The focus this morning was on public transport as thousands of children went back to school and parents were free at last to return to their workplaces.
However here in South West Sydney there was an extra reason for celebrating: Transport for NSW has finally approved the first stage of creating 2,000 extra car parking spaces at Edmondson Park station.
The first 1,000 spaces will be available to commuters this time next year as stage one of the project.
Approval has come after widespread lobbying from the community, including numerous petitions calling for the urgently needed parking to end the nightmare for commuters who catch the train from Edmondson Park or Leppington station.
While local Labor MPs and councillors have been in the trenches with commuters, community activist Michael Andjelkovic has no doubt who deserves a pat on the back the most.
“At the end of the day, the credit for this announcement should go to the commuters, residents and petition supporters who have signed and shared the online petition and been involved in signing nine other paper petitions over the last two years since the community campaign for #MoreParkingNow started,’’ he said in response to the announcement.
“This announcement is still not the conclusion to our campaign but it certainly is a step forward in the right direction,’’ Mr Andjelkovic said.
“There is also the new paper petition calling for the extension of the South West rail link to the new airport which has 2,000 signatures out of a target of 10,000 which has stalled due to the Covid lockdown. Campaigning will continue on these issues.’’
Federal MP Anne Stanley said the residents of Edmondson Park and surrounds “should rejoice with this good news”.
“The promise of this car park dates back nearly two years, and finally, after much pressure, the community will see the car park they need open by mid-2021.
“The announcement by Transport for NSW says that construction will begin over the next few months, so I will be watching closely to ensure that no further delays occur,” she said.
State Member for Macquarie Fields, Anoulack Chanthivong, also paid tribute to residents for embracing the campaigns for more parking.
“I want to thank the local community for their support and persistence in joining our campaign to deliver more infrastructure for our growing community,’’ he said.
“Our community has campaigned long and hard for their fair share,’’ he said.
“For too long this Liberal Government continued to ignore the needs of local commuters, but our persistence has started to pay off.
“I will be monitoring very closely that construction works starts this year and is completed by mid-2021.’’
Liverpool City Councillor Nathan Hagarty also chimed in with praise for local residents.
“Finally, the NSW Government has listened to the concerns of our community and their representatives after numerous delays and changes to plans,’’ he said.
“It’s been long enough, and we’ve suffered too many delays.
“While this is wonderful news for the community, I want to make sure that the NSW Government now delivers on this latest announcement and the rest of its promises for Edmondson Park,” he said.
Parking in the new multi-storey car park will be free for commuters for up to 18 hours when they tap on to a connecting public transport trip with their Opal Card.
The existing northern car park will remain free and untimed as it is now.
