Empty parking spaces at Griffith airport are about as rare as hens' teeth, and Griffith City Councillor Simon Croce insists something needs to be done about it.
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He's the chairman of the transport committee, which has received numerous complaints about the cars spilling out of the parking area and onto the gravel due to lack of spaces.
It's been a problem for several years, but Cr Croce says now is the time to get "super serious" about it, now that a Griffith-to-Melbourne flight is coming to town.
"I'm hoping the airport gets even busier, because we really want the Griffith-to-Melbourne flight to take off," Cr Croce said.
"The more we use it the better flight time they can provide - it'll be better for everyone."
Several other Griffith-to-Melbourne flights had failed due to a lack of customers, but Cr Croce is optimistic that this one's here to stay.
The Griffith-to-Sydney flights have proved popular, and Cr Croce is encouraging people to get on board with the Griffith-to-Melbourne flight to keep the service afloat.
It'll mean the airport gets even more crowded, but Cr Croce said that a busy airport is a good problem to have.
But as the airport gets busier he says things will need to change; the transport committee is thinking of charging money for parking.
Cr Croce said he doesn't expect it to be the most popular decision in the world, but he says it may become necessary.
"We've been lucky up until now that we don't charge for parking, but down the track it's something we may have to look at," he said.
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Because of the free parking some people would leave their hire-cars parked in front of the airport for weeks at a time, further exacerbating the congestion.
The transport committee will be holding discussions with the hire-car companies to try and get them to pitch in to help pay for more parking spaces.
"We're going to have a chat with them to see if we can come up with a working relationship that benefits everyone," Cr Croce said.
The transport committee are planning to build another car park area to the east of the trees adjacent to the emergency exit gates.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
