3 October 2008

Parking Pain in the inner North...

| pure_blonde
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I think it is time the Government put aside their revenue raising parking strategies and considered a parking permit system for residents in the inner northern suburbs.

I don’t know exactly which suburbs this affects but living in Braddon and having a car is a bit of a problem.

From 9am-11am weekdays it’s illegal to park in any of the local streets and of course that means most of the residents who are not lucky enough to have an underground car park have no alternative but to move the car a long way from home or risk a $72 dollar fine each day Mon-Fri.

The only theory I can come up with is the Government make it illegal to park in the hours when people would be going to work so they are essentially forced to park in civic and pay as much as $8 a day for the pleasure.

In Sydney and probably many other metro cities, those who can prove they live in a street with such parking rules can apply for a parking permit.

All I am saying is why do those who live in these suburbs have to be punished and basically be held hostage OUT of home until 11am when its again ok to have your car at home?

I did do my research just to make sure there wasn’t a plan in place to deal with this already… This is the best I could find on the TAMS website.

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This I would like to know also! How can I find out I wonder?

2604, the open-air carparking space next to the Canberra Centre was four-hour parking, then the Canberra Centre management turned it into all-day parking exactly because people were preferring to park there rather than use the underground parking – and because the four-hour parking was cheaper, standard ACT car parking rates. It was annoying because they would put barriers up on the entrance, and there are sometimes empty spaces not being used. I’ve been wondering how the arrangement came about – an arrangement with the ACT Government, or do they actually own the carpark? If they don’t own it, ACT Government should be answering questions.

It also has to do with the govt selling off the really big carparks on the other side of civic. They say parking over ANU side is even worse than around the Canberra Centre side.

Is it just me, or since the expansion of the Canberra Centre has it become increasingly difficult to park anywhere in or around Civic other than in the Canberra Centre car parks?
Along Bunda street and near the Casino there seem to be either loading zones (which revert to taxi ranks after hours – for all the hundreds of taxis buzzing around at those times) or hard-core 5 min zones.
The NSW Gov’t copped a lot of flak for restricting streets to funnel traffic into the cross-city tunnel and I suspect that something similar may have occurred as part of the development application by QIC.

and one of them is parked facing the wrong way.

It seems to be Canberra thing that if there are only two cars parked on a road, they will be directly opposite each other, so as to only allow one car through.

It would be better if apartment blocks were built with a suitable number of car parks to begin with. In my building all but one unit has two bedrooms (the other 3). Half the units have 2 car parks spaces, the other half 1 car park space. Which is fairly short sighted of the builder.

Then there are those tiny width streets that allow parking on one side with no parking on the other so you can actually get out of your driveway, yet people park on the non parking side of the road – even if there are spaces on the allowed side.

GottaLoveCanberra said :

Hey, if you start a revolution I’ll be right behind you!

Don’t tempt me, GottaLoveCanberra! I’m capable of getting you into all sorts of trouble!!

; )

I love the smell of elections in the morning. If you live in the area and intend on voting, raise it as an issue at the next meet and greet!

How about a little venom directed at ACTPLA (correct agency?) for not ensuring there are sufficient parking spaces built into developments to actually cater to the number of people likely to live in a given building in the first place. Wouldn’t completely resolve the issue, but would certainly help. Agree with Rosie_Bubz, the time to deal with it is when a building is planned.

Jeez, someone call the wahhmbulance already.

Go live in Glebe for a while and see how convenient it is with the streets packed full of parked cars.

I have reported you all to Al Gore as Climate Enemies for owning cars while living so close to the centre of town.

They recently introduced 9-11 no parking signs in a lot of Campbell too.

So I guess all those long term residents of Campbell should have upped sticks and moved on, so as to live somewhere where they could park outside their own homes!

Ridiculous. I can’t believe the govt doesn’t have a permit system.

GottaLoveCanberra12:06 pm 04 Oct 08

“1. We should never try to change stupid, lazy laws or hold those that keep them in place accountable.
2. We should always compromise and jump through silly hoops.
3. The people should serve the law, the law should not serve the people.
4. As long as it only affects somebody else, it’s ok.”

