I wish everyone a merry Christmas. Tonight I speak about a local issue in my neck of the woods, particularly on a little street in Hoxton Park known as Lismore Street. There are about 50 houses along Lismore Street and in surrounding cul‑de‑sacs. Over the past few years the residents of those houses have been subjected to what can only be described as traffic chaos. In the shadow of the recent local government election, a short-sighted knee-jerk decision was made to restrict traffic going into Lismore Street to residents of Hoxton Park only. This is the first time I have ever seen such a thing in my career, both as a councillor and an MP. Signs saying "No Right Turn", "No Left Turn" and " Hoxton Park Residents Only" have been put up. For several weeks police were stationed on Lismore Street, pulling over drivers and checking their driver licences to make sure they lived in that suburb. If not they did not, they were fined. A pretty extraordinary set of circumstances. Police passed on their frustration with this at a recent traffic committee meeting. Given the demand for police services across south-west Sydney, they would rather be doing more important work and requested that those signs be removed.
Like any good member, I started a petition and it has received hundreds of signatures. I have doorknocked the length and breadth of Lismore Street. Recently at a mobile office I discussed with residents some of the issues and potential solutions. The Lismore Street residents tell me the issue occurs Monday to Friday between 7.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. Most people would recognise that as school drop-off time, which seems to be the crux of the problem. Within the vicinity of Lismore Street there are four schools—two primary schools, a high school and a K-12 college, which seem to be the source of the problem. Residents of Lismore Street and the surrounding area for the most part have said, "Why do we not have the restriction from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. and open the street during other hours?" I have been down there at all hours of the day and there are thousands of cars, regardless of police enforcement and regardless of the road signs.
It has come to my attention in recent weeks that the council has now given parents permits to drive their kids to school, which has made matters worse. The main cause of the issue has actually been given a reprieve. The problem was caused by school traffic and the council gave parents permits to drive their kids to school. I am really not sure what is going on at Liverpool council, and I do know what is going on in households across Hoxton Park and Carnes Hill—that is befuddlement. There are multiple examples of houses on the border of Carnes Hill and Hoxton Park—they are neighbouring suburbs—where residents can choose which suburb is shown on their driver licence. For example, a husband could have as his address as 20 Bloggs Road, Carnes Hill, and his wife could have as her address 20 Bloggs Road, Hoxton Park—it is the same place. The police are pulling them over and fining the husband because his address is in Carnes Hill but not fining the wife because her address is in Hoxton Park, despite the fact that they live at the same place. This is a ludicrous situation.
There are also examples of elderly grandparents who are now scared to drive through Lismore Street. They might live three suburbs away but do they do the school drop-offs and pick-ups. What a nightmare situation. I am not a member who comes into this place and complains. I have offered a solution. My solution is to get the experts involved. My petition has called for a comprehensive traffic study for the entire area because when a street is blocked, the traffic does not just disappear. It goes to other places. So let us look at other streets and potentially restrict the time that other streets are open, and the timing of the traffic lights at the major intersections. Let us give the people of Hoxton Park and the surrounding suburbs what they deserve: an end to the traffic chaos caused by Liverpool City Council.
