New curbs on city fringe car parking Thursday, August 25 PETER BEGG
GEELONG city councillors have moved to review parking time limits and fees in the city centre.
A study into central city parking found that workers were clogging residential streets on the Central Aactivities Area (CAA) fringe to avoid parking fees.
This left some car parks in the centre of town under used, the report found.
Immediate changes to come out of the parking report:
CIVIC Centre Car Park in Gheringhap Street is to remain open until 1am on weekends for a three-month trial;
FORESHORE car parking immediately west of Cunningham Pier to be extended to all day parking, and
LOCATIONS of all-day parking to be advertised in City News.
The Civic Centre Car Park will stay open later on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for people using the Geelong Performing Arts Centre and attending functions at City Hall.
Infrastructure councillor Rod Macdonald told this week's council meeting that the city had commissioned the study into central city parking in 2003, and among the major findings had been the need to review time limits and fees.
Cr McMullin said the Civic Centre Car Park currently closed at 6pm on weekdays and 9pm on Fridays.
He said parking times along Eastern Beach might also be extended, with indications that the three-hour limits might not be long enough.
The study said parking times at centre road parking in Myers, Malop, Brougham and Fenwick streets could also be extended ``to minimise the number of pedestrian movements'.
The centre road parks have repeatedly come under fire for safety reasons.
The study, by Andrew O'Brien and Associates P/L found that while the city had enough car parking, many inner city car parks were under-used because commuters rely on free all-day parking in front of residences on the city's fringe.
The study brief also called for the preparation of an action plan. This called for a review of off-street parking fees and time restrictions in under-utilised council and private car parks.
Cr Tony Ansett told the meeting that Geelong was now a city of 200,000 people and motorists had to accept they could no longer get a park right out the front of where they wanted to go.