Letter of the Month – Parking Issues In Bronte? Get Real!

By S. Donaldson on January 24, 2012 in Other

Duncan Horscroft recently wrote a very one-sided view of the parking situation in Pacific Street, Bronte. We all need to calm down.

Let me disclose that I am a resident in Pacific Street.

Duncan singled out the redevelopment in Pacific Street claiming the Council had ‘sold out’ to the builders. Duncan feels that residents should come first and suggests that the builders park in the Bronte Cutting. This is pure silliness.

Firstly, let’s acknowledge the point that this redevelopment is a long time overdue. The buildings were an eyesore, in terrible condition, and quite frankly a blight on our neighbourhood. The redevelopment has totally regenerated the block, with aesthetically pleasing exteriors and modern interiors. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was essential work and a number of the absentee slum landlords in the vicinity should be made to take heed. That corner of Pacific Street has experienced decades of neglect and frankly it’s about time the redevelopment happened.

In order to make these large scale improvements to our neighbourhood, the community needs to be able to support the builders and tradesmen who work on site. I challenge Duncan to carry large, heavy tools and materials the 1km from Bronte Cutting, only to have to return for more/additional items every 20 minutes for 6 months. The suggestion is a nonsense. Builders need vehicles, tools, materials, bricks, cement, timber, deliveries, food and water on site. This means they need parking. Period. Get over it. Their vehicles are in constant use doing something productive. Your parked vehicle spends 90% of its time parked and unused. Who exactly should be in the Cutting? Not someone doing their job and providing employment, that’s for sure.

Secondly, these reserved parking slots aren’t free. The builders will be paying for the reserved spots – and paying quite handsomely in my experience. These fees go into the general fund that supports our community. It’s not the builders’ fault that you feel the councilors are misusing these funds. Get out and vote if you don’t like it but don’t place the blame on the builders, who in my experience have been courteous, clean and professional at all times throughout the project.

I could go on. We could discuss the greenhouse effect of you driving your children to school every day when public transport is in abundance. We could ask why your friends can’t listen to your own advice and park in the Cutting themselves. (Why should they take MY parking space?) But it seems that you represent a fully self interested group unlikely to listen to reason and accept facts. Pacific Street has a number of ridiculously high density housing properties. Expectations of “Parking For All Outside My Door” are unreasonable and clearly impossible. Pointing fingers at builders won’t solve a thing.