Frankston car park good news but too late
The following letter to the editor/s was submitted in response to media attention surrounding the Federal Government scrapping its plan to build five of it’s promised station carparks. (Herald Sun and The Age)
There’s gnashing of teeth over the federal government not building five station car parks but we would like to inject a note of positivity – and a word of warning.
One desperately needed car park going ahead is Frankston’s multi-deck, which will add 515 spaces to an end-of-line station that’s suffered from lack of affordable parking plus traffic congestion for over 40 years.
The proposed multi-deck was first promised long ago – on 3 September 1975 when it became clear central Frankston was being heavily impacted by all-day commuter parking, making life difficult for traders, their staff, shoppers and visitors. It was never built.
When the Victorian government replaced Frankston station in 2015, the multi-deck was omitted from the project, astonishing many in the community.
While this multi-deck is welcome, albeit 45 years late, it’s now just a stopgap measure, a temporary fix.
The real solution is to move commuter parking out of central Frankston by extending the metro train beyond Langwarrin with designated commuter parking.
Businesses, workers, shoppers and visitors tell us Frankston’s economy won’t flourish without a strategic public transport solution to the lack of affordable car parking.
