Solving the Parking Problem !

Several years ago the city of Wollongong had a massive parking problem.  In fact there were two problems - one centred on the University of Wollongong and the other evolving around the concentration of medical services at the Illawarra's base surgical hospital.

The academic success of the University had attracted ever growing student numbers and now thirty- two thousand were studying at a campus that had parking for only a fraction of that number. As a consequence, the streets of surrounding suburbs were choked with parked cars and residents were seriously inconvenienced.  Many people could not access their own property and trades were refusing to quote because the area was deemed " inaccessible ".  Local residents were at the point of mutiny and council rangers were handing out serious fines without abating the problem.

Over the years the areas five hospitals had contracted to a huge base hospital on what was called " Hospital Hill " in the heart of the city and this was on Crown street which became a clearway twice a day.  Medical specialists had their consulting rooms close to the hospital, resulting in a mix of patients, visitors, and the immense staff numbers seeking the limited availability of street parking.  This was creating problems for the residents of the area and access to the hospital began to involve a long, uphill slog for most people.

In 2009 the government introduced a free shuttle bus service to solve both problems.  The route commenced by accessing the Mall in the CBD and climbed hospital hill to service both the public and the new private hospital that sat side beside at the summit.  It then descended to service North Wollongong rail station and went on from there to Wollongong University.   The circle closed when it made its way through the northern suburb of Fairy Meadow and returned to the CBD via the beachfront.

The concept was brilliant.  The buses ran in both directions at ten minute intervals at peak and twenty minutes at other times on a seven day basis.  Adequate street parking was available along the loop and residents soon learned to park, jump on the free bus and reach their destination without a parking hassle.  The fact that it connected the rail station and the university gave an adequate connection to the many students enrolled from other parts of the state.

The motivating element that caused people to change their habit and " park and ride " was the fact that this was a free bus.  It has certainly eased the parking crush at both venues and brought the centre of the city to life at a time when the introduction of parking meters had sent shoppers to the suburbs to avoid that cost.   This free shuttle bus solution was a lot cheaper than acquiring land for an extended car park at the university or building parking stations near the hospital.

Now the government is thinking of ending that " free " option and slapping a fee based on Opal card rates from January. Psychologists expect that would bring a sharp fall in shuttle patronage as many people revert to old habits and resume driving to their intended destination - and seek parking.

This free shuttle bus has certainly tamed the Wollongong parking problem.  The government needs to remember that all solutions come at some sort of a cost.  Perhaps retaining the Wollongong  free shuttle might be the cheapest option available !