Hey, if you start a revolution I’ll be right behind you!

There is a common issue in most apartments. One bedroom places usually have one carpark assigned to them – no good if there is a couple living there with two cars. Three bedroom places usually have two carparks assigned, again, useless for the third person with a car…

The main problem in our circumstance was that there was always more people in the house with cars then there were car parking spaces available to the house. So unfortunately, there was no choice in the matter.

Moving on and ‘choosing’ somewhere else is pure fairytale stuff. When I was renting I considered it a privilege to even have somewhere to live – it certainly was never as easy as just finding somewhere that looked good and that met my needs and signing a contract. It was always a case of competing against large numbers of other people for an available room, or house.

Then when you finally buy a place, when there are a bunch people with cars (e.g. two adults, teenagers, relatives) – picking up and moving is certainly not an option.

As we start to see more and more urban infill this problem is going to get worse. Yes, in an ideal world we would all be riding bikes and catching public transport – but I dare say that world is a long way off. Until then, the government should do something to cater for the very people that it serves.

Piratemonkey said [i]Driving through the streets you say you “need” to park on is a nightmare. These busy streets become one lane streets when you park out the front of your places.[/i]… Agreed, the streets do get pretty chokkas, but what else can you do? Any usefule suggestions?

So judging on some of these comments, i now have to choose where I live based on if I can park my car or not… That seems a little silly to me. Yes that was a consideration but I am very happy where I am and it does suit my lifestyle. I should not have to decided where I live my life based on 2 hours a day of Government greed.

And i totally agree with Granny, renting is not all that easy. I wasn’t just looking for a place in Braddon. I looked in many suburbs, just the sheer number of people applying for houses makes it very hard to get something. When you get something that suits more than 90 per cent of your needs, you take it!

AND… Why should the Government who WE elect be able to do what THEY WANT. All this talk about Government’s failing to change such rules because they will lose cash, I think there is one simple solution. VOTE for those who WILL.

Just a crazy thought?

1. We should never try to change stupid, lazy laws or hold those that keep them in place accountable.
2. We should always compromise and jump through silly hoops.
3. The people should serve the law, the law should not serve the people.
4. As long as it only affects somebody else, it’s ok.

Yes i dont see why a permit scheme cant be implemented when all the other major cities have them..
Canberra really doesnt know how to build carparks. For example, all the the carparks that cater to the buildings going up next to the airport. Why wouldnt you build an underground carpark under the building which would a) take up no ground space b) allow the cars to be covered so they dont get crap on them from the air traffic

Also Piratemonkey and c`, yeap kick people out of home, that’s a good solution (you guys don’t happen to work for a real estate agents?) I don’t see how a road where it’s illegal to park between 9am and 11am is such a congestion, and yet that same road is perfectly fine for people to park during the afternoon peak period?

Oddly, these restrictions should work for residents, as it should stop office workers from clagging up all the spaces when they head for work. Unless people start office jobs between 3 and 5 pm…..

No where did I suggest kicking people out of their homes. You get dealt your cards, simply do the best you can with them.

All of life is a compromise. If you can’t get a property you need, you get the property you can and work around the issues.

FWIW, I agree a permit system would be nice, but think of the context where these schemes are in place. In Inner Sydney for instance, it’s because there’s very little off street parking – clearly not an issue in Braddon.

I’m too premenstrual to shush, RS!

*chuckle*

err. that’s the problem of living in the city. you think you have it bad, try living in New York.

now shush

Your forgetting a very important thing, issuing parking fines earns them money, whilst running a parking permit scheme costs them money. Yes to set up such a scheme is extremely cheap, but your also forgetting the fact that there would be a reduction in the amount collected from parking fines.

Also Piratemonkey and c`, yeap kick people out of home, that’s a good solution (you guys don’t happen to work for a real estate agents?) I don’t see how a road where it’s illegal to park between 9am and 11am is such a congestion, and yet that same road is perfectly fine for people to park during the afternoon peak period?

