Tuesday 15 August 2017

Parking parking parking... It's always an issue in Newcastle

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Whether it's dropping the time limit, increasing the fees or just taking them away, car parking is always a hot topic in Newcastle.

A promise from Independent Lord Mayoral Candidate Kath Elliot to fix Newcastle's parking situation could be what puts her over the line on September 9.

She's blaming the state government for removing parking and allowing the construction of new buildings with absolutely no parking at all.

"It's all very well for you to be revitalising the city but if people can't access the city then it's a bit pointless so we need them to come to the table with us if we're elected and work together to find an integrated parking strategy to make it a bit easier for people to access the city."

Only a month ago Newcastle's East End had parking slashed - 90 car spaces went from being 12-hour zone to just two and four-hour zones and eight-hour sections on Moroney Avenue and Scott Street were halved to four hours.

Kath Elliott says she wants to see parking improved for residents around Wickham as the interchange continues to take shape, and take away parks.

"So we're looking at some options in Newcastle West but at this stage, it's a very difficult problem because taking parking away is a very quick thing to do but it takes a long time to put it back."

Image newcastle.nsw.gov.au