Five-year-old Zayah Morgan gets scared taking the ferry home to Russell Island at night. Her fear started after she, her six-month-old brother Zayne and mum Debra were locked inside the secure carpark at the Weinam Creek ferry terminal at Redland Bay last weekend.
"It was really dark and we could hear lots of funny noises but we couldn't get out," Zayah said.
"It was pretty scary because I thought there were werewolves coming to get us."
About 9.30 on Saturday night, the family was returning from a birthday party on the mainland and used their swipecard to access Redland City Council's reserved parking, but then couldn't get the card to work to let them out.
When Ms Morgan rang the council's out of hours emergency number, she got no response, and on flagging down a Redland Bay police car that was fortunately patrolling the car park, was told they didn't have a key.
"We were there for nearly an hour before someone else arrived to park, which is when the police could block the motion sensors and we could all get out," Ms Morgan said.
"A few weeks ago we had a problem getting in. A few of us were locked out for a little while, and the couple who came in said they'd been having problems with their card too.
"I come to the mainland for work two days a week and another day for shopping, doctor's appointments and other essentials, so I need the mainland car and to know it will be safe."
Redland City Council's chief executive, Gary Stevenson, said the Morgans' experience was not the first time this had happened, but the council's "on-call" staff had been able to respond on other occasions.
"Our after-hours service incorrectly forwarded the call to a phone that is not manned between 6pm and 6am," Mr Stevenson said.
"Like all swipe cards, there is a chance of demagnetising, as happened during this incident. As recently as last Thursday, the gates at Weinam Creek were vandalised and the council's on-call officer responded immediately to repair them."
He said the council had spoken with the on-call service to ensure the calls are properly directed in future, and in addition to providing the on-call officer with a key/access card, the council was looking at providing one to Redland Bay police and to Bay Island Transit Service, which runs the ferry service.
The council has ruled out seeking any form of compensation from the system provider, instead saying the card had demagnetised rather than there being any fault with the system. Mr Stevenson also said they would discuss compensation with Ms Morgan.
There are currently 363 people on the waiting list for places in the secure carpark. Ms Morgan said she spent three years on the waiting list for a spot in the 438-space carpark after she bought a house on Russell Island, but expected better for the $886.40 she pays each year.
"I've had petrol siphoned out of my car when it's been parked here, but it's hard to prove, and the lighting at night is terrible. It's a real safety hazard, especially with a pram," she said.
The car park is due to be upgraded as part of the council's master plan for the Redland Bay foreshore. The incident came a day after State Infrastructure Minister Stirling Hinchliffe toured the Southern Moreton Bay Islands with Redland City Mayor Melva Hobson to discuss funding opportunities and urgent projects, including roads and transport.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter