10 August 2010

Kiss your car goodbye at Aurora?

| johnboy
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aurora screenshot

The Canberra Times has the fascinating news that the new Aurora development on the Kingston Foreshore is dispensing with private car parking in favour of the ferry service!

Developers of a $50 million mix of cafes and apartments at Kingston Foreshore are promoting pedestrian, electric car and ferry modes of transport rather than car ownership.
An explosion of building over the next two years will result in more than 500 units on the waterfront around Eastlake Parade.

A traffic assessment supporting Aurora says on-site parking will be kept to a minimum to discourage high car ownership.

This reflected a trend for higher density suburbs such as Kingston, where car ownership was lower, and Braddon, where the journey to work was short compared to other ACT suburbs.

Mr Shaw said public car parking would be more widely used than private car parking, which often was locked up and empty.

”The plan is to live here and play here and walk to work. We’re encouraging pedestrians. You know what I’d like to see? I’d love to see a ferry.”

It doesn’t sound like they’ve entirely thought this through.

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caf said :

arescarti42 said :

Well that is how it is supposed to happen. Realistically the government puts its nose into everything and distorts and regulates until the market system doesn’t work very well.

Well, if you think that less regulation would mean the developers building more parking spots and less apartments, I think you’d be sorely disappointed. Yes, regulation has been distorting markets outcomes – but it’s been doing so in favour of more parking spaces, not less.

I completely agree with you there, government policies in Australia generally distort the market outcome towards car ownership.

arescarti42 said :

Well that is how it is supposed to happen. Realistically the government puts its nose into everything and distorts and regulates until the market system doesn’t work very well.

Well, if you think that less regulation would mean the developers building more parking spots and less apartments, I think you’d be sorely disappointed. Yes, regulation has been distorting markets outcomes – but it’s been doing so in favour of more parking spaces, not less.

hax said :

More lame social engineering.

From the price/size of these places I assume they are targeting well of yuppies and Dinks. People who traditionally (in Canberra) can afford a nice car (since in Canberra they are pretty handy).

So, are the developers:

a. Targeting a subset of that group who don’t own a car and would rather not?

b. Trying to convince that group to get rid of their car (presumably so they have more money to spend on a shoddily built shoe box with stainless steel appliances)? or,

c. Simply trying to use as much space for apartments they make a profit on rather then parking they don’t, knowing that will be someone else’s problem in the future.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_f8aReoZiTqs/TGH00O8bv4I/AAAAAAAAAg4/_UAuSA35GMA/water.jpg

I had to!

JB – how do I do inline images – did not spot in the FAQ 🙂

For user security reasons, you don’t.

“A traffic assessment supporting Aurora says on-site parking will be kept to a minimum to discourage high car ownership.”

..and visitors. lol

More lame social engineering.

“be the first to see it emerge – life emerges by the water”

Interesting. I wonder when this life will open it’s eyes for the first time?

caf said :

This is exactly why we have a market economy – the forces of supply and demand will decide whether the space is more efficiently utilised as more accomodation, or parking spots.

Well that is how it is supposed to happen. Realistically the government puts its nose into everything and distorts and regulates until the market system doesn’t work very well.

That’s one of the reasons why Canberra, a city of 350 thousand people ranks higher in terms of housing unaffordability than Las Angeles, a metropolis of 15+ million.

But they are only talking about “high cars”, if you have a low car it wont be a problem.

neanderthalsis said :

martyo said :

I’m still getting past the website….

“be the first to see it emerge – life emerges by the water” – why the F@#k is the building coming out of the water??

Like the earliest pond sludge to sally forth from the primordial ooze. Hopefully this one won’t survive though.

Closer to the truth than you think.
Many years ago the sewer at the morgue 500 metres upstream used to run into LBG due to a mistake during construction.
What was left on the slab was hosed into the lake.

sepi said :

Actually a ferry would be fun tho – Yarralumla to ANU would be good. or a ferry to the national museum.

I think about a ferry on the lake and I immediately have thoughts about the ferry on the Brisbane river, and think about how great it would be on a sunny summer afternoon, cool breeze off the water, no traffic congestion to slow you down like in a bus.

Then I remember that there isn’t actually any houses close to the lake (current development aside) and most employment set just far enough back from the water that many would want some more transport on the other side anyway.

Maybe ACTION should buy some of these?

stereo henry5:08 pm 10 Aug 10

The new “FBT” carpark is close by, too bad you wont be able to get a park there either and even if you can you’ll be looking at $30 a day

Actually a ferry would be fun tho – Yarralumla to ANU would be good. or a ferry to the national museum.

Yep. Or “sure thing Maam , you can buy an apartment, but you can never have visitors, as there is no parking available for miles”

do they really think that the people that can affort to buy or rent here will be happy to walk everywhere (or catch a bus)?

‘Sure sir – we can sell you a 3br apartment, but it only has no parking and there are only 20 on street parking spots available……

Good luck.

neanderthalsis3:34 pm 10 Aug 10

martyo said :

I’m still getting past the website….

“be the first to see it emerge – life emerges by the water” – why the F@#k is the building coming out of the water??

Like the earliest pond sludge to sally forth from the primordial ooze. Hopefully this one won’t survive though.

martyo – “be the first to see it emerge – life emerges by the water” – why the F@#k is the building coming out of the water??

it emerges from the water because the flood mitigation planning left something to be desired…..

One super wet year and all of the new Kingston will be under water.

I’m still getting past the website….

“be the first to see it emerge – life emerges by the water” – why the F@#k is the building coming out of the water??

More like they are doing away with car spaces to fit a few more apartments in. This has Stanhope planning written all over it. Disguise it as a green initiative and nobody will notice!

stereo henry1:10 pm 10 Aug 10

Definitely monorail, I like the way p1 thinks – have you considered running as an MLA?

Braddon Boy said :

Light Rail!!!

Wentworth Av. -> Kings Av. -> Constitution Av. -> Garema Place

Solved.

Nah, Monorail!!

Light Rail!!!

Wentworth Av. -> Kings Av. -> Constitution Av. -> Garema Place

Solved.

This is exactly why we have a market economy – the forces of supply and demand will decide whether the space is more efficiently utilised as more accomodation, or parking spots.

How can you live in a trendy place like that with the status symbol Mercedes? Or does the ‘green cred’ override that?

Sounds like they’re taking the ACT government approach to encouraging public transport use. I used to walk to work in Barton when I lived in Kingston, but it’s a PITA to get to Civic or Woden on the weekends without a car (unless you enjoy a scenic tour of the ‘burbs every time you catch a bus).

I’d imagine that this would have an impact on the marketability of these places, but I’m sure they’ll find someone to buy them.

Pommy bastard11:14 am 10 Aug 10

Do “electric cars” not need parking spaces then?

Well, it would be walking distance to the train station, so you could go to Queanbeyan on the train.

hmm walking to work from Eastlake would be “interesting” for most people.

Just what I’m looking for; a place where I can commute between work and home and never go anywhere else!

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