Macleay Island residents have turned to creative mediums to spread their concerns for parking availability, accessibility and island transportation in Redland Bay.
The Parking For Bay Islanders Group put on their creative caps to record a music video to an original song by Gabrielle Neaves titled Redlands Investment Corp Stop Horsing Around and follows the popular rock single Where’s Our Flaming Parking Spot.
87-year-old singer Patti Ponting and her group, The Grundys, released the music video on June 9 and songwriter Mrs Neaves said it was a project that so many of the islanders were eager to get behind.
“It is a very serious discussion topic, and we wanted to create another way of sharing the message and getting those discussions happening,” she said.
Mrs Neaves said the proposed retail and hospitality precinct development to be built at the Weinum Creek Marina (Redland Bay) did not address the increasing population on the islands, which is expected to double over the next few years.
“The lack of parking is very concerning as it will become impossible for islanders and island essential services to park if the building of shops progresses,” she said.
“The proposed multi-story carpark complex will cater for shoppers, and little room will be left for any islander parking. These new shops will need to have access to parking for their customers or they will go out of business.
“Islanders currently paying to park in the council-fenced enclosure will also be losing their car spaces as the proposed shops are to be built over that area.”
Mrs Neaves said the bus system was great between the terminal and other shopping centres but buses could not support the varied destinations of the one million annual travellers.
“GPs and paramedics who visit the islands struggle to get parking spots to catch the ferries,” she said.“
One GP who has offered to pay for his parking space for some months has consistently been turned away by various council representatives as there are just no parking spaces available. Our critical workers run the gauntlet for parking every day.
“My son was officer in charge of the referendum last year and they ran out of resources for some of the voters and couldn’t get a resupply until hours later due to the election officials unable to get parking on the mainland to get to our island. It meant that some people couldn’t vote which is a failing in democracy.”
Mrs Neaves said the marina desperately needed an upgrade for residents, and while additional shops would be nice, it would cut islanders off from the mainland.
She said the group was passionate about supporting the community to get something done to ease the parking problems.
“We have no political alignments, and we found that doing something creative like this can get a message out in a way that people may want to hear it,” she said.
Mrs Neaves congratulated all involved with the music video and reported that there was a lot of laughter as the video was put together.
“I hope that people have the chance to watch it and see one of the perspectives from our islanders about the Redland Bay Marina,” she said.
