Nothing done to address parking

No one could miss the complaints about parking tickets which have been reported all over the media during the last week.

The Woy Woy Peninsula is not left out.

Our attention is not simply because of the disparity in fines from over a day's wages to less than $20 depending where you get caught, but because there is nothing being done to address the causes a distinct and worsening lack of parking.

Dated planning legislation allows the approval of developments to continue with insufficient provision of off-street parking spaces.

This situation is compounded by the resultant occupational health and safety issues which arise when all sorts of trucks park illegally to load and unload.

We must stop our councils ignoring the obvious.

Reading that the State Government shares up to half of almost $30 million this year, we must pursue our interest with elected representatives.

Minister John Della Bosca has already been asked to consider acting on behalf of commercial property owners who are suffering as much as any because parking fines chase away customers.

He was requested to act on our behalf when he called for questions at a Gosford Chamber of Commerce meeting.

It falls to him to exercise his influence to alter the wording of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, which will go a long way toward removing the unsafe workplaces which exist as a direct result of poor planning at local government level.

The same poor planing ignores the provision on-site of specific loading spaces for each individual commercial development or residential development.

It was sobering to hear Mr Gary Lofts address council stating if there is a problem Gosford Council will just put a loading dock outside the new shops.

Delivery drivers and pedestrians are entitled safe environments.

The Ministers for roads, work cover, planning , and policing all have a direct involvement and should be doing their best to address \this worsening problem.

Edward James, Umina