Parking a problem at Ainslie shops

Why not park near the football club? That’s only about ten minutes easy walk from the Ainslie shops and used to have plenty of available parking during the day.

wildturkeycanoe said :

It is 18km from our place and definitely not going to be done in under an hour, plus as I mentioned, need to be there in half an hour to get ready for the client with an hour’s notice.
The Ebden Street suggestion is no good because there is no on street parking and you will get booked parking on the grass verge as it is also illegal. The other side streets around the shops are either no stopping zones or way too narrow to park on anyway.
The employer can’t do much about parking as they are a tenant of the building, not the owner. You can’t just expect the boss to move the business because parking is terrible, nor can you be choosy about where you work in a job market as bad as it is right now. The only solution is to just get in early if possible and go around and around till someone leaves.

An 250W electric bike will do 18kms in under an hour, easily. They cut out assistance at 25km/h.

An alternative solution is to encourage other people to cycle and actually support cycling infrastructure rather than complaining about cyclists because, you know, they don’t take up parking spaces.

carnardly said :

I just googled the distance between Higgins and Ainslie. it’s under 15 kms.

I expected it to be significantly further.

You may be further out of course, but you also may be further in.

15 kms is totally doable on a bike for any normally healthy person in well under an hour.

It is 18km from our place and definitely not going to be done in under an hour, plus as I mentioned, need to be there in half an hour to get ready for the client with an hour’s notice.
The Ebden Street suggestion is no good because there is no on street parking and you will get booked parking on the grass verge as it is also illegal. The other side streets around the shops are either no stopping zones or way too narrow to park on anyway.
The employer can’t do much about parking as they are a tenant of the building, not the owner. You can’t just expect the boss to move the business because parking is terrible, nor can you be choosy about where you work in a job market as bad as it is right now. The only solution is to just get in early if possible and go around and around till someone leaves.

I just googled the distance between Higgins and Ainslie. it’s under 15 kms. I expected it to be significantly further. You may be further out of course, but you also may be further in. 15 kms is totally doable on a bike for any normally healthy person in well under an hour.

JC said :

This has nothing to do with light rail and everything to do with an expanding population. Which actually means more customers for businesses which cannot be anything but a good thing.

As for the parking situation bottom line is business owners should be providing their own parking pure and simple. And in this case the business owner would be the owner of the shopping centre (which btw isn’t the government).

If a tenant feels there is insufficient parking to the extent it effects their business then maybe they should relocate to somewhere that has more parking.

The owner of almost all of the Ainslie Shops is Manual Xirakis. His parking options are limited by heritage requirements (as it should be). Ainslie Shops are still lovely exactly because they are protected from the developer-friendly government. If a business thinks its clients need easy parking, it will need to set up in one of the less desirable suburban centres.

Paid parking is inevitable across most of the inner north and inner south, and it’s got nothing to do with the light rail.

Ainslie was historically a lower income area of the inner north with a run down set of local shops. It’s now a popular, well used area with a very good collection of health services, some top restaurants and bars and an innovative and successful local supermarket.

The local residents aren’t going to allow their park to be paved for additional car parking spaces to service these facilities, so that means either paid parking will be required to get the most out of the existing spaces, or paid parking will be required for building a second level parking deck behind the shops.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Not on Wednesdays any more, some parents/mothers group has increased the numbers and driving around the block and side streets 3 times didn’t produce any vacancies.

Do you mean Paint & Play? It’s been running at Ainslie shops on Wednesday mornings for years. It’s on 9:30 to 11:00, so the pressure on parking should ease off a bit after that time, and school holidays should be better, as the program doesn’t run then.

i travel between clients too and regularly do it on a bike. i just wash my face and do baby wipes and BO basher between jobs. i don’t stink.

There is always a way if you just think outside the square. if you want to, you’ll find a way. otherwise its called an excuse. 🙂

wildturkeycanoe said :

Masquara said :

Maya123 said :

Book what…client of what…if I am allowed to ask, or you are willing to say?

The brothel at the Ainslie Shops closed down in the late 1980s.

Very immature. Now you know why I hesitated in saying it earlier. FYI, it is remedial and pregnancy massage, a bonafide profession.
But this is about lack of parking for all people. It is an issue across Canberra that will only get worse as the government tries to find money for the tram. There’ll be more pay stations, shorter stays and less spots as the population grows to fulfil the tram prophecy of 500,000 residents in the next few decades.
Parking for shoppers isn’t as much a drama, but employees and business owners will hurt from lack of long term spaces.

This has nothing to do with light rail and everything to do with an expanding population. Which actually means more customers for businesses which cannot be anything but a good thing.

As for the parking situation bottom line is business owners should be providing their own parking pure and simple. And in this case the business owner would be the owner of the shopping centre (which btw isn’t the government).

