LAUNCESTON TOWN HALL AND STUDENT PARKING ... WHO CARES?

 

Launceston College students feel unheard by local and state governments on barriers they are facing to attend school. [Town Hall management has a tin ear for anything that requires a changed to revenue collection]

Students have spoken out about the impact of a lack of parking for Launceston College students. [Who is listening but more to the point who will?]

Student Voice members Kuba Meikle, and Thomas Howell with fellow Launceston College student Mieke Burch said the issue of parking has been ongoing for 20 years. [Yes and there was plan to add another story to the parking station across the road]

City of Launceston council addressed these concerns after councillor Susie Cai enquired about possible student discounts for parking. [But that would impact upon the available budget for salary increases wouldn't it?]

The council responded a student discount was not consistent under the Central Activities District Parking Implementation Plan, supported by the council in 2021.[OH GOODNESS GRACIOUS ... Get something wrong and the status quo must prevail]

At the Thursday, May 18 meeting, Kuba asked the council to discuss this issue with them given they had sent numerous emails. [Community consultation is not a fashionable idea when push comes to shove with Town Hall management!]

Kuba said the council emailed him saying the chief officer Michael Stretton was planning on having a meeting with principal Vicki Mackrill.[Can anyone see the talk fest in prospect here?]

Kuba speaking at the City of Launceston council meeting. Picture by Paul Scambler

Kuba said just this week a student had told him how they couldn't find a park and had to turn around and drive back home. [That is just too bad but its not really Town Hall's problem under the Act]

"Multiple people tell me this," he said. [Possibly daily but there we go but do we?]

Some students come to Launceston College from as far as Ross and St Helens. [OH MY GOODNESS but there we go again ... Education isn't a Town Hall issue unless someone looks to their moral compass]

Mieke is from Scottsdale which is an hours drive and said it was too far for her to simply turn back. [It certainly is!]

"When I first got my P's I was very late for school because I was driving around Launceston looking for a park," she said. [This is should not be happening]

Mieke said changing schools wasn't an option for her as Launceston College offered the courses she wanted study. [AS BEFORE ... Education isn't a Town Hall issue unless someone exhibits leadership rather than let the tail wag the dog]

"LC is the best public funded school in the state," Kuba said. [Education isn't a Town Hall issue unless someone steps up to the plate with an idea]

None of the three students said they would move schools or decide against attending LC, saying the education at the college was more important but a solution to the parking issue was needed. [This is a cultural landscaping issue but Town Hall asserts that it is not a planning matter. Who says so and why?] 

"LC is the best option, but parking is a side effect of that," Thomas said.  [Too right it is!] 

LC has more than 1400 students enrolled. Many year 11 and 12 students have their P plates.  [Might not this be a planning issue that the 'planners' didn't think about or want to think nabout?] 

A Department of Education, Children and Young People spokesperson said the department was aware of concerns but couldn't offer student parking at the college.  [Of course not it is not within their brief to do so ... understandably!] 

"We encourage students to walk to the college where possible and take advantage of public transport," the spokesperson said.  [Well yes and chance would be a fine thing!] 

Mieke said she was about 50 kilometres from the school. "Walking would take me a week," she said.  [That would lead to great educational outcome wouldn't it?] 

Thomas said he would be driving to school from where he lives in Swan Bay, around 25 kilometres from the school. "There are no public transport options where I live," he said. "The only option is  [This is a real issue but Town Hall is disinclined to engage. Rather management wants to play with ratepayers' money benefiting investors in another carpark!] 

It's just an endless cycle of 'go, ask your mum'  [What can mums and dads do here?] 

- Mieke Burch, Scottsdale
Thomas said he found it "unreasonable" to ask students to pay hundreds of dollars a year in parking when many only work part-time. "For some people it's not possible," he said.  [Actually who is representing these people and where are they?] 

The students said they just want the council and state government to come together for a solution.  [Sure thing, but the State Govt hasn't got a handle on anything right now and as for the Town Hall planners, they've turned into approvers and disapprovers and abdicated as 'planners' under the tutelage of ...... ?] 

"It's just an endless cycle of 'go, ask your mum'," Mieke said. [Almost everything is at Town Hall where the tail wags the dog!] 

Kuba said subsidized parking for students was a solution, rather than a whole new car park being built. [Yes it would but Town Hall would need to acknowledge that there was a problem and the operatives would need to leave their comfort zone and acknowledge past mistakes] 

NOTE: Has anyone given any thought to the underperforming C H SMITH Carpark and swallow some pride. In part there may be a contribution to a solution here and who knows there might even be some trickle downs too!

Tandra Vale