Parking Meters !

It seems that Wollongong has lost the plot when it comes to installing parking meters in the CBD.

Parking meters actually decrease the number of cars that can park in city streets. Each metered space has to be big enough to accommodate the largest car - and these days consumer demand is for compact cars.

There are no plans for additional parking stations or improvements to the bus service. Parking meters are a band aid solution which will drive shoppers away from the retail precinct.

There is actually a surplus of parking space in Wollongong. The problem is that this is taken up with city workers using all day street parking for the cars that brought them to work.

The ideal for shoppers and workers alike would be to park for as long as they like right at the door of Myers in Burelli street - or anywhere within a few paces walk of their place of employment.

Obviously this is impossible, so the council needs to take a bold step and increase the time restricted parking zone further from the city centre. It needs to create a disincentive for people to drive their cars, park and walk to their jobs.

It is a matter of priorities. People wishing to park and shop must take preference over people wishing to park and go to work. Most of the all day parking in this city is well within walking distance for shoppers. The problem is that it is not available because it is taken up by the all day parking crowd.

To make this work it would be necessary to provide a reasonable alternative to the worker/drivers - and the obvious way to do this is all day parking further from the CBD - but serviced by a feeder bus delivering workers to and from their area of employment.

It would be the carrot and stick approach. Restricted parking - enforced by rangers - in close areas that are now all day parking to force the all day parking crowd to embrace alternatives.

Compensation to be provided in the form of a free shuttle bus to eliminate the long walk from the parking zone to the place of work.

If this were to be implemented there would be no need for the expense and hassle of parking meters - and Wollongong would look less like Sydney - with all the problems associated with a big city !