Hume council has supported a plan to invest in marked parallel parking bays at schools to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion.
Councillor Ally Watson’s notice of motion to prioritise parking bays at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School and Gilgai Plains Primary School was endorsed at the 23 February council meeting.
Cr Watson said the congestion around these schools at drop off and pickup shows growth pressure in real time.
“The infrastructure once again isn’t keeping pace, public transport is limited, car dependency is very high, and at drop off and pick up, the congestion peaks fast,” she said.
She said both schools have spacious parking lanes, but without clear, marked parking bays, cars park inconsistently.
“Cars are banked up, drivers are circling around, parents are frustrated, streets stretch beyond what they were designed to handle.
“We don’t need a multi-million dollar solution to this problem, what we need is line marking.”
She said clearly defined lines maximise every metre of road space.
“It reduces the ‘one more lap’ syndrome and improves flow, safety, and common-sense parking.”
She said the approximate cost of marking parallel parking spaces at the two schools is $5000.
“It’s a small investment, it’s an immediate impact and it’s a real relief for our growing families.”
The council will consider investing a total of $20,000 into parallel park line markings at schools across the municipality in the 2026/27 budget.
Cr Watson thanked the three residents who submitted public comments raising safety concerns about the lack of school crossings.
“I know that is a problem, but we’ll be addressing the line marking through this particular notice of motion.”
Councillor Daniel English said the resident’s safety concerns would be eased by increased road rule enforcement.
“Forty kilometre zones and speed bumps just aren’t going to work without the enforcement,” Cr English said.
“I hope local members try to get the enforcement side fixed with new police stations and new crossings.”
