The NSW Parliamentary inquiry into commuter car parking has been welcomed by Central Coast Council.
The Inquiry will look at the effectiveness of current NSW Government policies and programs, the process for selecting the location of commuter car parks, the potential for restricted access or user-pays commuter car parks and consideration of alternative modes of first-mile/last-mile travel, including point-to-point transport, active transport and on-demand buses.
Council Group Leader, Assets Infrastructure and Business, Mr Mike Dowling, said Council was already working with Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) and Transport NSW to improve parking in the Gosford CBD and along the rail corridor to Sydney, and welcomed the broad scope of the inquiry which would look at more than simply building more car parks.
“We have already been working on a parking strategy, as we know it is such a critical issue, for not just our commuters but local businesses as well,” Mr Dowling said.
“We need a comprehensive solution that is not simply about building more car parks, and I am pleased to see that the scope of the inquiry will also look at public transport connections,” he said.
“We are certainly keen to provide our expertise and the work we have already done to the inquiry and will be putting in a submission.
“I would encourage all of our commuters to put in a submission as well, to help ensure that the inquiry comes up with recommendations that will deliver better outcomes for our community.”
Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said commuting and parking were critical issues on the Coast, and it was pleasing to see them getting recognition through the Parliamentary inquiry.
“With over 40,000 of our workers having to travel outside the Coast, it is critical that we tackle the issues of parking and local jobs head on,” Mr Reynolds said.
“If we can come up with a solution that allows our residents to easily access public transport connections to get to the jobs they want, that could be a real game changer for the Central Coast,” he said.
The Inquiry’s Terms of Reference and submission details can be found at the NSW Parliament website, and submissions close on August 4.
Source:
Media release, Jul 7
Central Coast Council media