First it was Uber inviting citizens to use their private cars to make money by stealing passengers from the taxi fleets. Then it was Airnb providing an alternative to the hotel and resort industries by renting out a room in their homes for budget conscious holidaymakers - and now that very same concept has extended to a bed in the back of a van, parked in an exciting location.
Waverley Council has long been troubled by backpackers living in their vans parked kerbside at Bondi beach. They are careful to incrementally move their vehicles to stay within the letter of the parking law, but this is virtually permanent parking and it impedes other users from making purchases from the nearby shops and visiting our world famous beach. Then there is the inevitable litter that overwhelms council rubbish bins and the sight of washing laid on vehicle roofs to dry in the sun upsets many people.
This backpacker scene is certainly contentious. Some people think it adds to Australia's reputation of a laid back place where rules are made to be broken, while others deplore what they see as a feral contempt for safety and hygiene. Unfortunately, some of these campers seem to go out of their way to be offensive, dumping rubbish on the footpaths and using parks and gardens as toilets.
Now a new concept has arrived. Some van owners have muscled in on the backpackers and are using Airnb to offer a bed for the night - right opposite Bondi beach. The going rate seems to be $ 34 per person/night and most vans can accommodate three people. The advertising extols the range of eating places and facilities just a few metres away and suggests those staying overnight can use the beachside toilets and showers. It would indeed be a cheap form of accommodation for those travelling on a limited budget.
What spooks councils all over Sydney with nice beaches within their jurisdiction is the prospect of this developing into a core "Favella ". The tolerance for backpackers from other countries living out of their vans will certainly evaporate if this morphs into a commercial enterprise with a steady stream of people using these vans like a hotel room. It is also likely that older and more decrepit vans will start to offer such services further removed from the best beach scenes - with consequent lower prices. It is not a concept to be encouraged.
There are obvious options that councils can exploit, and the most obvious is restricted parking time. We will probably see metered parking extend and replace timed parking in vast distances from beaches and already this is making taking the kids for a quick dip a very expensive option. Many complain that parking within walking distance to a beach no longer exists in most suburbs, hence the proliferation of private swimming pools that has occurred in recent times. This problem is exacerbated where backpackers hog what is available as kerbside unmetered space.
Most councils have by-laws making camping illegal, but some magistrates have a problem defining sleeping in a vehicle as "camping " and perhaps it will need a broader definition to bring this under control. It is certainly evident that entrepreneurial ideas will continue to expand as the Internet delivers cheap communications to make new business ideas viable.
Who would have thought Uber or Airnb possible - just a year or so ago ?
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