By Laura Michell
Hume council is appealing for election candidates to commit to improving carparking at Broadmeadows train station to reduce congestion on surrounding streets.
The plea follows a state government pledge to build 11,000 new parking spaces at train stations if it wins next month’s state election.
The government has yet to announce where the extra parking will be, but the council is hopeful Broadmeadows will be on the list.
Cr Naim Kurt said the lack of parking at Broadmeadows station was not a new issue.
“We know congestion is an issue on our local roads, particularly around the train station,” he said. “Part of that is because there simply isn’t enough parking at the station itself, forcing people to park on residential roads around Railway Crescent … making it difficult for residents who live locally to get out of their own driveway.
“We have been in negotiations with VicRoads for a number of years to try and get multi-level parking happening in Broadmeadows. The process has taken longer than anticipated. Why can’t we built a multi-level car park at Broadmeadows station?”
The council will also write to Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy asking for a commitment to reinstate the
$18 million allocated by the Brumby government in 2010 to redevelop the station complex. The funding was redirected to other projects in 2013 following a change of government.
Cr Drew Jessop said the money was “taken away” from the Broadmeadows community.
“It is an absolute eyesore and needs to be rebuilt.
“We need to get the station redone as the community would expect,” he said.
