Toowoomba parking strategy squeaks through despite mayor opposition
A divided Toowoomba council committee has pushed through a parking overhaul strategy that critics warn will burden sporting groups with red tape while asking teachers to direct traffic.
The latest iteration of the Garden City’s parking strategy squeaked through on a vote in the Toowoomba Regional Council Infrastructure Committee meeting, setting the stage for a showdown when it goes to an ordinary meeting on Tuesday.
The document, which offers a broad outline of the council’s priorities, calls for, among other things, a reduction in the overall area covered by the Central Traffic Area Parking Management Plan.
It also calls for incentives to encourage more city workers to use longer-term parking in the CBD, such as along Water and Station streets, and replacing the current metered system with pay-by-plate technology.
Sporting groups would be required to prepare and implement parking plans, while schools would be encouraged to send staff out the kerb to help improve traffic flow during afternoon pick-up.
The majority of car parks within 200m of the Toowoomba Hospital could be limited to three hours while larger commercial and industrial businesses would be encouraged to collaborate so that overflow parking from one business could use the vacant spaces at another.
Details of the parking incentives and the costs of new car parks, improved lighting, and the pay-by-plate system were absent from the public-facing strategy and were instead addressed in a confidential document.
Mayor Geoff McDonald, deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff, and councillors Edwina Farquhar, James O’Shea and Kerry Shine voted against approving the strategy.
Speaking prior to the vote, Mr O’Shea expressed his frustration with the strategy when compared to previous iterations approved in 2019 and 2014.
“I don’t think we are doing a lot different,” he said.
“There are changes coming in with pay-by-plate, but again, that is something that this council wanted to happen well before this strategy came into place.
“This strategy does not take in the vision we hear from our community about where we want to be.”
Mr O’Shea highlighted that it had been about 12 months since the council voted to bring in pay-by-plate technology but there had been little progress.
He added that not enough was being done to address the lack of parking in the heart of the city, which was a disincentive to investment in new hotels, CBD living and large function venues.
Dr Vonhoff highlighted the extra red tape sporting groups would have to navigate if they were required to develop parking plans and how it was concerning that the council would be asking teachers to manage traffic.
“Surely that is our job,” she said.
“We’re not making more car parks, we are not planning for the electric vehicle future and my real concern is the usability for health, schools and sporting groups.”
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Originally published as Toowoomba parking strategy squeaks through despite mayor opposition
