No Parking No Reason

LOCAL Aberdeen business owners Caitlin Reichert and Michelle Pryor are perplexed and annoyed with a bureaucratic decision to stop people parking near their businesses.

Caitlin Reichert, owner of Pure Hair and Body, said she had asked for an explanation from the Roads and Maritime Services for why they had implemented no parking at Taylor Park, but they could not give her a reason.

NO PARKING: Caitlin Reichert and Michelle Pryor standing in the no stopping area discussing the restrictions.

“It all started when they put the new bridge in, apparently some safety people from Sydney who came up to look at the bridge decided to do it,” said Ms Reichert.

“I could understand if it was right near the bridge, but it’s not, so I wanted to know why it was now no stopping because it has impacted my business,” she said.

“I spoke to lots of different people, Council explained it was not them and that it was an RMS decision.

“I spoke to a person from the RMS who was in Sydney or Newcastle and they had no idea, he only had what was written on his sheet of paper and I had to try and explain the area to him.

“Initially he thought it was right at the T-intersection of McAdam Street so he said that was the reason and I had to explain it was further down.

“Another reason he offered was that people coming out of the camping ground would not be able to turn right safely if there were cars on the street, but there is so much room there and the park was designed for people to turn right onto the highway from it,” she said.

“And if it was so unsafe to park there, then why do the local police do so much RBT there?

“There is plenty of room for cars to park safely there.

“He said he’d look into it and get back to me, but I haven’t heard anything, they just don’t care how their decisions in Sydney impact our small businesses,” Caitlin Reichert said.

Before the restrictions three to four cars had been able to park near Taylor Park.

Local business owners have spoken with nearby residents, who have kindly began parking in their backyards to free up parking for the small businesses.

Michelle Pryor, who owns Chocolattea Café said if customers cannot park they will keep driving to the next town.

“When the bypass for Scone and Muswellbrook go in we are ideally located in Aberdeen for people to stop for a coffee, but if they can’t get a park they will keep driving,” said Ms Pryor

“I’ve only been in business here since the parking restrictions have been put in place, so I don’t know how many customers I might have lost because of it,” she said.

“If they are designing the main street, we need to include parking for local businesses, not take parks away,” Michelle Pryor said.

Taylor Park has an area for mobile homes and caravans to camp, but there are no designated parking spaces for cars.

“It’s confusing there because it is a rest stop designed for camping and we don’t park in there because we see how the caravans go in and out of that area,” said Caitlin Reichert.

“I just don’t understand why they have made it no parking, but at the end of the day it doesn’t affect them so they don’t care,” she said.

scone.com.au asked the RMS for comment, but they are yet to provide any further information.