gympie cbd revitalisation strategy · 2015. 6. 2. · gympie cbd revitalisation strategy– parking...

Prepared For:

Ref: 1145-01-Parking

(Revision 5 – 7 May 2015)

GYMPIE CBD

REVITALISATION

STRATEGY

PARKING ASSESSMENT

1145-01-Parking – Revision 5- 7 May 2015 JP/BT ii

Final Issue Approval

Date Name Signature Document Status

07/05/2015 Brett Thomson

Final

Revision Record

Rev Date Comments Status Author Reviewer

0 11/06/2014 Draft Work in Progress provided to meeting D JP BT

1 20/06/2014 Final document incorporate meeting feedback A JP BT

2 11/07/2014 Final document incorporate written feedback A JP BT

3 29/09/2014 Amendments following Client Feedback A JP BT

4 24/04/2015 Amendments for Council Presentation R JP BT

5 07/05/2015 Amendments following Council Workshop R JP BT

A - Approval B - Building Approval C - Construction P - Preliminary

R - Revision T - For Tender X - Information D - Draft

The content of this document is provided in strict commercial confidence. The content of this document shall not be

disclosed to any third party, without the express written authority of Contour Consulting Engineers. Copyright Contour

Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd 2015.

CONTOUR

Head Office: Building A, Level 1, 6 Innovation Parkway Birtinya QLD 4575

PO Box 474 Buddina QLD 4575

P: 07 5493 9777 F: 07 5493 6888 E: [email protected] W: contource.com.au Dalby Office: Shop 1, 8 Stuart Street

Dalby QLD 4405 P: 07 4669 7977 M: 0457 939 777 Brisbane Office: 78 Gerler Road

Hendra QLD 4011 P: 07 3268 1777 M: 0412 021 819

http://www.contource.com.au/mailto:[email protected]://www.contource.com.au/

Gympie CBD Revitalisation Strategy– Parking Assessment

1145-01-Parking – Revision 5- 7 May 2015 JP/BT iii

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1

Study Area .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.

2. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES ........................................................................................................... 3

Gympie CBD Traffic Study (18 January 1995) ................................................................................... 3 2.1.

Gympie CBD Revitalisation Strategy Scoping Study (APril 2013) ..................................................... 3 2.2.

3. EXISTING CONDITIONS ........................................................................................................................... 5

Road Network and Traffic ................................................................................................................... 5 3.1.

Travel Modes ...................................................................................................................................... 6 3.2.

Topography ......................................................................................................................................... 7 3.3.

Parking ................................................................................................................................................ 8 3.4.

3.4.1. General ...................................................................................................................................... 8

3.4.2. On-Street Public Parking ........................................................................................................... 9

3.4.3. Off-Street Public Parking ......................................................................................................... 10

3.4.4. Off-Street Private Parking ........................................................................................................ 12

Planning Scheme .............................................................................................................................. 13 3.5.

Parking Enforcement ........................................................................................................................ 15 3.6.

4. PARKING SURVEY .................................................................................................................................. 16

Survey Details ................................................................................................................................... 16 4.1.

Survey Results .................................................................................................................................. 16 4.2.

4.2.1. Parking Utilisation – Public Overall Weekday .......................................................................... 17

4.2.2. Parking Utilisation – Public On and Off-Street Weekday ........................................................ 17

4.2.3. Parking Utilisation – Mary Street Weekday ............................................................................. 19

4.2.4. Public Parking Utilisation – Weekday by Time Limit................................................................ 19

4.2.5. Parking Utilisation – Public Parking Bays for People with Disabilities, Weekday ................... 22

4.2.6. Public Parking Utilisation – Typical Saturday .......................................................................... 23

4.2.7. Parking Occupancy – Weekday Surveyed “Private” Off-Street ............................................... 24

4.2.8. Parking Duration – Overall Weekday ...................................................................................... 25

4.2.9. Parking Duration – Mary Street Weekday ............................................................................... 29

4.2.10. Parking Occupancy – Weekday Surveyed “Private” Off-Street ............................................... 29

5. OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................... 31

Parking Supply .................................................................................................................................. 31 5.1.

Growth .............................................................................................................................................. 31 5.2.

Pedestrian Facilities, Connectivity and accessibility ........................................................................ 32 5.3.

Signage ............................................................................................................................................. 33 5.4.

Parking for People with a Disability .................................................................................................. 33 5.5.

Loading Bays .................................................................................................................................... 34 5.6.

Time Limit Enforcement .................................................................................................................... 37 5.7.

Town Centre Workers Utilising Premium Parking Locations ............................................................ 37 5.8.

Covered Parking Facilities ................................................................................................................ 38 5.9.

Leasing of Public Parking Bays ........................................................................................................ 38 5.10.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 39

http://www.contource.com.au/


1145-01-Parking – Revision 5- 7 May 2015 JP/BT iv

General ............................................................................................................................................. 39 6.1.

