Council's 'disgraceful' parking mistake slammed by frustrated residents
Residents in a Sydney street were suddenly stripped of their parking rights outside their home.
Frustrated residents have called out council's "pretty disgraceful behaviour" after some locals were stripped of their parking rights outside their homes without being told.
Parking has been limited on one side of a residential street in Austral, a suburb in Sydney's southwest, after 'no stopping' signs were erected without warning — and now one resident says there's nowhere to park as surrounding streets are also full.
The exasperated resident challenged Liverpool City Council to find a solution since the public transport system in the area is "pretty much non-existent". This means, many homes in the area are forced to drive and often have 2-3 cars per family. They also rely on street parking outside their homes.
But the council revealed to Yahoo News Australia a contractor was responsible for signs they say were "incorrectly" installed without approval. Residents however are still left wondering the reason why.
Residents not notified about change
The local man named Shiva told Yahoo News Australia there "was no reason provided" residents with "no communication" from council. "The street is wider than other streets in Austral as well, so it's not a traffic flow issue," he speculated.
He also noted that garbage trucks have never had an issue getting through, even with cars parked on either side. According to the resident, none of the streets parallel to hers have had new signs erected.
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Local MP 'demands answers' from council
Local MP Nathan Hagarty agreed the move was unacceptable and told Yahoo he has approached the council "to demand answers".
"This is a relatively random street with no schools etc nearby that would justify this," he said. "Furthermore, there's been no consultation with the street about whether they wanted this or that it was happening".
"This is pretty disgraceful behaviour by the council, given most houses have 2-3 cars and the public transport system is pretty much nonexistent in Austral for anyone to give up these cars," Shiva wrote on Facebook. "Is there a solution provided by the council for where to park the cars? Or are we going to have to take this further as residents?"
Locals divided over no parking rule
Many others were baffled by the move with some arguing there's "nothing wrong with the width of the road" therefore, that couldn't have been the reason for the decision. Others questioned where visitors are supposed to park if driveways and garages are full.
"Letters should’ve been sent to residents. You have every right be disgruntled," wrote one in the comments.
Council responds to residents' concerns
When approached by Yahoo, Liverpool City Council said "council has not approved or issued instructions for permanent No Stopping signs to be installed along the entire section of Trojan Avenue".
"However, Council has issued approval for a contractor to occupy and close a portion of the street to install stormwater drainage, along Trojan Avenue as part of an adjoining residential subdivision of 65 Sixteenth Avenue, from 5 February 2024 to 25 March 2024," a spokesperson explained.
"As part of this road closure, parking would be prohibited along short sections of Trojan Avenue. Council’s approved road occupancy required notification letters to be distributed by the contractor to affected residents, with a confirmation email to Council, prior to the road occupancy. This has not yet been done but will be prior to the commencement of the works."
"The contractor, carrying out the vital stormwater drainage work, has incorrectly installed No Stopping signs along the street. The contractor has been instructed and has agreed to remove the signs as soon as possible."
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