Residents have been parking up to 100 vehicles along Pittwater Rd at Collaroy on weekends, adorning them with handmade “For Sale” signs. This unofficial car yard stretches for hundreds of metres between Anzac Pde and Hadleigh Ave and Council officials have just confirmed that the practice is illegal.
The presence of the impromptu car yard has become a source of growing complaints from nearby business owners and shopkeepers as the influx of vehicles has caused inconvenience for businesses in the area, hampering their customers’ ability to find parking spaces during the weekends.
The kerbside lane of Pittwater Road, situated between Anzac Pde and Hadleigh Avenue, becomes occupied by for-sale vehicles, leaving visitors to nearby Griffith Park struggling to secure parking spots.
Vincent De Luca, an independent councillor on the Northern Beaches Council, has long been an advocate for banning the car market due to safety concerns. Recently, De Luca received advice from Transport for NSW affirming the illegality of advertising vehicles for sale on public roads or in public places without prior approval from the council.
De Luca has been pushing for the implementation of a two-hour parking restriction to dissuade individuals from selling their cars along the roadside.
For years, residents, local businesses, and beachgoers have voiced their grievances regarding the presence of cars for sale along Pittwater Rd, Collaroy, and Long Reef throughout the weekends.
Concerns primarily revolve around the safety risks posed by people walking onto the busy Pittwater Rd to view the vehicles, as well as the loss of parking spaces for local residents and businesses, resulting in a decline in customers.
Acknowledging the significance of these concerns, the council has initiated a period for public submissions, seeking community input on the possibility of eliminating the car market. The aim is to engage with the residents and gain a comprehensive understanding of their apprehensions while exploring potential solutions to address the sale of private cars along Pittwater Rd.
Some business owners complain that the cars for sale along Pittwater Rd often occupy parking spaces that should be available to their customers. The scarcity of parking spots caused by the weekend car market has created a parking predicament throughout the entire neighbourhood.
Cr De Luca, who has been lobbying state governments about this issue since the 1990s, urges individuals to take part in the public submissions process and make their voices heard.
Published 5-July-2023