A DANGEROUS pattern is emerging on Cleveland’s Wellington St – and it’s putting the lives of Redland Hospital staff at risk.
Each weekday, this fast-moving 80km/h stretch becomes a de facto overflow car park, with nurses and admin staff leaving their cars along the narrow roadside verge – all to avoid the $8 daily charge in a mostly empty hospital multi-deck car park.
Let’s be clear: These are frontline health workers.
The same people we clapped for during Covid.
The same people we rely on during emergencies.
And yet, many are now walking hundreds of metres in the dark after late shifts, navigating fast-moving traffic and poorly lit streets simply to avoid an expense that should never have been theirs to bear in the first place.
There’s no footpath. No protection from speeding cars. No buffer for a turning vehicle.
The danger isn’t hypothetical – it’s imminent.
What’s unfolding is a failure of policy and planning.
Councillor Peter Mitchell rightly points the finger at successive governments for implementing rigid, statewide parking policies that don’t suit local realities.
But pointing blame won’t prevent a tragedy. Action will.
So, here’s a simple question which won’t be popular: Is it time for Redland City Council to draw a yellow line along Wellington St?
Yes, it would displace parking. Yes, it may inconvenience some. But more importantly, it might save a life.
Banning verge parking in this high-speed zone would send a clear message: staff safety is not optional – it’s essential.
At the very least, the Council should assess the risks and explore interim safety measures – like better lighting, reduced speed limits near the hospital, or a designated drop-off zone for night shift staff.
However, as the issue is 100 per cent State Government created, is it also fair to ask they fund – or at the very least majority fund – mitigation measures such as lighting, additional footpaths or parking studies in the surrounding streets?
Council will implement (and cough up a co-contribution), but to pay for State policy faux pas is more cost shifting from the State – and for the safety of their staff.
At the same time, the State Government must step in and fix a plainly broken system.
Discounted or even free parking for lower-paid health workers should be standard, not a distant ideal.
A 75 per cent empty car park is not a funding victory – it’s a failure of equity and logic.
Until then, the yellow line might be the only thing standing between a nurse walking back to their car in the dark – and disaster.
