Homeowners and tenants along a busy street in the middle of the Sunshine Coast have implored the local council to address parking issues.
Residents of School Road in Maroochydore have submitted a petition to local authorities requesting a review of weekday on-street parking conditions due to “sustained high occupancy, low turnover and increasing residential density”.
It comes amid reports an ambulance was unable to access one of the homes due to the parking configuration.
Councillor Taylor Bunnag, who met with concerned locals, highlighted their plight.
“It (the road) is on the western side of Sunshine Plaza,” he said.
“Maroochydore is a principal activity centre and there’s a there’s a high degree of uses in that area, like the plaza.
“There’s (also) a childcare centre at the end of the road and there’s a school.
“It’s a place where there’s not a lot of parking turnover because of workers who are in the nearby plaza and other businesses.
“So, council has been asked to look at the options to address the parking turnover, but also the safety of people being able to get in and out of their driveways.
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“I heard reports from residents that they called emergency services before, and hadn’t been able to get an ambulance into their driveway because of the parking configuration.
“The residents have been very respectful in what they’re asking council to look at.
“(I’m) looking forward to seeing what our officers can do to discuss these issues with the residents and try to resolve them.”
Thirty-eight people signed the petition to address the road, which stretches about 460m to the west and about 130m east of bustling north-south Maroochy Boulevard.
The western section includes the childcare centre and dozens of residences, with vehicles parking along the sides of the road.
The eastern section includes a large business complex and some residences, and it leads to Maroochydore State School and the region’s largest shopping centre, Sunshine Plaza. There are about eight designated car parks on the street, with other vehicles parking along the sides of the road.
Sunshine Coast News asked the council several questions regarding School Road.
A spokesperson said the petition was “submitted to Sunshine Coast Council on March 26” and it has “been referred to the CEO for consideration and appropriate action”.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
