By Rowan Forster
Princes Highway Service Road has drawn the ire of parents embarking on the peak-hour school run, with dozens being slugged with parking fines on the bursting slip road.
The precinct, accommodating St Patrick’s Primary School, Pakenham Early Education Centre and the Community College Gippsland, has become congested by frequent bus departures and droves of drop-offs.
Several motorists have even accused Cardinia Shire Council of using the problematic boulevard to revenue raise.
David Reece, who was fined $161 for allegedly failing to obey a no stopping sign, claimed the road is completely unsuitable for school traffic volumes.
He said the bus stop does not even have markings to advise other drivers, leaving those unsure of where they can and cannot park.
“The stop does not have a marked road in orange with a cross through it as the rest of bus stops have,” he said.
“When parents drop off or pick up kids the road is clustered with people trying to enter the school and at those times the road is blocked from other cars trying to drive straight.
“The parking officers book people who are trapped by cars in front of them, stating they parked in a bus zone.
“This is a revenue issue for council and action needs to start now to make better arrangements for parents.”
The road is only several metres wide, providing enough space for two small cars to pass one another, or if a bus is parked, just one small vehicle.
Dylan, who also received an infringement for parking incorrectly on the Princes Highway Service Road, has vowed to fight it.
The Pakenham father said parking inspectors had been opportunistic – taking advantage of an inadequate road to raise cash.
“They don’t give you a choice and then they have the nerve to give you a fine because you try to drop off your kid,” he said.
Those who are disgruntled with a fine can request to have the matter internally reviewed by Cardinia Shire Council, if the infringement issued was contrary to law or subject to special circumstances.