6.1.1. General - Short Term Recommendations ................................................................................ 39

6.1.2. General – Medium Term Recommendations ........................................................................... 40

Mary Street ....................................................................................................................................... 40 6.2.

6.2.1. Mary Street - Short Term Recommendations .......................................................................... 41

6.2.2. Mary Street - Medium Term Recommendations ...................................................................... 41

6.2.3. Mary Street - Long Term Recommendations .......................................................................... 42

Off-Street Parking ............................................................................................................................. 42 6.3.

6.3.1. Off-Street Parking - Short Term Recommendations................................................................ 42

6.3.2. Off-Street Parking Facilities – Medium Term Recommendations ........................................... 47

6.3.3. Off-Street Parking Facilities – Long Term Recommendations ................................................ 48

On-Street Parking (Excluding Mary Street) ...................................................................................... 48 6.4.

6.4.1. On-Street Parking (Non-Mary Street) - Short Term Recommendations.................................. 48

6.4.2. On-Street Parking (Non-Mary Street) - Medium Term Recommendations ............................. 49

7. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 50

8. LIMITATIONS AND CLOSURE ................................................................................................................ 51

List of Appendices

Appendix A - Maps



1145-01-Parking 7 May 2015 Page 1 JP/BT

1. INTRODUCTION

The Gympie Town Centre is located around Mary Street and is seen as the commercial, retail and

community hub of the Gympie Region. The Town Centre comprises a variety of different competing

land uses including retail, commercial, civic, entertainment and recreational. In recent years the Town

Centre has faced a number of challenges, which has seen a decline in its ability to attract and retain

visitors, business and retail activity.

Gympie Regional Council (Council) are dedicated to re-energising the Town Centre to assist in

reinforcing it as the premiere retail, commercial, civic, entertainment and community heart of Gympie.

In 2012, Council engaged PLACE Design Group and Jones Lang LaSalle to undertake a scoping

study to gain an understanding of the commercial and physical challenges facing the Town Centre.

The Scoping Study identified that concerns relating to parking demand and supply needed to be

addressed.

Following on from this and as part of Stage 2 of the Gympie Central Business District Revitalisation

Strategy, Contour Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd (Contour) have been engaged by Council to

undertake a Parking Study of the Gympie Town Centre.

The objectives of this study are as follows:

Review existing information, previous studies and plans relevant to traffic and parking in the

Gympie Town Centre area

Engage with the lead consultant, Council and relevant stakeholders with respect to current

issues and desired outcomes

Identify and assess the current car parking supply including survey/data collection to

determine parking inventory, utilisation, turnover and demand

Identify the key issues and constraints with respect to the current state and future needs

Identify potential opportunities and solutions to improve the efficiency and encourage more

effective use of the current parking supply

Identify potential opportunities for possible future parking arrangements with consideration

given to recommendations previously outlined in the Scoping Study

STUDY AREA 1.1.

The nominated study area is similar to that of the previous Scoping Study and includes the area

generally bounded by Young Street, Jaycee Way and Reef Streets to the south, Channon Street to the

west, Nash Street to the north and Lawrence Street to the east.

The study area from the Scoping Study was extended for this Parking Study in order to encapsulate

the following additional off street, public parking areas:

Library

Town Hall

Civic Centre

McLeod Street

Gympie Marketplace (both undercover and outdoor public parking lots, excludes private IGA

parking area)




Jaycee Way/Nelson Reserve (2 outdoor parking areas)

The nominated study area is highlighted in Figure 1.1 below.

Figure 1.1 – Study Area

Within the aforementioned study area there are a number of on-street and off-street public car parks,

and a number of off-street private car parks. For the purpose of this assessment, the primary focus

was the on and off-street public car parks, although we did survey a sample of off-street private parks

within our assessment.




2. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES

GYMPIE CBD TRAFFIC STUDY (18 JANUARY 1995) 2.1.

The Gympie CBD Traffic Study, dated 18 January 1995 was prepared for Cooloola Shire Council, by

TTM Consulting Pty Ltd (TTM). This study included traffic and parking surveys and modelling to

inform recommendations regarding the future planning and management of parking and traffic in and

around the Gympie CBD. Surveys conducted during the study included origin-destination surveys,

intersection traffic counts, a parking accumulation survey and a parking duration survey.

The relationship between management of traffic and parking was recognised in that increased parking

demand increases traffic movements. This occurs due to parking search activity whereby traffic

typically circles through Mary Street before moving on to other outlying parking areas if necessary.

