Parking under pressure

Recent studies have found central
Pakenham
has plenty of car
parking, but residents and business
operators take a
different view.
Paul Dunlop reports.
THIS is the scene that confronts commuters using the Pakenham train to get to and from work each day.
Now where was the car again?
Soaring petrol prices and a fastgrowing community — with many people travelling to jobs in the city — are putting serious pressure on car parking close to the railway station and elsewhere around town.
Pakenham Business Group president Michael Porter said car parking was a big source of frustration around town and a major problem for traders.
“It’s probably the single biggest issue for us. The reality is there are not enough car parks,” Mr Porter said.
Traders say parking spaces around the railway station are filled to capacity each day, with commuters forced to leave their cars along both sides of busy Station Street and in nearby residential streets and shopping areas.
The spillover extends even further into the central business district, meaning space set aside for shoppers is being used as unofficial ‘allday’ parks for people travelling by bus or train.
Mr Porter said the rapid spread of car parking from the railway station into car parks designed for shoppers showed Pakenham had already outgrown a 2003 consultant’s report that found a surplus supply of parking in the town centre.
Mr Porter said the business group was compiling its own carparking study and would take the results to council when completed.
Every trader in the main shopping area had been encouraged to have input, he said.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Bill Ronald has long been an advocate for more car parking around town.
A critic of previous councils’ willingness to allow new business to go ahead with reduced car parking requirements, he said decisions of the past were now coming home to roost.
“I’ve been saying for a long time that parking is a huge issue in Pakenham and I think people are starting to realise that,” Cr Ronald said.
“If people can’t park in Pakenham, they’re not going to shop here.”
A new car park south of the railway line has been proposed as part of the longawaited upgrade of Pakenham train station.
However, funding and a timeline for works are yet to be announced. Cr Ronald said the new council was looking at other ways to expand car parking around town.
With Pakenham’s population expected to rise to more than 50,000 residents, Mr Porter said it was vital decisions made over the next few years had an eye firmly on the future.
“The town is going through its biggest ever growth now and parking is a very hot topic.”