Anger as more car parks go

Hamish Heard
Elderly beach users and families will be the losers when a car park on The Esplanade closes to make way for sewerage works, according to a Torquay councillor.
Great Ocean Road Coast Committee executive officer David Clarke this week announced a car park at the end of Horseshoe Bend Road would close permanently to allow a new sewage pump station nearby.
“As part of the project, the foreshore car park at the end of Horseshoe Bend Road will be removed, with vehicles no longer able to access this point,” Mr Clarke said.
“It is proposed that two new car parks will be developed along The Esplanade on the east and west sides of Horseshoe Bend Road.”
Thirty existing car spaces would be replaced with room for 70 cars in the new parks, Mr Clarke said.
But Cr Ron Humphrey slammed the proposal, saying the proposed new car parks were too far from the beach for elderly users and families.
“These car parks will be 80 to 100 metres from the beach, which means the elderly and young children will have to lug all their beach gear for all that extra distance,” Cr Humphrey said.
The new car parks would also be built on council-owned land, at a cost to ratepayers $160,000, he said.
Cr Humphrey labelled the change “another example” of State Government shifting costs on to ratepayers.
“Let’s not forget that the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee is an arm of State Government, so if the committee wants to close that (car park) down then why should ratepayers pick up the tab.”
Cr Humphrey said there was “no way” the new car parks would be complete in time for the busy summer holiday season, leading to a “serious shortfall” in foreshore parking.
He said the shire had complained to the coast committee after it allowed organisations including Go Ride a Wave to continue parking at a White’s Beach car park after earlier closing the area to the public.