THE ISSUE

On Tuesday, 20 August 2013, a limited number of residents in Eleanor Street, Footscray received a letter stating that an access road would be built through land at 41 Eleanor Street to provide an entry/exit for a 282-car car park behind numbers 39-51 Eleanor Street.

Upon approaching Maribyrnong Council, concerned residents realised that Council had been in negotiations with residents of surrounding streets for approximately ten months and those negotiations had excluded Eleanor Street residents.  Residents were also shocked to learn that work on new access road was to commence that Monday.

Eleanor Street residents and St John's Catholic Primary School are deeply disappointed, angry and frustrated at the lack of consultation and communication regarding the access road being built on Eleanor Street.

We have since found out that Ambulance Victoria, who use Eleanor Street as their main access to the emergency department at the back entrance of the Western Hospital, were never informed about the plans to add to congestion in the street.

We share the following concerns:

* The access road on Eleanor Street will mean around 880 to 1185 extra cars per day on an already congested residential street.  This particularly impacts the safety of children attending St John's Primary School.

* Around 880 to 1185 extra cars per day will affect air and noise quality in this and surrounding streets.

* Increased congestion, particularly at times of school drop-off and pick-up, means delays in ambulances travelling up the street to access the emergency department of the Western Hospital. This may lead to potentially disastrous health outcomes for ill people.

* Current projections of car numbers in Eleanor Street do not take into account the Western Private Hospital extension being built on the west side of Eleanor Street which will further increase traffic above the limit for a road of Eleanor Street's type.

* In developing the car park, Maribyrnong Council are exploring options such as establishing one-hour or permit only parking in Eleanor Street and all surrounding streets. The wider community is extremely concerned about this proposal. This will limit visitor parking for current residents, constraining social and family gatherings. It also means parents assisting at St John's School will only be able to assist for less than one hour, or park in the Council car park, walk 0.4km, and pay Council car park fees. All events at the school, including excursions and incursions, will be severely impacted by these new proposed parking restrictions.