The Maroondah Leader has reported parking difficulties experienced at Croydon Station which were raised as a public question at the last Maroondah City Council meeting:

LACK of all-day car parking at Croydon railway station is driving commuters away from public transport, student Nicolas Piastra says.

The Croydon student asked Maroondah Council at its September 4 meeting to support a push for more long-term parking at the station.

Croydon Station has 400 car parking spaces, however these are regularly full after the morning peak causing difficulties for people wanting to use public transport outside of peak hours.

Cr Alex Makin said the three-hour parking was funded by Croydon traders.

He said the State Government should provide more parking for train passengers and bus services co-ordinated with the rail system to “ensure there is a reliable alternative to people having to drive there in the first place”.

While there is a need for more parking at Croydon there is also a need to ensure that we have a functional bus network that is able to take people to the station and back again in an efficient manner. If bus services were coordinated with rail timetables residents would have a feasible choice between driving to the station or using public transport for the entire journey.

There is a need for the State Government to finally realise that public transport needs to operate as a functional network, not as a collection of isolated bus routes and rail services.

Cr Makin said he planned to raise the need for more parking at Croydon at the Eastern Transport Coalition meeting on September 14.

Given Croydon Station’s status of premium station and as an important public transport hub for the outer east, the Eastern Transport Coalition would be best suited to advocating for the needs of residents that utilise Croydon Station.