[Forum] Up until a few months ago I didn’t think about the number of disabled parking spaces provided by all sorts of service providers.
Now that I can’t get about like I used to I am discovering the truth. Basically, nobody thinks about the problems we have getting to and from shops, railway stations, sporting venues and just about everywhere. Take a look at Peninsula Plaza, five spaces. The lucky ones who spring a spot think they have won the lottery. By the time you have collected your trolley, wandered around the various shops and made it back to your car way over in the back rows you are exhausted. About the only way to get to park there is to be there before dawn. Oh, I forgot about the one provided by the Council not far from the library.
That’s right, one space in the whole of the Woy Woy CBD. Deepwater Plaza isn’t much better. Aldi at Umina, has two. I used to like catching the train. Getting about seeing NSW and visiting old mates. No can do now. No spaces anywhere near Woy Woy Station, or any other station for that matter. If you want to go to Woy Woy Oval, better be early, only two spaces. Then the nearest spaces are time restricted and the Council inspectors just love booking patrons on a Sunday afternoon. Must be sports lovers. If the team is playing away the numbers of reserved places at other venues range from none to very few.
The only answer I can see is for the various levels of governments to introduce a requirement for the numbers of spaces to be a specific percentage of the total spaces on any particular site. The ageing population of the whole of Australia and the Peninsula in particular need to be able to continue to enjoy their mobility and freedom to go wherever they want with a reasonable chance that we all will be able to park without difficulty. It would only take a few minutes with a stencil and a can of paint to do this.
Email, 20 Jul 2018 Laurie Powell, Woy Woy