THE “rural car parking psychology” of expecting to be able to park in front of your destination is becoming unrealistic in Port Fairy, according to a new report.
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The Port Fairy Car Parking Strategy goes before Moyne Shire Council on Wednesday night, with councillors expected to vote to put the report out for public feedback.
The strategy aims to deal with a perceived “under-supply of car parking to meet current and future demands” in the Port Fairy commercial centre.
The study found there were 665 on-street spaces and 24 public off-street spaces within 575 metres of “the centre point of Sackville Street”.
Peak maximum occupancy of all spaces at any one time was 52 per cent at noon on Saturday, the study found, while the 283 spaces on Sackville and Bank streets peaked at 88 per cent capacity at noon on Saturday.
The study also found the majority of all-day parks in Sackville and Bank streets were taken up by “local workers and other long-term users” and “there is also evidence that a number of business owners and their staff are parking within the two-hour-limit spaces”.
The report to council noted “car parking supply appears more than adequate for the existing demand and future demand” but found “a need to improve the operation” of existing “informal” car parks.
The strategy has a list of recommendations including:
- increase the number of short-term parks in high demand areas, such as in front of the supermarket,
- provide new loading zone spaces,
- encourage better use of long-term parking spaces, particularly for staff and business owners,
- increase long-vehicle parking spaces to assist tourists,
- develop a residential parking scheme permit system for people living in the commercial centre,
- improve signage to direct visitors to the best parking options for their needs,
- and develop a planning scheme amendment setting out the number of parks needed to be provided by new developments, including a payment-in-lieu scheme.
Councillors will vote at Wednesday night’s meeting on whether to put the Port Fairy Car Parking Strategy out for submissions and feedback from the community for four weeks.
The strategy also features an economic assessment of the Port Fairy commercial centre, which estimates retail sales in the centre amounting to $73 million per year, with 53 per cent of that coming from visitors.
The centre contains 36,000 square metres of commercial floorspace and the strategy predicted an extra 10,400 square metres by 2036.
