Hoppy’s Cafe owner Kay A’Vard said more free parking in the city centre was desperately needed to encourage shoppers into the CBD.

Ms A’Vard would like to see median strip parking introduced. “I’d support it absolutely, she said. “And so would many others. They’re feeling the pinch, they really are.”

Her comments follow a story in The Standard with Warrnambool City councillor Peter Hulin who said a lack of parking had led to congestion and driver frustration. 

The new-look Liebig Street has received mixed reviews from drivers and pedestrians over the past few weeks with comments about the single lanes of traffic and the location of new pedestrian crossings bringing traffic to a standstill. 

Cr Hulin wants indent parking to be installed on central nature strips, including the median strip, to encourage more people to park and walk. This would encourage a walking culture, help to create a vibrant CBD environment and allow people to walk around safely, he said. 

Cr Hulin said utilising the city’s “massive” naturestrips would be a cost-effective way to incorporate more car parks, while not reducing road width or impacting traffic flow.  

Police also issued a summer plea for driver patience with the increased amount of visitors in Warrnambool during peak season. 

“The solution has to be for everyone,” Ms A’Vard said. “You get the traffic freeing up and you get pedestrians, and you’ve got the town and the street they wanted as a really busy hub. At the moment we’re struggling like the traffic. We’ve all been affected. If council could do the parking in the median strip that would finish off the street. That would make it a very viable solution for everybody.

The Standard contacted Vic Roads to see if median strip parking was something it would consider. It said it had been approached by the City of Warrnambool in the past with concept designs for similar ideas but previous proposals had not met safety and traffic flow requirements. 

Vic Roads said it would work closely with the City of Warrnambool to assess any proposal for median parking on Raglan Parade.

Vic Roads South West acting regional director Liam Butcher did not rule the idea out. “We are always happy to assess proposals from council, with our key priority to ensure that any change is safe for all road users – in this case highway traffic, pedestrians and drivers using the car parks,” Mr Butcher said.  

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