A woman was left "disappointed and angered" when she arrived at A Day on the Green at Bowral on Saturday to find the disabled parking space she'd booked was not available.
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Liz Post reserved the parking spot because she has a vision impairment and mobility issues, which mean she uses a cane and sometimes a wheelchair.
But when the Central Coast resident and her friend arrived at Centennial Vineyards on Saturday afternoon, they were told that area was full.
Eventually another attendant found somewhere for them to park and from there it was about a 10-minute walk across uneven ground to the gates.
But the most difficulty came after the concert, when she and her friend had to make their way back to the car in the dark.
"It so easily could have been very dangerous," she said.
She said she was "incredibly lucky" that she was with a friend who knew her well and how to assist.
"I was really just lucky it was the kind of day where I didn't need my wheelchair," Mrs Post added.
Michael Newton, Roundhouse Entertainment promoter, said there had been 40 disabled parking spaces available onsite, of which 23 were pre-booked.
However, Mr Newton said last-minute staff shortages and the loss of some space due to the recent wet weather had caused issues with traffic control and car parking management.
"Disabled parking holders had to drive through the car park to access the dedicated disabled parking area that was positioned close to entry to the event," Mr Newton said.
"With the issues in the general car park being at capacity it blocked the access to the dedicated disabled parking area. In future we will look at ways to change this."
Mrs Post said that when she booked the parking space, she received an email that was the completed form she had filled out.
She was concerned about this so contacted the concert organisers and asked if she needed other confirmation, but was assured that the email she had received would be fine.
The only reason she and her friend considered driving to the event instead of getting a shuttle bus, she said, was because they had somewhere to park close by.
Mrs Post said she understood that the conditions could affect parking, but when the organisers knew how many people needed these disabled spaces, they should have had them available.
There was no alert sent out, she said, nor did there seem to be any contingency plans.
There were also issues with the general parking area on Saturday, which was deemed too muddy to let more vehicles in - this decision made just 15 minutes before headliners Crowded House were due to hit the stage.
Mr Newton said that because of the staffing and weather issues the onsite parking was capped to those who had pre-booked and this was communicated to ticketholders via email and text, but on the day there were 200-plus vehicles that showed up without pre-booked spaces.
After 21 years and hundreds of shows, he said, the team prided itself on its major events.
"Unfortunately, the execution of this event didn't go to plan due to a number of reasons - all of which we will be addressing, and speaking to all stakeholders to ensure this doesn't happen again," Mr Newton said.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