Wow!

That’s excellent, because rental properties have just been so easy to find whenever my daughter has had to move.

And when you are in share accommodation and someone else has the car space, you would think that the ACT government would be just as capable of implementing a resident parking permit system as, say, the City of Boroondarra with all their 160,000 people ….

But perhaps not!

I’m glad it’s not ‘yp’, but it’s obviously ticking some people off. But then I’m easily ticked off, particularly by stupidity and incompetence.

If you enter a tenancy/buy an apartment knowing these rules then I don’t the issue. If this “price” of inner city convenience is too high then obviously these area are not right for you.

AFAIK, having lived in Braddon 10 years ago) and knowing people who live there now, there would be a miniscule proportion of properties which do not have car parking facilities assigned. There weren’t any in the complex where we lived – we just made sure we rented a place which had two spaces.

On that basis, off street parking should not strictly be necessary, until you’re living in a shared housing arrangement where everyone has a car. That’s not the government’s problem, that’s an individuals choice.

Piratemonkey4:11 am 04 Oct 08

For the record i recieved a parking fine the other day for leaving my car somehwere that becomes illegal to park at certain points during the day. I was drinking so i left my car longer then legal rather then drink drive and i got stung.

It was my fault for not planning ahead better and i deserved the near 100 dollar fine for all the prople i inconveniced that had a much more legitmate need for the park i was in.

Piratemonkey4:07 am 04 Oct 08

I don’t understand your complaint guys. Driving through the streets you say you “need” to park on is a nightmare. These busy streets become one lane streets when you park out the front of your places.

The solution is easy get an apartment with a park, or leave those apartments without parks for those who have no need for a car. Simple pay up or move somewhere less desirable and more convenient.

If you wanna bitch about something why not bitch about your lack of judgemnt in moving in somehwere that does not meet your needs.

Ooo my killjoy internet post for the day is done by 4am nice 🙂

This issue really annoys me. I kind of wish pure_blonde hadn’t raised it. Lucky for me I have excellent blood pressure!

: )

No, not you!

*chuckle*

… whichever ‘Minister Not Responsible’.

yep, typing at this time of night will do that to you sometimes.

Lazy. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy. Sloppy. Oh, and lazy.

pre-active??? oops, I meant pro-active. ‘e’ is so conveniently located next to ‘r’ I always do that.

this is yet another reason why some people dislike Canberra – this issue is faced by millions of people all around the world. The majority of councils a pre-active toward helping their citizens but ACT Government is a backwater with little respect for its own people at times.

They would rather use their resources to send the brown bombers around so they can grow fat from your taxes. It’s just usury. Completely immoral and unethical.

It’s absolute bu!!$%!t. I used to live in Braddon years ago and faced exactly this problem. We received parking fines soooooo many times it’s not funny. Never once would the desk monkeys accept that we lived there and we had no other choice. As a result it was essentially a type of mafia-esque situation. The brown bombers would muscle in on the suburb and make you pay a protection fee on a regular basis.

It’s perfectly understanable that they are trying to stop workers from cramming the inner suburbs with cars during the day – but they really do need to consider the rights of those that live there. As far as I’m concerned, if I live in the street, pay my taxes/rates, then I should be entitled to park there under reasaonable circumstances.

I was considering starting a petition to start a permit scheme but then I moved interstate. On the one occasion I received a reply it was along the lines of “the ACT government does not operate permit schemes and does not have the funds or resources to administer such a complex system”. I could run the bloody thing with a connection to the electoral roll, an excel spreadsheet, a laser printer and a laminator.

GRRRRRR.

Yes, this is a ridiculous rule. My daughter was unable to buy a car when she lived in O’Connor for this reason. If you ask me, it’s discrimination pure and simple that some Canberra residents are allowed to park their own cars in their own streets and others are not.

You also pay less rent when you live in a flat with no parking space. Its not like Braddon is completely devoid of cars obviously there is not an oversupply of car spaces; making it free would surely mean more cars?

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