Eligible residents in Alexandria will partake in a year-long trial of visitor parking permits, aiming to ease visitor parking in selected streets.
Ben Aveling, Convenor of the Alexandria Residents Action Group, said
they welcome the Council distribution of visitor parking permits to the area. “We are very glad to see them come in. It is something obviously [that’s been] needed for a long time,” he said.
Parking concerns in Alexandria increased after developments in the Australian Technology Park. Mr Aveling said: “It’s certainly gotten a lot worse since they’ve started operating. There’s a lot of contributors to it. People park here and then go elsewhere using public transport, using taxis … people park here and go to the airport.
“The trial is not going to solve everything … these problems are permanent. The city is expanding, the area is becoming more populated. It’s never going to improve and its just a question of trying to make the most of it.”
The visitor parking permit trial has been introduced by the City of Sydney Council to address the concerns of Alexandria residents.
Councillor, John McInerney referred to the importance of gaining feedback from residents. Mr McInerney said: “It’s very important. Clearly, they are the users of this whole process and what we’ve
got to do is find something that solves their problem … the problem is too many cars and not enough spaces.”
From July 30, Council is introducing two-hour parking limits on selected streets in Alexandria for people without residential parking permits. The move towards timed parking hopes to maximise parking usage. Mr McInerney said: “If there is a limited supply … [the idea] is to maximise the use of that limited supply.”
According to Mr Aveling, visitor parking permits will be convenient for residents where parking is difficult and timed, as in the northern parts of Alexandria. But Council is conscious not all residents want the scheme.
Mr Aveling said: “They are only putting the scheme in the northern part of Alexandria … so I think they’ve got that right.”
The existing residential parking scheme is multi-layered, with large households restricted in the number of parking permits they are
allowed, developer parking restrictions in place and public transport inadequacies affecting Alexandria.
Mr Aveling is pleased with Council’s visitor permit trial and that they have “chosen to listen to resident concerns.”
