Tuggerah and Wyong are two of the five priority areas for investment focus identified in the Central Coast Car Parking Study and Implementation Plan.
The Plan was adopted by Central Coast Council at its April 13 meeting, following community consultation over two separate periods in 2020.
It is a solid framework to improve on the supply, management and overall quality of parking and transport services.
Five key focus areas were identified – Tuggerah, Wyong, Lisarow, Gosford and Woy Woy.
The study says Council’s parking investment should focus on key centres along the Central Coast and Newcastle Rail Corridor.
It revealed strong support for commuter parking at Lisarow, Tuggerah and Wyong railway stations, with Central Coast Stadium as the preferred location for commuter parking in Gosford.
Research also showed a need for more parking space at Warnervale, Ourimbah and Terrigal.
There was strong support for smart parking technology in Gosford, Ourimbah and Woy Woy, which captures a vehicle’s arrival and departure times through a range of sensor methods.
The Plan says there is an immediate need to make better use of the Rose St carpark in Wyong, which is ideally located on the fringe of the commercial centre and next to the train station.
This could be achieved by improving signage to the carpark and its planned extension, which is linked to the future Pacific Highway upgrade, could be brought forward.
In the medium to long term, there is also a need for additional all-day parking within the Wyong commercial core to cater for growth.
In Tuggerah, there is a medium to long term need for more all-day parking next to the train station to cope with growing commuter demand.
A new parking station in Tuggerah could attract commuters away from Wyong which would then free-up parking capacity near Wyong’s commercial core.
Transport for NSW has commenced preliminary investigation work for additional commuter parking at Tuggerah railway station.
At Warnervale, a train station upgrade mooted in the Town Centre Masterplan, places short-term (2023) priority on car parking on both sides of the rail line and formalising parking on Railway Rd.
A short-term priority for The Entrance is to make better use of off-street parking areas, including better directional signage and marketing for the Coral St car park.
Other parking hotspots in the north were at coastal towns Shelly Beach, Norah Head, Toowoon Bay and The Entrance.
Council is currently investigating the feasibility of establishing parking fees at some beachside towns.
Administrator, Dick Persson, said the Plan, which has been shaped through community consultation including public exhibition, online surveys, parking interview surveys and business surveys, outlines specific actions to deliver additional parking options across the region.
“We know that car parking is a significant issue of concern to the community and this Plan provides a consistent integrated approach across the local government area to meet the community’s car parking needs, not just now, but well into the future as the Coast’s population continues to grow.
“Council is committed to delivering essential infrastructure to create parking options and solutions that address the needs of residents, visitors and businesses,” Persson said.
Sue Murray