If a tenant feels there is insufficient parking to the extent it effects their business then maybe they should relocate to somewhere that has more parking.

Masquara said :

Maya123 said :

Book what…client of what…if I am allowed to ask, or you are willing to say?

The brothel at the Ainslie Shops closed down in the late 1980s.

Very immature. Now you know why I hesitated in saying it earlier. FYI, it is remedial and pregnancy massage, a bonafide profession.
But this is about lack of parking for all people. It is an issue across Canberra that will only get worse as the government tries to find money for the tram. There’ll be more pay stations, shorter stays and less spots as the population grows to fulfil the tram prophecy of 500,000 residents in the next few decades.
Parking for shoppers isn’t as much a drama, but employees and business owners will hurt from lack of long term spaces.

Maya123 said :

Book what…client of what…if I am allowed to ask, or you are willing to say?

The brothel at the Ainslie Shops closed down in the late 1980s.

wildturkeycanoe said :

The original problem as I mentioned, was that using public transport, including cycling, isn’t an option as a client may book an hour before the allotted time spot. This means you need to drive in order to get there in time. Belconnen to Ainslie is far quicker in private vehicle and you need to be there at least half an hour early to prepare for the appointment. Bus will not do that, nor will cycling or a combination especially in the rain. Walking 4 or 5 blocks in summer is not practical, especially when you can’t show up smelling of b.o. and aren’t allowed to use perfume or strong anti perspirants for sensitive noses.
A normal 9 to 5 job fine, for part time/casual/contract work it isn’t possible and you need to park nearby.

Finding reasons for not being able to walk a few blocks is getting a bit precious. Heaps of other people do that and arrive in suitable condition for work. Including in summer or rain.

Could your wife discuss the problem with her employer? Maybe they could increase the lead time for people booking appointments (an hour is pretty short notice), or provide somewhere for her to freshen up after a walk.

Sometimes you just have to find a way to make a situation work for you, even if it isn’t what you’d prefer.

Maya123 said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

carnardly said :

drove around the block twice?

why don’t you go 4 or 5 blocks away and you can find one easily. people just expect to be able to park right the the front door.

buy a fold up bike for a few hundred bucks.

ride it, or ride it part way with public transport. it will have paid for itself in a short time and any time you ride it after that is ‘profit’.

The original problem as I mentioned, was that using public transport, including cycling, isn’t an option as a client may book an hour before the allotted time spot. This means you need to drive in order to get there in time. Belconnen to Ainslie is far quicker in private vehicle and you need to be there at least half an hour early to prepare for the appointment. Bus will not do that, nor will cycling or a combination especially in the rain. Walking 4 or 5 blocks in summer is not practical, especially when you can’t show up smelling of b.o. and aren’t allowed to use perfume or strong anti perspirants for sensitive noses.
A normal 9 to 5 job fine, for part time/casual/contract work it isn’t possible and you need to park nearby.

Book what…client of what…if I am allowed to ask, or you are willing to say?

Remedial massage. If there are available time slots not booked, it is a waste to drive across town, but if someone books an hour prior, it becomes a race to get there and be ready for them.

wildturkeycanoe said :

carnardly said :

drove around the block twice?

why don’t you go 4 or 5 blocks away and you can find one easily. people just expect to be able to park right the the front door.

buy a fold up bike for a few hundred bucks.

ride it, or ride it part way with public transport. it will have paid for itself in a short time and any time you ride it after that is ‘profit’.

The original problem as I mentioned, was that using public transport, including cycling, isn’t an option as a client may book an hour before the allotted time spot. This means you need to drive in order to get there in time. Belconnen to Ainslie is far quicker in private vehicle and you need to be there at least half an hour early to prepare for the appointment. Bus will not do that, nor will cycling or a combination especially in the rain. Walking 4 or 5 blocks in summer is not practical, especially when you can’t show up smelling of b.o. and aren’t allowed to use perfume or strong anti perspirants for sensitive noses.
A normal 9 to 5 job fine, for part time/casual/contract work it isn’t possible and you need to park nearby.

Book what…client of what…if I am allowed to ask, or you are willing to say?

wildturkeycanoe said :

carnardly said :

drove around the block twice?

why don’t you go 4 or 5 blocks away and you can find one easily. people just expect to be able to park right the the front door.

buy a fold up bike for a few hundred bucks.

ride it, or ride it part way with public transport. it will have paid for itself in a short time and any time you ride it after that is ‘profit’.

