The parking rules at North Wollongong beach have come under attack from residents, who say the Wollongong City Council could be putting drivers’ safety at risk with conditions requiring people to park “front to kerb”.
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Avid beachgoer Mark McCarthy raised concerns about several council parking orders after noticing new signs in North Beach car park over the Christmas period.
The signs say drivers “must park front to kerb”and stipulate that parking is not allowed between 10pm and 5am.
“I've got no problems with rules in car parks but there are a couple here that I think really need [questioning],” the Fairy Meadow resident said on the Mercury’s Facebook page.
“Firstly I can't work out how it safer to park nose in. When you have decided on a park you have passed it and able to view the space. When exiting the park you have full view of people and traffic coming and going.”
Mr McCarthy also queried the restricted parking hours, noting the car park would likely be used at night by people visiting the licenced venues in the area.
“How many people did the right thing and opted for "Plan B" only to find they had been fined for leaving the car there overnight,” he asked.
“Any holiday makers visiting friends or staying at the Novotel bringing tourist dollars to the region get fined for leaving their car for a few days?”
Mr McCarthy’s comments have stirred up debate on the council’s Facebook page, with many people agreeing that the rules need a review.
“I'm all for parking rules and fines if someone is doing the wrong thing but what is classed as the "wrong thing" really needs to be reviewed,” Leanne Miranda said.
Asked why it mattered which way people faced when parking at the beach, a council spokeswoman said the rule had been introduced for “consistency”.
“The decision to have all vehicles park consistently was made to promote a safer and more efficient flow of traffic in this busy area,” she said in a statement.
“To date warnings have been issued to vehicles not complying with the front to kerb requirement, and the council will continue to monitor compliance.”
She said the overnight restriction was introduced due to anti-social behaviour in the area, but indicated the council “would be happy to revisit the time restrictions in place if a need to do so becomes apparent”.
