Cranbourne Preschool teacher Catherine Scicluna, assistant teacher Helen Davidson, with parent Darlene Chidgey and kids Jacinta and Renee, say the school needs a bigger parking area to accomodate the increasing traffic.By Alison Noonan
A CAR parking shortage at Cranbourne Preschool is causing a traffic nightmare for staff and parents.
A member of the preschool’s committee of management, Debbie Mibus, said parking around the building on the corner of Sladen Street and the South Gippsland Highway had been a problem for years.
She said at least five other organisations used the small gravel parking area, limiting the amount of space for the growing preschool.
“There are no lines so people just park anywhere.
“The first person sets the angle and it then limits the space available if they park incorrectly,” Ms Mibus said.
“People often doublepark just to drop their kids off and the area just turns to mud in the winter.
“It is also a public parking area so anyone can park there, which means our staff often struggle to get a permanent spot,” she said.
Mrs Mibus said she would like to see the area sealed and clearly marked to accommodate the maximum number of cars. “We just need a shortterm drop off zone for our parents,” she said.
“We are happy to share the parking area but it would be great if we could have a permanent space for our staff and room for our parents to safely transport their kids to preschool.”
Balla Balla Ward councillor Colin Butler brought the issue to last week’s Casey Council meeting, requesting that council officers investigate ways to improve the parking situation at the preschool.
“The preschool is getting larger which means more traffic,” Cr Butler said.
“They will also be changing to dual sessions next year but there is just not the parking.
“The area has been gravel for about 50 years and there is no marking so people just park all over the place and take up valuable spaces.
“If council redesigned the area and formalised parking I am sure there would probably be more spaces available,” he said.
He said officers would report back to council in September.
