Page 2999 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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Questions without notice
Parking—Telopea Park
MR DOSZPOT: My question is directed to the Minister for Territories and Municipal Services. Minister, from Monday of this week parking on the west side of Telopea Park is prohibited and a two-hour time limit is to be imposed in adjacent off-street car parks. What was the reason for TAMS to make this decision and what consultation was taken prior to the policy change?
MR RATTENBURY: I thank Mr Doszpot for the question. This is a matter that has been in train for some time. Residents in the area have contacted Roads ACT with concerns about safety, particularly their ability to get out of their driveways with vehicles parked in the street. As members may recall, it is a 60 kilometres an hour zone down that street.
TAMS has undertaken investigations into this. The road is of a width that is right on the borderline of whether there can be full-scale parking there or not. There was some suggestion that the centre-line be moved to allow for both vehicles to be travelling in both directions and a level of parking. TAMS took those various options to the residents and there was strong feedback indicating that the residents felt the safest option would be to have no parking on Telopea Park west.
In respect of the parking areas inside Telopea Park, they have now been made a two-hour zone. That is to facilitate the fact that up until now those parking areas, members may again recall, are dirt car parks within Telopea Park. They have been used by office workers to park there all day. People who wanted to access Telopea Park during the day, particularly mothers with young children, found that they were unable to get a parking spot. So that has now been turned into a two-hour zone to enable people to access it during the day.
As part of the changeover, information is being provided about alternative all-day parking areas in the region. There is a three-hour parking zone in the middle of Wentworth Avenue, which will be suitable for some people, and there is also free all-day parking near the bus depot markets.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, what arrangements have been made for when there are matches at Manuka Oval for match-day parking then at Telopea Park?
MR RATTENBURY: I do not believe there is a specific arrangement on that one, Mr Doszpot. I would have to check whether the two-hour zones are seven days or five days—Monday to Friday. I cannot remember. But each time there is an event at Manuka Oval, a specific temporary traffic management plan has to be prepared. That is done as a partnership generally between the Economic Development Directorate, as the agency responsible for Manuka Oval, through territory venues and events, and TAMS. So that is something that would need to be prepared in that context.
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