Council defends 2011 parking strategy

Council is currently working on a plan to form a viable solution for Ballarat’s parking future, with residents increasingly vocal over the state of parking in the CBD.

A written response from the City of Ballarat said a draft action plan would be developed “in-house” and submitted to council by September this year, with public consultation to follow.

“The action plan will set out how council will provide safe, affordable and accessible parking where it is most needed in Ballarat’s CBD now and in future,” the response read.

While it’s been five years since the parking strategy was produced by consultancy group AECOM, council remains adamant that its findings “remain relevant”.

“The objectives of the 2011 Parking Strategy relating to Ballarat’s CBD remain relevant and it will be refreshed with available updated data,” the statement read.

“All relevant available data will be applied to the action plan.

“The ideas and opinions expressed by the 1,000 people who completed our online survey and attended our consultation sessions will also be considered.”

Data from 2010-11 showed 70 per cent of parking within the Ballarat CBD was used to capacity, leading to calls for new strategies to deal with the increased parking congestion.

Council conducted another review of car parking in the CBD in February, with a response to The Courier outlining similar results.

“On average the survey found occupancy of more than 70 per cent across the CBD,” a statement read.

“The survey was conducted across 110 blocks of the CBD area and revealed capacity at different levels, according to proximity to key CBD destinations.”

In an ordinary December meeting last year, council approved a proposal to investigate the viability of a multi-storey car park and opened expressions of interest to the private sector.

Council and VicRoads are also seeking public input to determine a plan to improve traffic flow and parking on Sturt and Mair streets.