By Casey Neill
Traders in Dandenong’s Langhorne Street want a parking reprieve for their customers.
Greater Dandenong Council received a joint letter from five businesses regarding 30-32 Langhorne Street at its Monday 14 August meeting.
The letter asked the council to consider amending parking restrictions in front of their premises to provide 25 minutes’ free parking.
Re/Max Property Specialists director Jack Milpos was among the signatories.
“Our customers sometimes just pop in to pay rent and they’re on their way,” he said.
“Sometimes they’re in five or 10 minutes at the most.
“Sometimes they walk out and there’s already someone out there issuing a fine.”
He said it could take customers longer to walk to the ticket machine, purchase a ticket and walk back to their car to place it on their dashboard than their entire visit.
Mr Milpos said many employees found themselves in a similar position.
“It’s a bit frustrating,” he said.
The council’s engineering services director Julie Reid said the council would consult with nearby traders in the coming weeks on a proposal to introduce some free 30-minute parking spaces in the area.