By Goya Dmytryshchak
It has no toilets, some people have given up trying to find a carpark there and the rain blows straight into the so-called shelter on the platform.
Aircraft station at Laverton has been ranked as either the worst or second worst in Victoria since 2015 in the RACV’s biennial On Track survey.
In 2015, the station was ranked the state’s worst with a rating of 4.86 out of 10.
In 2017, commuters disliked Aircraft even more and its rating fell to 4.20. It only dropped its worst-place ranking because Donnybrook was rated more poorly.
RACV senior planner Stuart Outhred said this year commuters were asked to have their say on how the station can be fixed.
“The concerns already identified through the On Track survey included security fears, problems accessing a station or finding a car park, overcrowded trains and poor connections to other transport networks,” he said.
“It is only through the input of the people who use these facilities … that we can gain a true picture of what the problems are.”
Aircraft’s main issues identified in the last survey were lack of toilets, difficulty finding a carpark and inadequate shelter and seating.
Cath Stephensen uses the station five days a week and said she had given up trying to get a park at the station.
“Because of the traffic congestion on Point Cook Road and because of the lack of car parking facilities at the station, I choose to walk or to cycle to the station,” she said.
“Walking onto the platform is just like something out of the 1920s. The footpath’s broken, it’s very narrow, the railings either side of the footpath are inadequate and inappropriate.
“I lock my bike to the fence … there’s just no bike security.
“There’s no toilet facilities on the station – you have to go into the shopping centre.
“There is completely inadequate shelter – there is one little box and the rain actually blows into it.”
Hobsons Bay councillor Colleen Gates said the council wants the state government to fund improvements at Aircraft as part of the level crossing removal.
People can take the survey via the RACV Facebook page or website.
