Aim: To investigate issues at and around Flemington Markets due to traffic

A) How many people visit this area and how many can it facilitate?
B) What rules/regulations are in place in this area to help control this
issue?
C) When had this issue started and from what cause?
D) What impact does this issue have on the surrounding area?
E) How has the population changed in the immediate area?

Congestion has become a considerably sizable concern here, not only at the site
of Flemington Markets, but also the surrounding suburbs, encompassing all the
way from Burwood to Lidcombe, and Parramatta Road primarily. Throughout its
227 year life span, the open air market has gained popularity, selling a variety of
products; fruit, vegetables, fish, clothes, giftware, and souvenirs. Taking into
consideration the myriad ethnicities of the commodities available, Homebush
West has become a multicultural community, of a reasonably large population for
its size that is, having 5,781 people according to the official regular census taken
by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2011. For a general estimate currently,
the citizenry logically sits at approximately 6, 100. This figure incorporates
average population growth, residential development and migration
advancements. Of this society, 18.1% are Chinese, 14.7% are Indian, 5.5% are
South Korean, 4.2% are Sri Lankan and 3% are Vietnamese. Above outlines how
the existence of marketplace has impacted the surrounding people.
Currently, there are 5 road entrances available, however 2 of them are situated
on Marlborough Road and 200 metres away from each other, thus not fulfilling
the potential ease of congestion they can offer. The other 3 are off Parramatta
Road, and an average of 300 metres away from each other. Although this is how
the infrastructure has been placed, there are several spots where it could have
been placed to improve its use. Available to the public as well, Flemington train
station has a bridge that connects the station to the markets, specially designed
for those who wish to access the markets by public transport. Alongside a Shuttle
bus, no fee charged for those who want to use it, which runs through Homebush
Station, Flemington Station, Lidcombe Station, Auburn Station, Strathfield Station
and finally the markets themselves, these are the procedures taken by the local
council and state government to ensure a lack of congestion building up.
Parking lots for 2000 cars, undercover, has been built for the general public to
use, however there are 800 spaces outdoors which are also regularly occupied by
the customers. In an hour on Saturday, which is known to be the busiest day of
the week due to it being when the traders receive their food, nicknamed Fresh
Food Saturday, approximately 550 cars enter. Causing the issue is the fact that
geographically, Paddy Markets is isolated from other stores of its kind, and
therefore the majority of the area arrive here to proceed in their mixed
purchases. It started when migration became popular and living in Australia, this
spiked in the 1980s. It has continued to arise as a problem, and strategies to
amend this need to be implemented at a drastic level.
Widespread now, the issue stretches across many suburbs and slows down traffic
immensely, and has resulted in multiculturalism to spread to surrounding areas,
as many regional packets of stores attempt to imitate the style of Flemington
Markets, and lure in customers using a diverse range of products.

Ultimately, there are several solutions for the congestion at and around
Flemington Markets. It has caused a definite impact on those that live in the
suburbs around it, but especially that of the immediate area. Approaches taken
by the council and government could be enhanced to better this issue, and
better adjust the amount of people that can facilitate this. These measures,
significantly those pertaining to transport, will improve the amount of people that
arrive here, and at what times. That is what we aim for, to increase positivity in
the area and decrease this congestion that currently occurs.