between 6.30pm and 11pm.  However council considered that this might create inconsistencies in their parking rules and rejected the idea stating that meter operating times of 7.30am to 6.30pm were the council’s approved operation times for meters outside the CBD and were consistent with other on-street metered parking restrictions in Docklands.

However, I find this reason somewhat puzzling because in Merchant St, 30 metres north of the new Bourke St installations, the meter hours are from 7.30am to 7.30pm, whilst in Lorimer St the meter hours are up to 11pm.

It seems that Council does have variations in its parking rules but is not aware of them.

John Jackson
Docklands

 

Wheelchair access trams to Docklands

How can Melbourne be a “city of trams” when its major tourist routes don’t accommodate a wheelchair?

We are visiting Melbourne because our son is competing at the Icehouse.  We are staying at Medina Apartments on Northbank and we have a tram map that indicates wheelchair trams stops and access and in all three routes to Waterfront City – trams routes 35, 70 and 86.  But not one of these routes accommodates or allows wheelchair access to this newly-developed area and tourist location.

Similarly there are no trams that do the Free City Circle and other major attractions that cater for wheelchairs.  It’s now 2011 and we are still fighting for the most simple things in life in relation to public transport.  

Surely tourist routes and new attractions should have this service?  

Here we are in one of the largest cities in Australia and one of its main attractions is its trams.  But there is no access for the disabled, or even mothers with prams, or the elderly.  It’s very disheartening.

Anita Gordon
ACT

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