Paul Toole says he's 'disappointed' with Lithgow Council's handling of parking debacle

Lithgow Council which has been seeking parking at Lake Wallace, criticised Mr Toole at the February 26 meeting, when Cr Stephen Lesslie noted the Operations Committee Meeting minutes amending that council note with disappointment the letter received from Mr Paul Toole about the decision of the department of education not to be involved with car park facilities at Wallerawang Public School.

Mr Toole wrote to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Sarah Mitchell, about receiving help from the government in regards to the lack of parking at the primary school.

In a return letter from Ms Mitchell, that was forwarded to Lithgow Council, it states that the department [of education] can construct new pathways and gates on school grounds to a new crossing point on Barton Avenue.

"The works on Barton Avenue, including re-positioning the traffic island, are the responsibility of council as is the case for similar works near schools across the state," the letter read.

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"Any upgrade relating to the new parking area on Council land adjoining Lake Wallace is also the responsibility of council."

MP Toole said after the meeting that he was disappointed in Council's response to the letter.

"It's disappointing, Council doesn't seem to have put any serious thought into this project, I've seen no costings, no plans, no designs," he said.

"It could have been a great project to apply for funding under the last round of the Stronger Country Communities Fund but they didn't, and it should be a project Council look at in their 2020/21 Budget."

Cr Deanna Goodsell said she was frustrated with the whole ordeal.

"At the end of the day, right, wrong or indifferent, we have asked for support and basically what the education department, supported by Paul Toole is saying is that the community at Wallerawang Public School deserve no parking," she said.

"Not on the back, not on any public roads in or out, not around, not behind.

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"The only parking the residents and the school community have at Wallerawang Public is on private land."

Currently the only parking parents have is at Lake Wallace, meaning students have to cross the road to get to their ride home.

"At the moment the department of education is happy to say there is no parking at all for any member of the school community at Wallerawang," Cr Goodsell said.

Deputy mayor Steve Ring said that it was down to the community to take up ownership of the problem.

"Unless the community, including the parents, the grandparents and the teachers get behind it, it is nothing, it is not going to achieve anything," he said.

"The community now needs to take up ownership of this and say 'we want a car park, we want safe parking'.

"It is up to the community to push this, this council has been very good with this issue, in making it safe, and have done a lot of work in making this safe for the community."

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Cr Ring pointed out that there was no safe parking at any of the school's in the LGA.

"That is poor planning by the department [of education], that there is no safe parking at any school in Lithgow area, there is no on site parking at Portland either, it is just poor planning when the schools were built," he said.

"The community has to jump up and down and tell Paul Toole this isn't good enough and we want better, until that happens nothing is going to change."

Recently a 'no parking' zone was extended along Barton Avenue in front of Wallerawang Public School.

The Traffic Advisory Local Committee installed six extra 'no parking' signs along the left hand side of the road, which was a known area of safety concern for many residents. Unfortunately that means that parents lose out on another place to park.

Councillor Joe Smith said before the signs were installed it was just an accident waiting to happen.

"I don't want to see anyone get hurt, I have three grandkids down there [attending Wallerawang Public School] and it was not a good place to park, so it was a great initiative to put the no stopping signs up," he said.