Shoppers and workers to pay to park at train stations under Park and Ride scheme

INNER west commuters will be given an edge over shoppers and local workers in the battle for prized car parking spaces near train stations in a trial of the State Government’s Opal Park and Ride scheme.

Ashfield Station has been selected as the first testing ground for the State Government’s Opal Park and Ride scheme .

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INNER west commuters will be given an edge over shoppers and local workers in the battle for prized car parking spaces near train stations.

Ashfield Station has been selected as the first testing ground for the State Government’s Opal Park and Ride scheme that would give train commuters holding Opal cards up to 18 hours free parking each day.

The scheme — which is expected to be rolled out to other stations by the end of the year — would have commuters “tapping on and off” when they access commuter carparks. Shoppers and local workers would meanwhile have to pay for the privilege.

The changes come after NSW Transport figures showed many of Sydney’s 215 commuter car parks are full by 7am — prompting calls by the NRMA for spaces to be “strictly kept for commuters”.

Commuters will “tap on and off” when they access commuter carparks.

“Obviously we want people to get commuter parking for free, but if they aren’t using public transport our view is they should pay for it,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who announced the trial on Saturday, said the changes were “designed to ensure commuter carparks are used by the people they are intended for.”

The trial is expected to begin with the completion of the Ashfield commuter carpark upgrade in May.

Motorists who do not catch public transport within 18 hours would be charged at a daily rate in line with the commercial rates. Train journeys would also need to be completed using the same opal card.

Commuters leaving the train at Ashfield station.

The announcement comes after similar trails began at the B-Line commuter carpark in Dee Why in January.

The multi-storey Ashfield carpark will have 235 spaces when completed, up from the current 139 spaces.