Parents blame revenue, not safety, for fine mess at Lara

Andrew Mathieson
Lara parents are angry at fines for dropping their kids in front of school, blaming their illegal parking on a council reluctance to provide more spaces.
But City Hall has hit back, saying the fined motorists are endangering the lives of school children.
By-laws officers have been handing out $117 fines at Lara Primary School for failing to park in drop-off zones.
Mother of two Alison Bliss said she was nicked in “about two seconds” for dropping her son off after having to round the block several times in search of a parking space.
The City’s traffic unit had been monitoring the front of the school and taking down registrations, she said.
Mrs Bliss believed council was putting raising revenue above providing safe parking.
“The council is thinking we’re breaking the law – I think they’re thinking they’ll get some money out of us,” she said.
Mrs Bliss said up to 40 cars were battling every morning for three parking spaces.
The City had been unwilling to explore potential solutions, she said.
“They can work out a larger drop-off spot because there’s so much room for more cars but they haven’t even bothered allocating it,” Mrs Bliss said.
“All the parents sit waiting patiently for the other cars to move out but (where the parents wait) is a no-standing zone.”
City Hall defended the fines. Laws and compliance coordinator Steve Sodomaco said the cost of penalties reflected the seriousness of safety concerns for children.
“The presence of council officers at some school crossings is primarily for safety reasons,” Mr Sodomaco said.
“Parents who do not obey the road rules in these situations put children at risk and can block the vision of the crossing supervisor as well as blocking the vision of other drivers in the area.”
Mr Sodomaco said State Government, not the City, had set the fine at $117.
Requests for changes to parking zones were referred to City engineers for review, he said.