The original problem as I mentioned, was that using public transport, including cycling, isn’t an option as a client may book an hour before the allotted time spot. This means you need to drive in order to get there in time. Belconnen to Ainslie is far quicker in private vehicle and you need to be there at least half an hour early to prepare for the appointment. Bus will not do that, nor will cycling or a combination especially in the rain. Walking 4 or 5 blocks in summer is not practical, especially when you can’t show up smelling of b.o. and aren’t allowed to use perfume or strong anti perspirants for sensitive noses.
A normal 9 to 5 job fine, for part time/casual/contract work it isn’t possible and you need to park nearby.

Ebden St is three minutes walk away – one block – with limitless free parking.

carnardly said :

drove around the block twice?

why don’t you go 4 or 5 blocks away and you can find one easily. people just expect to be able to park right the the front door.

buy a fold up bike for a few hundred bucks.

ride it, or ride it part way with public transport. it will have paid for itself in a short time and any time you ride it after that is ‘profit’.

The original problem as I mentioned, was that using public transport, including cycling, isn’t an option as a client may book an hour before the allotted time spot. This means you need to drive in order to get there in time. Belconnen to Ainslie is far quicker in private vehicle and you need to be there at least half an hour early to prepare for the appointment. Bus will not do that, nor will cycling or a combination especially in the rain. Walking 4 or 5 blocks in summer is not practical, especially when you can’t show up smelling of b.o. and aren’t allowed to use perfume or strong anti perspirants for sensitive noses.
A normal 9 to 5 job fine, for part time/casual/contract work it isn’t possible and you need to park nearby.

Dear Rioters, you shouldnt post pro public transport AND then complain about not being able to park handily! Personally, I am pro car.

drove around the block twice? why don’t you go 4 or 5 blocks away and you can find one easily. people just expect to be able to park right the the front door.

buy a fold up bike for a few hundred bucks. ride it, or ride it part way with public transport. it will have paid for itself in a short time and any time you ride it after that is ‘profit’.

Masquara said :

There’s always parking right behind the Ainslie Shops! I have never not found a park there. 90 per cent of the time I find a park out the front.

Not on Wednesdays any more, some parents/mothers group has increased the numbers and driving around the block and side streets 3 times didn’t produce any vacancies.
The new plan is to arrive an hour earlier to give plenty of time to find a spot.
Walking 3 blocks from some dirt car park isn’t ideal. Getting a bus part of the way won’t help either, as unless you catch it from Belconnen, any further on the route you have even worse issues with finding parking such as Civic and Braddon. Then you pay for fuel,bus fare and parking. That would cost more than the product of one hour of work which sometimes happens because of client cancellations or a slow day.
I think the only solution the government will implement is paid parking, just like everywhere else that has had parking issues.

There’s always parking right behind the Ainslie Shops! I have never not found a park there. 90 per cent of the time I find a park out the front.

I genuinely feel for people who need to park for the day to access their workplace. Sometimes it is not even a case of finding an all day free parking spot, but even finding a paid parking spot. I remember my indignation when paid parking was introduced in Deakin in 1989, then it followed me to Belconnen Town Centre a decade later. Unfortunately it isn’t going to get any better. Along with the tram, which won’t arrive soon enough, our progressive government needs to come up with an integrated transport strategy for the 21st century that gets more people around all the time, not just in peak hours and not just on the set commuter routes. The fold-up scooter has its merits and I have friends who swear by their electric bicycles.

I’m sure there are plenty of streets in Ainslie with unlimited parking, if she is prepared to walk.

Multi-mode transit is probably your best bet. Park just outside the limited parking area and walk or ride the rest of the way. Or park near the bus route and catch the bus the rest of the way.

“Fix my street” is for reporting maintenance issues, not “more parking please”.

Perhaps you could doorknock and potentially reach an agreement with a nearby neighbour for permission to park on their property, for a nominal weekly fee?

Don’t worry, haven’t you heard?

Soon every citizen of the ACT will have a tram passing their front door every 2.4 minutes direct to every other location in the ACT…and it will be free (to ride and to build)…and there will be a complimentary soft-serve ice-cream dispenser on board.

Or something like that.

What about parking in the dirt lot on Angas Street, opposite Goodwin Ainslie, behind Majura Oval and walking to the shops?

O’Connor Shops, Kingston Shops, Griffith Shops and similar; copy, paste, repeat.

I had this very problem yesterday. We drove around the block twice to try to find a spot and eventually found one near the park behind the shops. It’s a common problem at Griffith, Manuka, Kingston and Civic, too.

I wish I could cycle or take the bus, but given I travel all over the city for work and have to ferry kids around at the start and end of the day, that’s not possible for me at the moment.

Carpooling is, though. In recent days I have been able to hitch a ride with colleagues a fair bit, which has been excellent.

Uber and taxis are great if you can afford them.

Another option for those who are able is to park a few blocks away and use a fold-up scooter to get to and from the car. I have done this a bit in Braddon and can recommend it.

The tram will fix it………?????