Zoe Moffatt
A Sunbury resident is calling for a lift at the Sunbury train station ahead of this year’s state and federal budgets.
When Mary Nehmy tries to use the overpass at the Sunbury station she starts to panic.
She feels this panic increase with the height of the overpass, and the overwhelming feeling builds as she tries to walk up.
“When I try to walk up the ramp it’s too overwhelming…I feel like getting down on all fours [and] I start to panic,” she said.
These feelings of intense anxiety and fear are common for people with acrophobia- an extreme fear of heights- which Ms Nehmy has suffered from since she was in primary school.
Ms Nehmy said she has been advocating for a lift at the station for over four years, and has been in contact with Sunbury MP Josh Bull and Transport Minister Jacinta Allan about it.
“I’ve had articles in the local papers and involved Josh Bull and even… Jacinta Allan… who sent me quite a pathetic response,” she said.
“I feel like I’ve been flicked off… [and they] think I’ve gone away but it’s getting the energy to [bring it] up again.”
Ms Nehmy said the current overpass limits commuters’ ability to use the station and she wants money put aside in the state budget for a lift.
“People recognise me from the photos in previous papers and they’ll come out and say yes… even if [they are not affected] they know someone who has been impacted by this.”
Mr Bull said this issue has frequently been raised with him but there are not any plans for a lift to be installed.
“I understand this is an important issue for our community… [and] I’ve spoken with the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and the Minister for Public Transport on multiple occasions about getting lifts installed,” he said.
“Both ministers have indicated lifts are not currently planned… and undertaking a project like this will be extremely challenging due to existing site constraints.”
