Hopes high for Gordon car parking petition

HOPES for new car parking spaces outside the combined Gordon pharmacy and medical clinic are high, after a strongly supported petition on the issue was tabled at the Moorabool Shire council’s recent meeting.

The petition, with 263 signatures, was mounted by Revive Pharmacy assistant and local resident Milla Place, prompted primarily by two incidents earlier this year when paramedics were delayed in responding to medical incidents at the adjoining GP clinic.

They were held up because they could not find anywhere to park their ambulance close to the clinic.

“We had a situation where we had paramedics trying to get to the medical centre,” Place said.

“All the car parks (there are four spaces adjoining the clinic and pharmacy building) were full.

“And along the nature strip at the front (on Russell Street) was full – people had parked along there already so the ambulance had to park down further (towards the post office).

“The situation happened in the reception area of the medical centre … and it took too long for them to come in.”

The petition was open for about three weeks and had been available to sign at various locations including the pharmacy, the medical clinic, the post office, local schools and in other townships including Ballan.

Place said people from Gordon, Ballan, Mount Egerton, Wallace and even Blackwood had signed it.

The petition has requested that angle parking be installed on the substantial nature strip outside the pharmacy-clinic building’s Russell Street frontage, along with accessibility improvements.

Councillors voted to receive the petition and to ask officers to “respond accordingly”.

Place said people visiting the pharmacy and clinic were often forced to park on the road verge on either side of Russell Street or even the nature strip, which could easily deteriorate into a muddy mess as people made their way into the building.

The petition said: “Currently, there are no formal parking spaces available, which results in vehicles parking along the grassed nature strip and sometimes partially on the footpath.

“During wet weather this area becomes muddy, uneven and slippery, creating difficult and potentially unsafe conditions for pedestrians accessing these essential community services.

“This area is frequently used by many elderly residents, families and people visiting medical services, and the current parking conditions raise concerns regarding public safety, accessibility and pedestrian access.”