Bernice and Les Virtue have lodged a petition with the council containing signatures from 24 residents of Vermont Street.

They want the council to alter rules for parking near the intersection with Brockley Street close to a trade training centre and the entrance of Wodonga Senior Secondary College.

“We request permit parking for two to four house blocks in Vermont Street from the Brockley Street end to encourage school staff and students to use parking near the school football oval to make the busy intersection safer,” the petition states.

The Virtues, who have lived in Vermont Street since 1972, said the change in entrance of the school from Woodland Street to Brockley Street had created a jam.

“This madness is on all day and it’s worse in the morning than the afternoon because they’re dropping the kids off,” Mr Virtue said.

Mrs Virtue added: “I can’t have anyone come and have a lunch because they can’t park.

“A lot of elderly ladies can’t get out because cars are parking across the driveway.

“They’ve got appointments with hairdressers and they can’t get out.”

Mr Virtue said having his ute struck by a car while he was reversing earlier this month was the trigger for action.

“That was the catalyst,” he said.

“It just reflected the madness of the situation and the inability of council to accept any responsibility to fix it.”

The Virtues point to the introduction of permit parking in the narrower nearby Awburn Street as a precedent for council action.

College assistant principal David Whitehead said his school had been “in constant discussions with council” about parking problems and had successfully sought bays to be outlined with white paint in Vermont Street.

“We had people trying to put three cars where only two would fit,” Mr Whitehead said.

“We ask people, if they can, to park on Woodland Street but we can’t force anything.”

Senior city managers Leon Schultz and Trevor Ierino said various options would be presented to councillors in reply to the petition.

“All I can tell you is that whatever restrictions you place in Vermont Street is going to move car parking elsewhere, it’s going to go into the next street and those people are going to ask for permits and then the next street and so it continues,” Mr Schultz said.

Mr Ierino noted parking was also a problem at the southern end of Vermont Street near the hospital and “a bigger look” was needed to tackle the problem across a range of streets in the area.