Vehicles parking illegally be warned

The City of Armadale is concerned over a growing number of complaints regarding vehicles parked illegally on footpaths, kerbs and street corners, putting both pedestrians and motorists at risk.

Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones OAM, JP is encouraging residents and visitors to be more considerate of others when parking vehicles around the City’s streets.

“Parking on the footpath is dangerous to pedestrians as well as being illegal and motorists need to ensure that the footpath is kept clear for people to walk.

“Many motorists don’t realise the difficulties they can cause pedestrians when they park their vehicles indiscriminately on or over a footpath.

“Recently the City has received a number of reports regarding trade vehicles being parked illegally adjacent to, or near, building sites causing obstruction to pedestrian traffic; or parked close to corners so as to obstruct the line of sight for other road users,” said Mayor Zelones.

Some of the most vulnerable pedestrians may be young children, parents with infants in strollers or the elderly. When pedestrians have to walk on the road to get around a vehicle parked across a footpath, the opportunity to increase the risk of a serious injury or even death is significantly increased.

“Footpaths are constructed to provide a safe environment for all pedestrians and it is especially worrying to observe young school children and people with strollers having to avoid vehicles illegally parked on footpaths.”

The City is committed to keeping local roads and footpaths throughout the City safe for the benefit of all residents, and the City’s Ranger Services will continue to be vigilant to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

One of the ways of achieving this is by a strict application of the Local Law Relating to Parking; thereby reducing the risk of injury caused by the indiscriminate parking of vehicles. Failure to comply with requests from the City to park correctly may incur a fine of up to $1000.

If you see a vehicle that is parked illegally and obstructing visibility, contact the City’s Ranger Services on 9394 5000.

For more information on the City’s local parking laws visit www.armadale.wa.gov.au.