12 May 2011

Working and parking in Woden, how to?

| franzipami
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I have worked in Woden on and off for the past 9 years and have the same dilemma as everybody else with the parking. I think I have tried almost every spot around the vicinity to find the cheapest parking. But now with our two young kids and the part-time work have had to settle for what parking I can get – which after 9.30am is only around the pool/oval area.

Yesterday, there was not one spot available except on the grass verge near the oval fence, opposite the parking bay area. As far as I could see there was no signage for “No parking” or “Parking in bays only” and like the dozen or so other cars was not hindering any other cars as far as movement or view was concerned. Well, they slugged me. What made it worse was the fact that I actually had purchased and displayed the $7 ticket to park there!!

This is the first time I have seen this particular car park full and I expect it had something to do with the cold weather which of course is now going to continue for a while. I’m now at a loss to work out where to park given the same situation. As far as I can see my only option is to park at the plaza and move my car every two hours.

I was just wondering if anybody could provide some useful advice (ie. no stupid responses like “don’t have the kids in the first place” and “don’t work”) given the following:
* My husband and I both work in Woden and unfortunately have to take two cars (both small) to take turns in the drop-off and pick up of the kids. My husbands work provides him with a car park, so he is alright.
* Our commute is from Dunlop so no chance of a bus. As it is, it takes 1 hour 15 mins to finally get to work. Yes, I have lived in Melbourne and I know the commute can be a lot worse – my issue is the parking.
* Eventually hoping to move house to Woden/Weston (when the house prices are not so stupid!! – are we dreaming??) so we’d like to keep the kids at school in the area.
* On my 9.30am day (on other days I start at 7.00am so no problems with parking there) I finish at 6-6.60pm ish so Phillip is not really an option. The only spot I could manage is probably at the far end and I do not feel safe walking there at night.

Any advice on parking in the area would be great.

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There are always parking spaces over behind the Callam offices.

Whenever I have cause to drop the lad at school I head straight there. Sometimes you might get a spot near them on Callam Street, but safest option is going to Easty St and parking on the dirt.

Can’t recall how much they are, but it’s not the $9.50 standard. Maybe $8.

I then walk to work with Hellenic Club on my right.

You could do what the public servants do and park in Westfield and leave work evey few hours to move your car.

As much as I hate to promote giving any money to Westfield, you should talk to the concierge at Westfield. I know they have permanent parking spots – ie 24/7 – available in Neptune carpark (the one connected to DJ’s), I just don’t know if there are any available at the moment. I do remember that when I looked into it about a year ago the prices were reasonable compared to the usual parking rates around Woden. People I know that have spots there do still come in early so you may have to check details with Westfield to ensure it works for you.

DarkLadyWolfMother8:36 am 17 May 11

goquietly said :

So if I lived within 1km of Woden eg Phillip, Chiefly, Lyons and had an unused, undercover car space, how much pw could I rent it out for?

They already named a suburb after him?!

goquietly said :

So if I lived within 1km of Woden eg Phillip, Chiefly, Lyons and had an unused, undercover car space, how much pw could I rent it out for?

Well if it costs $7 a day to park in the town centre, $35 a week, I think it would be reasonable to ask $30 a week. I’d pay that. A little less than town centre parking due to the distance but still good value to have a dedicated car park.

So if I lived within 1km of Woden eg Phillip, Chiefly, Lyons and had an unused, undercover car space, how much pw could I rent it out for?

Sometimes people in the flats in Lyons rent out their spaces.quite a few are without cars. I remember seeing them advertised on The work classifieds or you could put a notice up at the Lyons shops asking for one 🙂

ConanOfCooma9:15 am 13 May 11

I drive from Cooma every morning, and ensure I get to work at 7, so as to get parking – Otherwise there is no chance. If your husband has guaranteed parking, why don’t you swap child shifts? He can do the morning, allowing you to get a carpark. Then you can get the kiddies in the afternoon.

Thanks Buggles, yes, already a suggestion by the milkman. I’m not sure if there will be an issue with the security passes, I guess we’d have to swap them and hope that security aren’t all that ‘secure’. As I said, it’s worth looking into.

Re: the housing issue. We’d love to live nearby but it is a small issue of money – we’d love to live in Woden or Weston but realistically I think our main option is north Tuggeranong. It seems the housing market is slowing a bit. I’ve not been looking overly closely at it but do have two friends that have both had their houses on the market for over five months with no luck at all. Anyway, realistically, it will be a year or so for so for us into the future. Aside from that, living nearby will not solve the parking problem anyway. I get into work straight after the kids are dropped off and unlike childcare, school has start/finish hours. I have been given a ‘lot of food for thought’ though.

Couple of observations here.

1. Why live in Dunlop, when you both work in Woden. If it such an issue move to Tuggers.

2. So hubby has a dedicated spot in Woden. Well simple on the days you get in late, make hubby park in a standard car park, and you in hubby’s spot. If it is only hubby’s car that is allowed to park in hubby’s spot…simple hubby takes your car and you his. Problem solved.

the milkman said :

Assuming that on the day you start at 9:30 am that your husband gets to work earlier…then

You should park in your husbands car park and he can park in a standard space. Problem solved.

lol, too simple to be true. They would probably have to swap cars, oh such drama

I like that – I might have to grow a goatee to match his security pass. Good comment though, worth considering!! Thank you.

