Friday 29 January 2010
Tamworth Regional Council is about to test run new parking rules for some crucial CBD zones designed to provide better and cheaper long day spaces for workers.
The low-cost trial will affect parking spots in Kable Avenue, including the CWA and Hands of Fame car parks near Diggers and the White St bay and mean that the maximum fee for all day parking will be $2 a day during that time.
The 40 parking spots along the park side of Kable Ave between White and Fitzroy streets will be turned over to all day parking for just $2 a day. They are currently 70c an hour Monday to Fridays and Saturday mornings but have four hour limits.
However, short term parking will still operate at 70c an hour. The new fees are still among the cheapest parking rates in major or regional centres.
In the Kable Avenue carparks next to Red Cross House, where there are a total of 127 parks at 70c a hour but for unlimited hours, the same $2 all-day rates will apply alongside the 70c an hour fee.
Civil construction manager Murray Russell says the new trial reflects a review of usage and demand patterns by motorists and is designed to provide more CBD parking at a cheaper cost for city workers but still provide plenty of CBD parking for shoppers.
“Our investigations show that both the CWA and Hands of Fame carparks are not being as well utilized as they should be. The same applies to the Bicentennial Park side of Kable Ave between Fitzroy and White streets,” Mr Russell said.
“You will often see only a handful of cars along that whole stretch yet we have other premium parking areas and criticism from many workers that they can’t get any of the free spots close to their workplaces because they fill up so early each day.
“Anecdotally it would appear that the pay and display area in Kable Ave doesn’t suit workers because of the four-hour limit and the 70c an hour fee but it also isn’t being used by too many shoppers either. “So, in an effort to make these areas more attractive to all-day parkers we will trial the alternate parking arrangements. And to make all things equal and equitable, we will apply the $2 a day rule to the parking bay at the Kable Ave end of White St too. It is currently free – but there’s never a free spot in there after about 8:20am on weekdays.”
The trial will begin Monday February 8 and last for six months.
“We’ll be monitoring it to see just how effective it is in attracting more patronage to those under-used parking spaces and distributing all-day parking pressure across a wider area,” Mr Russell said.
“The trial is all about making the parking spaces work better for everyone and provide more long term parking for workers close to the city without clogging it up and taking parks from shoppers. But it will also tell us how effective it is in also freeing up some of the parkside spaces for visitors and families who want to get to the park or the memorials. We will be reviewing it and asking for consumer feedback too before we submit a report to council about any long term decisions.