Anger as visitors block driveways and sleep in the streets

Alex de Vos
Residents “fed up” with tourists sleeping in vehicles and blocking access to driveways have demanded council impose tough new laws to curb illegal parking.
Torquay’s Lyn Macquire said she was sick of waking up to find her street lined with campervans and motorists parked across her driveway.
She urged council to introduce parking permits to crack down on offending motorists.
Ms Macquire said the last straw was when her husband caught a man who had slept in his van overnight urinating on the curb the next morning.
“He had his pyjamas down and was peeing in the street,” the Felix Crescent resident said.
“It was disgusting.”
Ms Maquire said the number of motorists thumbing their noses at parking restrictions peaked over weekends, holidays and Schoolies Week.
“Council comes in at times and books them but we want a solution of permits for the residents.
“We’ve had a dreadful time with letters going back and forth to council – we just want the problem solved.”
Surf Coast Community and Ratepayers Association president Spencer Leighton cautiously backed the permit plan.
“We put it to council that we wanted permits for the residents but the council wouldn’t accept that,” Mr Leighton said.
“There are problems with parking but it’s a bit of a thorny problem – even if they gave residents stickers, they’d only give you one.”
Mr Leighton pointed the finger for a share of the blame at Torquay’s Crowne Plaza.
“The biggest problem is there is not enough parking at Crowne Plaza, so people are parking in the streets,” he said.
“I don’t know how they got away with not providing enough car parks.”