Council seeks feedback on common practice
The practice of locals putting cars for sale parked in high-visibility streets could soon be ended, following State Government advice the practice is illegal without council approval.
Northern Beaches Council has been struggling for years with how to deal with the issue, and has now received advice from Transport for NSW that it can only be done with council approval.
Dozens of cars with ‘for sale’ signs are parked on the main thoroughfare joining Collaroy and Long Reef – between Anzac Parade and Hadleigh Avenue – each weekend. Local business owners, shopkeepers, beachgoers and visitors to the nearby Griffith Park have long railed against the unofficial car marketplace, saying that finding a place to park locally has become impossible.
It is a subject that independent councillor for Narrabeen Ward, Vincent De Luca, has felt strongly about for many years, as a result of the lost car parking spaces, business impact and safety issues. As a result, he has been pushing council to roll out a two-hour parking limit on the stretch of road, in order to deter owners from parking their vehicles continuously from Friday to Sunday night.
Councillor De Luca told Peninsula Living Pittwater: “Those complaining have routinely pointed to the safety risks of people walking on to the road in heavy Pittwater Road traffic while viewing vehicles, as well as the loss of car spaces for locals and particularly businesses losing custom due to no parking.”
Transport for NSW’s advice also said that motorists disobeying parking laws was ‘primarily an enforcement issue,’ which fell under ‘NSW Police and council jurisdiction’.
Councillor De Luca said that he welcomed Transport for NSW’s advice, and is encouraging locals to have their say on whether the cars for sale area should be allowed to continue. Council has opened a community consultation, which has so far received more than 160 submissions, with a closing date of 23 July.