Assuming that on the day you start at 9:30 am that your husband gets to work earlier…then

You should park in your husbands car park and he can park in a standard space. Problem solved.

Thanks for those who posted constructive comments, and for those who didn’t, well, at least read the post properly and see that I’m not after sympathy and I know there are a lot of people in similar situations, hence, the request.

Just a couple of points in response to the posts: I don’t expect my two year old and five year old to catch a bus by themselves, even down the road; childcare was a bugger to get in the first place and I do not want to wait another year to have my little one placed; even if the kids were placed in school nearby I still wouldn’t get to work until 9.30am at the earliest – same situation, I don’t know if it’s legal to have two young kids on the back of a motorbike and car-pooling – very difficult for non- 9- 5ers. Got me thinking though…

I wasn’t actually complaining about the parking fee I’m just after a full-day parking spot!! You’re right, it’s true, you can’t have it all. Given the same situation I guess I’ll just suck it up and just park in Lyons or at the Plaza and move the car/feed the metre if necessary.

Gungahlin Al1:01 pm 12 May 11

dpm said :

Gungahlin Al said :

You’ve worked there for nine years and you still haven’t worked out it’s easier to just use the bus than to fight for a spot and always remember to keep shovel loads of change because the ACT Gov’t hasn’t yet discovered there are parking machines that take cards and notes?

I think she said no stupid (i.e. non-constructive) responses – and also mentioned the bus was not an option (from Dunlop, after considering taking kids to school too).
How much is Plaza parking for 3 (or 4 hours?) Would 2 lots of 3-4 hours parking there be similar to $7 a day? And as it is only one day per week, that may be an option, especially considering Civic workers pay more anyway, so $7 is a bargain! I’d say all the other cheap/free parking spots around Woden would be well and truly taken by 9:30….

DPM: I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was serious. The parking in Woden is complete shite. I recently had a full week there at the APSC, so ran a comparison of car v bus. Bus hands down in every respect. 50 minutes door to door from Gungahlin, while facing the same sorts of kid drop-off issues the OP faces. Live blogged it on the http://www.facebook.com/gungahlin but compiled in this newsletter: http://www.gcc.asn.au/Meetings-notices/GunSmoke-notices/gunsmoke-121-out-now.html

If there isn’t an express bus route near your school drop-off then just park near the closest one, and leave your hassles behind. And if it is an option, consider parking it as an old bike rather than a valuable car, for added security, and a bit of exercise.

agree with the last poster. drive to a local oval in curtin, lyons or anywhere, park there and walk. Or grab a bus from there. Even a bus ride return fare is about $5.50 – heaps cheaper than a bit of close dirt. Work out what routes go where at what times and pick your spot. North Curtin oval to Woden is about 10 mins on a bus. Surely parking over near the yamba club takes the same time to walk anywhere either.

troll-sniffer12:05 pm 12 May 11

At the risk of thinking laterally… ouch what a thought in this white bread town… look up ACTION timetables for nearby suburbs, places like Pearce, Torrens, Hughes, etc and find a bus that arrives at Woden around the time you need to be there. Locate a suitable spot on the bus route and park nearby. Suburban shops come to mind. Using a splendid shiny new MyWay card, board said bus at the chosen location and get whisked right into the Woden town centre. Once the working day is finished, leave work at a convenient time to catch a convenient bus back to your car. Perhaps a few minutes longer than driving straight in but a bit cheaper and much less angst.

It’s been a few years since I worked at Woden, so sorry if this is out of date….

The first 2 rows in the big car park next to Hellenic Club are (were?) Park and Ride spots up until 10am, after which time they become standard all day parking again. Is it possible to park in Short Stay or at Westfield and then take a quick break to move the car at 10am?

Hmmm. How about advertising in the school newsletter for before school care for your little ones. Then you can drop kids off at the carers house early and they can take them to school. Freeing you up to get to work earlier and get a park. Perhaps you could offer to do some after school care as a swap and it would all cost you no extra money just having a few extra kids at your house after school a couple of days a week.

If the OP only has one or two days a week of late starts, maybe park in the Westfield carpark til lunch then move to a all-day park for the afternoon – yes it will cost about $4 on top of an all day ticket (or pass) but it’s a lot cheaper than a $77 fine. BTW if your car is a gold Tiida or white Celica I saw the car on the grass with the parking voucher and wondered why you would park there and not in the heaps of kerbside short-stay parks…

How much is Plaza parking for 3 (or 4 hours?) Would 2 lots of 3-4 hours parking there be similar to $7 a day?

