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Residents living near one of Melbourne’s most iconic tourist attractions have been told trial and error is the only way forward in finding a long-term solution to illegal and dangerous tour bus parking.
Though the Brighton bathing boxes on Dendy Street Beach attract more than one million tourists annually, parking is a long-standing issue, due to limited access via public transport and a heavy reliance on private tour buses.
An estimated 20,000 people take a tour bus to the colourful boxes each year, with up to 20 vehicles visiting simultaneously during the peak summer months, according to a report by the Bayside Council.
There are frequent public reports of illegal parking by tour operators, parking of buses in residential streets as well as general traffic and road-safety concerns in the area.
Brighton resident Rowan Thompson, who lives near the bathing boxes, said bus parking is a constant issue, and that he frequently sees vehicles parking in no-standing areas, despite the fact they often receive fines.
“We all whinge about the buses,” he said, adding that Dendy Street was the most impacted. “One of the topics of conversation is certainly the buses, and what a pain in the arse they are.”
Bayside City Council introduced three trial bus bays along the Esplanade in May 2024 to try to regulate parking in the area. But the designated spaces were used only sporadically, largely due to their distance from the boxes – located roughly 300 metres away.
Some locals also complained that the bus bays replaced 13 public car parks. A petition with 96 signatures was submitted to council requesting the designated bus zones be permanently removed, and public parking reinstated.
Last week, Bayside councillors voted for multiple parking changes, including trialling new bus bays that are directly across the road from the boxes, investigating a resident permit parking system on Dendy Street and implementing a traffic management plan.
Deputy Mayor Andrew Hockley said at the March 17 meeting the only way to find an effective plan would be “trial and error”.
“[It’s] the only way to deal with something which is as complex and important as this. Spending huge amounts of money on an ‘I reckon’ is simply not the way to go,” Hockley said.
Rowan Thompson agreed designated bus parking closer to the boxes was needed so that traffic could be safely managed in the area, even if it meant slightly reducing the number of public car parks.
“It’s a fantastic attraction for Melbourne, and I don’t want to see that die. However, they need to allow for this bus traffic because it’s there … it’s happening,” he said.
Director of city planning and amenity at Bayside City Council Kelly Archibald said the new parking mechanisms approved by councillors would be supported by increased enforcement by parking inspectors.
“We are developing a parking management plan for the area which will seek to restrict the impact on residents from tour bus operators,” Archibald said.
“Council is committed to finding a parking solution that prioritises our residents while allowing safe access for visitors.”
Though some tour operators are believed to be acting irresponsibly, others are endeavouring to reduce the impacts on the local community.
Daniel Pantlin, operations manager at Go West Tours, said his company was the first to conduct organised tours to the bathing boxes back in 2015. Routes to the attraction have since increased, and he said some newer operators had started parking incorrectly.
“We hold our staff to a very high level … not parking illegally or making nuisances of themselves. Unfortunately, it does appear that those [who] followed our itinerary … impact the public in a negative way.”
Pantlin said the trial bus bays introduced in 2024 were not feasible for older customers or those with accessibility needs, and that introducing closer parking locations was an important first step.
But he warned there also needed to be guidance from the council about what operators should do when those bus bays are full.
“You need to have a solution and look at the bigger picture during these peak times … Otherwise, this is trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.”
Pantlin said he had been in contact with Bayside Council and was hopeful that its latest decision would eventually lead to a permanent solution.
“We are aware that these people do live there, but we’re only there for a very short time,” he said. “You want people to come and see these amazing places within Melbourne. You don’t want to make it hard for them to get there.”
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