Call to get boats off the street Author: Sunanda Creagh Urban Affairs Reporter Date: 15/07/2008 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald
BOAT owners would not be allowed to park their vessels on residential streets for more than 24 hours under a proposal by a North Sydney councillor.
Cr Jilly Gibson said boats were being left in streets for longer periods because rising petrol prices made it more expensive to tow them to the shore.
"Most residents move their cars within 12 or 24 hours. Turning that unlimited parking into 12 or 24 hours wouldn't affect most residents but it would prevent boat owners using our streets as a boat storage facility," she said. "We have young mums with kids who are parking 200 metres from their homes, carrying prams and shopping, while boats are parked out the front of their places for up to a year."
Cr Gibson said boat owners were selfish because boats often took up several car parking spaces.
The Roads and Traffic Authority will not let councils ban boats from residential streets but North Sydney planners are drafting a report outlining ways to get boat owners to move on.
"Another idea is simply having no parking on various stretches of affected areas once a month for street cleaning. That would mean we would get those areas clean and also those stretches of roadway would be made available for different people to park in," she said.
The Mayor of Mosman, Denise Wilton, said long-term boat parking was one of the most complained about issues in her area.
"If North Sydney has some ideas, then yes, we'll jump on board," she said. "It's a safety issue because often they are hard to see around and drive around."
The president of the NSW Boat Owners Association, Michael Chapman, said councils should consult with boat owners before implementing new policies.
"The real issue is we do not have sufficient affordable dry-stack boat storage facilities and it's going to get worse with fuel prices," he said.