Heads up that costs are available online at: http://westfield.com.au/woden/getting-here/where-to-park/

To the original poster, possible ideas (not solutions):
1. Pay more money,
1.1 e.g. rent a permanent parking spot.
1.2 e.g. pay more at private parking areas
1.3 hire someone to pick up children for you

2. Go earlier to get all-day parking, and find something to do at Woden. Knitting some warm clothes maybe.

3. Park at Belconnen, and take the bus in, in true Park & Ride fashion. That would allow you do park earlier. Dunlop is closer to Belconnen. And Blue Rapid is quite frequent. NB that I have never actually been to Belconnen. Or Dunlop.

This is my first winter in Canberra. As much as I dislike driving, parking and the whole idea of subsidised car parks, winter is really challenging my commitment to cycling and public transport.

Is parking in a side street in Lyons or Curtin an option? Other than that and after reading other posts here there doesn’t seem to be any logical solution.

I know that you wanted parking solutions but you wrote that you want to “keep the kids at school in the area”. Kids are pretty resilient and it may even be good for them to change schools at least once in their lives and learn to make new friends. Also, It would probably be easier on you both at weekends if their current school friends live in the same area as you. Even if you do eventually move Southside what are the odds that your new home will be close to their existing school anyway?

If the children are schooled, even temporarily, near your current home your options might increase significantly. You might be able to drive and park (for free?) part way (eg, Bruce or Albert Hall) and get a direct bus to Woden. You (or your husband) could get a small motorbike and learners permit and the other partner could use the existing free carpark (incidentally, if your husband doesn’t actually need the car for work, you could both do this now and whoever has the children each way gets the car and carpark). I suppose though that cycling from Dunlop (even if you bike and ride) is probably a bit too far.

What a complicated life. Living at one end of town, working at the other, and choosing to send kids to school at the other end of town, and having to drive them. I am puzzled by this compulsion to drive kids to school these days. I caught the bus all my life, yes even in Infants school, which was a long way from where we lived.

If it was me, I’d be looking for a way to use the one car, for which parking is supplied, and getting a bit more realistic about the kids’ transport. As it is, you are battling for road space and car parking with all the other people who feel it necessary to use two cars and drive their offspring to/from school.

Sometimes, you really can’t have it all.

MissPeaches said :

Did some of the respondants even read the opening post?

It doesnt matter how sad the OP sounds, everyone parking in woden would give the same sob story if they could, and thats without even talking to the people who dont use a carpark and instead catch a bus. If you insist on working in a town centre, during business hours with the masses, it is common sense (aka rush hour) that things are busy at 9am and 5pm.

OP also mentions doing a 1.5hr commute in Melbourne, did you also take your car into the city there and complain about lack of parking, or did you catch public transport? Surely having spent that long in Melbourne, the thought of using a car daily to work should be fairly distant in your mind.

If there are no spots available in your current parking area then you have a few options.
1) Purchase a razor scooter/folding bike and park further away.
2) Purchase a parking bay somewhere in the area.
3) Put your kids in a school within walking distance from your home and take one car to work.

Did some of the respondants even read the opening post?
It’s not a matter of paying for parking but availability. And Car pooling is not so easy on part time hours.

Maybe its worth considering getting employment closer to your house, away from the Woden parking chaos? That will save you money in travelling from north/west corner of Canberra to south Canberra everyday, and also avoid the mess that is Woden parking.

You’re in the same boat as thousands of other people who have to park their 5-seat (or more) vehicle in front of their work, pay $5 a day, earn $20/hr and then complain about the situation. If parking is a problem, save your time and your $5 and just stay at home.

On a more serious note, since you probably wont consider making things easier for yourself by car-pooling or working closer to home, you could look at a motorbike for transportiny yourself to work. Parking is free and much easier than for cars. You could also try to find a friend who lives nearby to Woden and ask them if you can leave your car at their place everyday.. you could even offer to give them a few bucks a week too, but that would go against the premise of wanting parking for nothing.. while youre getting paid to be where you are.. my heart bleeds

I think you should write a letter to the ACT gumbermint explaining that you’re stupid. I would also include the $7 ticket and say “not only am I stupid, I am happy to pay for it”

I would also like to thank you for contributing to the ACT tax system through your parking fine. 🙂

Eventually hoping to move house to Woden/Weston (when the house prices are not so stupid!! – are we dreaming??) so we’d like to keep the kids at school in the area.

lol – This made me laugh

Gungahlin Al said :

You’ve worked there for nine years and you still haven’t worked out it’s easier to just use the bus than to fight for a spot and always remember to keep shovel loads of change because the ACT Gov’t hasn’t yet discovered there are parking machines that take cards and notes?

I think she said no stupid (i.e. non-constructive) responses – and also mentioned the bus was not an option (from Dunlop, after considering taking kids to school too).
How much is Plaza parking for 3 (or 4 hours?) Would 2 lots of 3-4 hours parking there be similar to $7 a day? And as it is only one day per week, that may be an option, especially considering Civic workers pay more anyway, so $7 is a bargain! I’d say all the other cheap/free parking spots around Woden would be well and truly taken by 9:30….

Gungahlin Al9:33 am 12 May 11

You’ve worked there for nine years and you still haven’t worked out it’s easier to just use the bus than to fight for a spot and always remember to keep shovel loads of change because the ACT Gov’t hasn’t yet discovered there are parking machines that take cards and notes?

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