Fix needed: Heather McTaggart (front) wants parking and driver safety concerns to be addressed. Picture: Lucy Di Paolo
TIGHTER parking restrictions at The Basin Community House have reignited safety concerns along Mountain Highway.
Knox Council last week installed bollards at the popular learning centre to stop cars being parked across the nature strip. Such parking is illegal but many patrons were forced to use the area because the parking lot has only six bays, including one for the disabled.
When the parking bays are full, patrons can park 100 metres away at The Basin Primary School, but the pathway is poorly lit and uneven in parts.
The bollards were installed after complaints that patrons were also parking on a neighbouring property, however the bollards do not block access to that land. More than 100 people visit the community house each day.
While the lack of parking is concerning for house co-ordinator Heather McTaggart, she says the biggest problem remains safety when reversing onto Mountain Highway.
If none of the parking bays are free, patrons are forced to reverse back onto Mountain Highway which has a speed limit of 70km/h and a rise limits visibility.
Ms McTaggart said there was a near-fatality last year, and "families' lives were at risk", especially during peak hour.
She told the Weekly that parents picking up their children from the centre had to compete with a steady stream of drivers as they reversed onto the road. The community house has been working with Cr John Mortimore, who said he had been in talks with the council's infrastructure director Ian Bell.
Cr Mortimore said he wanted to see the bollards removed and replaced with an area for a turning circle, and has asked Dr Bell for an answer before the next council meeting.
Ms McTaggart agreed a turning circle was the best solution to fix the safety problem.
Both parties also want to see more lighting along the path from the school parking to the house, as well as vegetation being cut back
A Knox Council spokeswoman said there were no immediate plans for works at the community house, but there would be further investigation by the council's traffic and transport team.
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