13 July 2010

Free parking in Woden

| stereo henry
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I’m soon to begin a new job in Woden and being a perennial tight-arse who doesn’t like public transport I don’t want to pay for parking (or for a fare).

I’m just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about where you can park free of charge that’s within walking distance of the shopping/office precinct.

Failing free parking, any suggestions about cheap places to park would also be appreciated.

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dph said :

If you park in visitor parking in a private complex, you’re a f***ing a**hole. I hope your car gets towed.

agreed, so +1; but that should be a***hole (‘arse’ has four letters)

If you park in visitor parking in a private complex, you’re a f***ing a**hole. I hope your car gets towed.

There are spots in the Phillip Oval carpark off Ainsworth St. The oval tends not to be used during the week so it shouldn’t bother anyone. It’s no more than 10 mins walk to the Town Centre.

Just cycle in. There are great bike lanes leading to Woden. If you wear gloves and a warm jacket it’s really no problem even in the middle of winter. You warm up pretty quickly once you get moving. Also, the endorphin rush in the morning is better than coffee.

Park in Mawson. Walk 20 minutes. Save on gym membership as well.

indigoid said :

Roadworthy, year-old, Honda CT110 (Postie!) examples with rego regularly go for $1500-odd on Pickles, and they’re an awesome commuter bike. If I didn’t already have four other bikes in the garage I’d buy one 🙂

I would ride a bike, except my loved ones would worry too much.

Too many serious accidents involve bikes in this town. Every motorbike commuter I know at work has at least been knocked down at the lights. Two guys I know at work have had been seriously injured on motor bikes riding to work (one required almost a year off).

Don’t get me wrong, I love riding motorbikes they are almost too much fun.

Daspuck said :

The driving after another car goes through is also pretty funny, but it’d be more of a “one off” sort of thing rather than a day to day thing. Give it a go anyway

You have to see the damage done to the boom gates recently because of people pulling this trick.

Parking in this town is a really bad joke. The government can not make public transport a viable alternative, so it tries it’s very best to driving to work impossible.

OP: Personally, I park in the suburbs and walk in. Even a 30min walk each way is still faster than catching that useless excuse for a bus network.

Roadworthy, year-old, Honda CT110 (Postie!) examples with rego regularly go for $1500-odd on Pickles, and they’re an awesome commuter bike. If I didn’t already have four other bikes in the garage I’d buy one 🙂

You said :

Step 1 – Go and get your motorbike license.

Step 2 – Buy yourself a cheapo 250cc bike.

Step 3 – Park for free anywhere in Canberra.

Step 4 – Profit.

Has anyone actually tried to find a cheap motorcycle for sale?
No such thing! Even a 250cc bike is demanding a premium price these days.
🙁

Sorry to disappoint Palifox but the land behind the squash courts is unleased Territory land. And sorry to disappoint those that park there but things are about to change.

Yep, get a motorbike. Free and convenient parking was something I never even contemplated as a possible benefit of riding bikes, but after three years I would have to say that it is the second-biggest win I’ve experienced. The biggest win is the fun factor, of course 🙂

A warning, though: don’t be deluded into thinking bikes are usefully cheaper unless you are (a) riding a very cheap-to-run (and I don’t mean just fuel!) bike, (b) doing a lot of riding, and (c) taking the time to service it yourself.

I rode about 40000km between March ’09 and March ’10. Despite taking significant care to conserve fuel and tyres, it didn’t cost much less than a modern car at all. Further, the distance-based tax exemptions (eg. $0.58/km for 1.6L or smaller engines) available to people using cars for work travel DO NOT APPLY to motorcyclists. With ~30000km of that travel being for work (and I mean actually traveling for work, not just a tax dodge) this actually bit me fairly badly.

Also flat tyres are a pain in the arse (not to mention dangerous!) when riding a bike. I’ve had three this year alone — one front and two rears. Very glad I had a roadside assist plan

caf said :

Parking in the vistors parking of apartments / townhouses is pretty damn scummy.

+1

Also, the amateur parking police in my block have told me that it’s trespassing, since the visitor parking is on private land.

Now if you lived in Newcastle you wouldn’t have to pay to park, lucky buggers!

Stick a bike rack on the back of your car. Park anywhere a few km away and ride the last few km in a couple of minutes. Most offices provide secure bike parking and showers in case you need one.

Find a mate who catches the bus and use Park n Ride. Hee hee.

For around 6 weeks perhaps 3 dozen cars have been parked on the triangle of land by the Aussie rules football ground, near the squash courts on Launceston Street. This is land belonging to the football people and the parking inspectors can’t or don’t go on it. It’s full by 9am. This probably can’t last but those who have been using it could have saved around $200 by now.

