By Gladys Barreta
A frustrated resident is calling on Melton council to do more about cars obstructing access to and from footpaths.
Melton local Steven Tucker, who is concerned about the safety of his children and people using mobility scooters and wheelchairs, said there has been a lack of action to prevent cars from parking incorrectly.
Obstructing access to and from a footpath or driveway is an offence under the road rules.
Mr Tucker said he has sent a submission to council via Snap Send Solve ,who have been unable to provide any solutions.
“I have constantly been contacting the council, and they tell us they have to catch them in the act,” Mr Tucker said.
“We have a five-year-old and want to keep active, so we walk down to the Aldi shops and our five-year-old rides his bike. We have had to go around cars ending up on the road, which is a huge safety concern.”
Mr Tucker said he has witnessed cars parked incorrectly on the corner of Cassia Road, Kings Way, and O’Neill Road and throughout Melton.
“The problem is sometimes these cars are parked on corners where there are blind spots. It’s flat-out dangerous, rude, and inconsiderate,” he said.
Mr Tucker said because the Melton area has a significant population of aged residents, people using mobility scooters and wheelchairs have also been in danger from the obstruction.
“I want them to start cracking down on it with daily patrols. I want residents and people to be considerate of how they park in driveways or on the street so that we can keep everyone safe.”
Council said it has responded to the concerns, stating it would conduct regular proactive parking patrols across the city.
“Officers will take relevant enforcement action if they witness cars parked on footpaths,” council’s community safety manager Phil Lovelace said.
Council is urging residents to report instances of illegal parking at melton.vic.gov.au/contact.
