Gold Coast City Council is about to tighten the screws on parking in Palm Beach as a private lot owner starts charging

PARKING at popular Palm Beach is about to get even more difficult as council implements restrictions, forcing a local pub to implement parking meters.

Campbell Gellie

4 min read

July 10, 2018 - 12:00AM

Gold Coast Bulletin

The car park behind the Palm Beach Hotel now requires people to pay to park there.

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A Palm Beach business has been forced to introduce charges at its car park to avoid being overrun when council restrictions come into force.

The Palm Beach Hotel has installed pay stations at its car park between Palm Beach Ave and Fifth Ave and is charging motorists $2 for the first hour, $4 for two hours and $8 for more than two hours.

A spokesman for the Hotel’s owner, the ALH Group, said the paid parking introduced last week was to “help us better manage the car park there”.

Palm Beach is a popular spot on the Gold Coast.

If it wasn’t changed, the car park would be the largest free parking area at Palm Beach when Council brings one, two and three-hour parking limits in surrounding streets next week.

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Palm Beach resident of 24 years Jennifer Mason said the hotel was within its rights to charge for parking as it was regularly swamped by people using other businesses.

However, she said people who commuted to Palm Beach for work often had to park more than 1km away from their office.

“For locals it is OK because we can ride our bikes and walk,” she said.

“And I know there will still be one park people can use all day but at the moment you have to get there at 4.30 in the morning to get a park.

“It is just full of tradies who are working on all the construction sites around Palm Beach.”

Councillor Daphne McDonald says the change in parking restrictions in Palm Beach will free-up more car parks. Photo: Jerad Williams

Palm Beach councillor Daphne McDonald said the restrictions would increase the vehicle turnover of parking spaces in high demand areas.

“It will also reduce congestion and the number of cars circulating to look for parking,” she said.

“By offering a combination of free short and medium-term timed parking spaces in the core precinct, the city can manage the growing demand for parking and ensure that everyone has access to our businesses and beaches.”

Parking limits will be reduced in Palm Beach as of July 16 with the aim to free-up more spots.

Liveability expert Stephen Burgess of MRCagney said it was a sign of a healthy centre when councils were forced to introduce the changes.

“It means it is a grown up town now. It means people want to get in there, however if it makes parking more available people who used to walk or ride their bikes might drive now,” he said.

“In villages where you have to walk further, the streets seem more active because there are people in them, there is more of a social benefit and a retail benefit.”

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Mr Burgess said resident surveys found parking was not a priority for most people in the community and should not be one of the council’s.

“Worrying about parking is the race to the bottom,” he said.

“People don’t go on holidays and come back and say ‘Vienna was great, the parking was only $2 a day’. They rave about the culture, the food and their experience.

“They would rather have a clean, green space with interesting and active things going on. People would walk over broken glass for a good active centre.”

Similar parking restrictions came into effect yesterday ((MONDAY JULY 9)) at Nobby Beach and will be introduced on July 23 at Mudgeeraba.

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Palm Beach parking:

Fifth Avenue car park (corner of Cypress Terrace): 3 hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Jefferson Lane car park (corner of Seventh Avenue): 3 hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Joe Davidson car park (Seventh Avenue): 2 hours and some unrestricted, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Palm Beach Avenue (east of Jefferson Lane to the beach): 3 hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Cypress Terrace (between Ninth Avenue and Fourth Avenue — western side): 3 hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Palm Beach Ave (between Cypress Terrace and Philippine Parade): 3 hours and some unrestricted, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Gold Coast Highway (between Sixth Ave and Fourth Ave): 2 hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Fourth Ave (between Cypress Terrace and the Gold Coast Highway),

Seventh Ave (between Cypress Terrace and the beach), Eighth Ave (between Cypress Terrace and the Gold Coast Highway), Palm Beach Ave (between the Gold Coast Highway and Jefferson Lane), Cypress Terrace (between Ninth Ave and Fourth Ave eastern side), Gold Coast Highway (between Sixth Ave and Fourth Ave): all 2 hours, 9am-10pm Monday to Sunday

Fifth Ave (between Cypress Terrace and the Gold Coast Highway): 15 minutes and

30 minutes, 9am-5pm Monday to Sunday

Palm Beach Avenue (between Cypress Terrace and the Gold Coast Highway): 1 hour, 9am-10pm Monday to Sunday

Sixth Ave (between Cypress Terrace and the Gold Coast Highway): 1 hour, 9am-10pm Monday to Sunday.

Parking restrictions around Nobby Beach changed on Monday.

Nobby Beach parking:

Gold Coast Highway service road (western side between Chairlift Avenue and Wave St): 3 hours maximum, 9am-10pm, 7 days a week

Gold Coast Highway service road (eastern side between Chairlift Avenue and Wave St):

30 minutes, 9am-10pm (except as signed), 7 days a week

Great Hall Drive (south of Chairlift Ave), Chairlift Ave (between Gold Coast Highway and Petrel Ave), Lavarack Rd (between Gold Coast Highway and Petrel Ave), Wave St (between Gold Coast Highway and Petrel Ave), all 2 hours, 9am-10pm, 7 days a week