There are also a number of reserves along Woden creek, opposite the school / college. Also on the Lyons side of Melrose Drive. I do not know what the legalities of using these would be. You could probably get away with it if you were not there every day and didn’t talk about it. The question might be whether there is any law that says you can’t park there.

Several years ago a few people were parking as far away as Renwick Street in Chifley, that lasted about three months and “No Parking” signs went up.

Parking in the vistors parking of apartments / townhouses is pretty damn scummy.

grumpyrhonda5:42 pm 13 Jul 10

You said :

Holden Caulfield said :

pete74au said :

Buy a motorcycle and there is a stack of convenient free parking

The money saved can go towards your private health care needs.

Or we can pursuade the ACT government to teach drivers how to not hit motorcyclists so often…

Oh so true!

Next to the Plaza loading dock. Cars park on the dirt area right next to the enterance to the dock, and never get fined. Although like all others, it fills up quickly.

Holden Caulfield said :

pete74au said :

Buy a motorcycle and there is a stack of convenient free parking

The money saved can go towards your private health care needs.

Or we can pursuade the ACT government to teach drivers how to not hit motorcyclists so often…

Step 1 – Go and get your motorbike license.

Step 2 – Buy yourself a cheapo 250cc bike.

Step 3 – Park for free anywhere in Canberra.

Step 4 – Profit.

CIT car park on ainsworth street, phillip.

not even ten minute walk away!!

(If you are a p-plater, or young, .etc, you really can blend into the cit crowd, if anyone questions you! hehe!)

When I worked in Woden I had a colleague who used to park at the Lyons shops. Some other people would park in the visitors parking in the apartments across the road in Phillip. Both are about a 15-20 min walk in to the centre.

The other option- park in the Westfield which gives you two hours free- then pretend you’re a smoker (maybe you are!) and every 1hr and 50 minutes tell your boss you’re out for a cigerette break and then tear off and move your car out and back in again- Doing that 4 times a day will also give you your 20 minutes of exercise a day too:)

The boom gate ideas are novel, but essentially you’re “stealing”- you’re parking in a pay area and deliberately not paying for this right. Not that i’m a moral kinda guy, but I’m more thinking about the embarassment you’d get if you were busted wheeling a shopping trolley through a boom gate:) The driving after another car goes through is also pretty funny, but it’d be more of a “one off” sort of thing rather than a day to day thing. Give it a go anyway

Holden Caulfield3:54 pm 13 Jul 10

pete74au said :

Buy a motorcycle and there is a stack of convenient free parking

The money saved can go towards your private health care needs.

marcothepolopony3:43 pm 13 Jul 10

Free parking all day just off Ainsworth Street, Phillip, just walk down Hindmarsh Drive, takes 10 minutes. That is unless the Hospital have taken over the carpark.

Buy a motorcycle and there is a stack of convenient free parking

Right opposite Woden Shopping Square there is 2 hour parking along Staverton Place in Lyons. This street is almost never patroled by parking rangers. There are quite a few regulars that park there. Once in a blue moon you might get a ticket but over time it works out infinitely cheaper to park there and cop the very rare fine rather than pay for parking daily. It’s much closer than walking all the way from Phillip.

Um – I hope no parking rangers are reading this!!! lol.

la mente torbida2:34 pm 13 Jul 10

Again, as a struggling student, you used to be able to push a shopping trolley into the parking entrance to get a fresh ticket. Leave quickly, no charge.

la mente torbida2:32 pm 13 Jul 10

Could always try this trick: park under Woden Plaza.

When leaving, get behind a car in the queue to leave. As the car swipes their ticket and leaves, follow closely behind and get out before the boom drops.

Cheap bastard!

Parking is free for my motorbike. Although on days like today, I’m wish I had driven a car and paid for parking…

grunge_hippy1:43 pm 13 Jul 10

get a motorbike. thats what hubby did when he started work in woden. free parking, cheap to run.

mind you, this was all good until he got hit by a car… so take it with a grain of salt!

home, with a bicycle…

or deep into the surrounding ‘burbs, with a bicycle..??

ride a bike, walk, or blade will be your free options 😀

Grenville court – East side – inner court 6 hours parking only – outer court – all day. But that fills up by approx. 8.30
Then go to Prospect court – street parking – all day. usually fills up by 9am.
Dundas court as a last resort.

Or if you’re really lazy and don’t want to walk the 10-15 minutes, park in the plaza, and keep moving the car every 2 hours….good luck finding a park after you move your car, and even better luck not annoying the boss doing that tactic.

la mente torbida1:11 pm 13 Jul 10

Where do you live?

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