A renewed push to allow trailers, caravans and boats to be parked on residential verges in the City of Joondalup has been rejected by the council, despite more than 550 residents signing a petition in support of the change.
The council unanimously voted to reject the request to amend the city’s parking local law to allow verge parking of unattached trailers at their meeting last week.
Under the existing local regulations, unattached trailers and caravans cannot be parked on roads or verges unless they are connected to a motor vehicle.
The petitioners argued the current laws “don’t make a lot of sense”, given trailers can be parked on verges when attached to a vehicle, but consume twice the space when they do so.
“The current local parking regulations do not reflect or respect the needs of the people living in the City of Joondalup, particularly when public safety and community amenity remain unaffected by the presence of trailers or other recreational vehicles on a verge,” the petition led by local Trent Mila said.
“Adjusting these laws to permit trailer parking on verges will alleviate congestion and provide practical solutions for many residents who are maintaining these spaces.
“Cities evolve, and so should the laws governing them.”
Parking an unattached trailer or caravan on a residential verge in the City of Joondalup currently carries a $100 fine under the local parking law.
City officers recommended declining the request to amend the local law, warning of “significant impacts” if the laws were relaxed.
They believed the existing regulations were necessary to preserve neighbourhood amenities, ensure public safety, and uphold policy consistency with other local governments.
“The intent of the city’s parking local law 2023 and local government and public property local law 2014 remains to ensure that verges, as part of the public road reserve, remain unobstructed, safe and available for public use, infrastructure access and pedestrian movement,” their report said.
“After considering the request, relevant legislation, past council decisions and operational impacts, it is considered that amending the parking local law is not supported due to safety, amenity, equity and enforcement concerns.
“While the city acknowledges changing housing patterns and storage pressures, it is not unreasonable to expect owners of trailers and recreational vehicles to make appropriate private storage arrangements that do not adversely impact public safety, access or amenity.”
The officers warned that softening the restrictions would require ongoing inspections, monitoring and enforcement, leading to a significant increase in operational costs.
In August 2012, the Joondalup council rejected a similar petition signed by 12 residents who sought to relax verge parking restrictions.
No community consultation was held for either petition request; however, the city said consultation as part of previous parking local law reviews found “strong support for maintaining clear and safe verges”.