An arterial road strategy was outlined whereby Monkland Street was identified as the main access into

the CBD for CBD generated traffic. Channon Street was identified as the primary north south arterial

to be promoted for use by through traffic intending to bypass the CBD. Following the TTM study, it

appears that Council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) have followed through

on a recommendation to provide a signalised upgrade at the Channon Street/Bruce Hwy intersection

to facilitate the arterial function of Channon Street.

The TTM study noted a lack of primary east to west arterial connection and recommended the

development of an east to west arterial route via Fern and Myall Streets. Development of this route

would involve land acquisition to enable a satisfactory alignment for the route to link with Channon

Street via Stone and Henry Streets.

Parking survey results demonstrated a need to supply parking for the Gympie CBD across a range of

short, medium and long term parking limits. The study recommended that parking within convenient

walking distance to Mary Street be converted to short term parking supply (2 hours or less). Survey

results showed that within Mary Street, average parking duration was between 25 and 30 minutes.

Subsequently, it was recommended that on-street parking within Mary Street be reduced to a 1 hour

time limit.

The study also discussed the need to consider additional off street parking at the rear of retail and

commercial premises. A recommendation to procure sites for development into long term car parks

was also included.

It is noted that in the time since the TTM study was undertaken, Gympie Central was developed and is

now one of the largest shopping centres in the district. Gympie Central is located in a prime position,

adjacent to the Bruce Highway, approximately 1 kilometre from the Gympie CBD and contains major

department stores in addition to 55 specialty stores. It is understood that a significant number of

patrons who would have previously shopped and conducted business within the CBD, now do so at

Gympie Central. It is therefore likely that the Gympie Central development will have served to

decrease traffic and parking demands within the CBD.

GYMPIE CBD REVITALISATION STRATEGY SCOPING STUDY (APRIL 2013) 2.2.

The Gympie CBD Revitalisation Strategy Scoping Study, dated April 2013, was prepared by PLACE

Design Group and Jones Lang LaSalle. The purpose of the scoping study was to gain an

understanding of the range of challenges facing the CBD and to identify potential opportunities for

improvements.

The Scoping Study identified ease of access as a core quality for the satisfactory performance of the

centre. It was identified that car parking rates for the CBD are below those provided at nearby




shopping centres and that there is a perceived shortage of convenient and accessible parking within

the CBD. Subsequently, the scoping study identified and documented a series of parking related

interventions, for Council to consider as part of future works or plans. Parking related interventions

identified within the Scoping Study are as follows:

Intervention No. 1 Creation of car park on site bounded by Monkland Street, River Road and

Jaycee Way

Intervention No. 2 Creation of car park on sites fronting Mary Street

Intervention No. 3 Reconfiguration of Reef Street to review traffic flow and parking configurations

Intervention No. 4 Reconfiguration of Smithfield Street to create greater dining opportunities/eat

street.

Intervention No. 5 Mary Street traffic direction/flow change

Intervention No. 6 Intersection review/adjustment to facilitate direction/flow change (Calton Hill)

Intervention No. 7 Intersection review/adjustment to facilitate direction/flow change (Smithfield

Street)

Intervention No. 9 Improvement of connection/access from Mary Street to Nash Street car park,

preferably with a lift.

Intervention No. 10 Young Street linkage and car park – review of car park connections and

access and if unable to improve connectivity, consider disposal of site

Intervention No. 11 Exploration of a new connection/linkage from Mary Street through to Reef

Street

Intervention No. 12 Intersection review/adjustment to facilitate direction/flow change (Monkland

Street)

Many of the above interventions were accompanied by a high prioritisation, meaning that they warrant

immediate consideration/investigation for implementation. High priority interventions included

intervention numbers 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. Interventions 1 and 2 relate to the provision of additional off-

street public parking areas while interventions 5 to 7 are related to a flow direction change for Mary

Street.




3. EXISTING CONDITIONS

ROAD NETWORK AND TRAFFIC 3.1.

The Gympie Town Centre road network is shown in Figure 3.1 below.

Figure 3.1 – Study Area

Generally the Town Centre road network comprises two lane, two way roads. Exceptions to this

include Mary and Reef Streets which incorporate sections restricting traffic to one way movements.

Mary Street, from Monkland Street to Lawrence Street is limited to one way eastbound flow. Entrance

to the western end of the Mary Street one way section is via the signalised Monkland Street/Mary

Street intersection. Smithfield Street caters for two way traffic flow and allows traffic to enter and exit

Mary Street, at around the half-way point of the one way section. Glandore Lane provides a one way

option for traffic to exit Mary Street, onto Nash Street to the north. Mary Street terminates at the five

way roundabout, which connects Mary Street, Lawrence Street, Mellor Street, Caledonian Hill and

Calton Hill (refer Figure 3.2). This five way intersection is a major cause of traffic congestion,

particularly during am and pm peak hours.




Figure 3.2 – Five way Roundabout Near Town Hall

The section of Reef St, from Monkland Street to Young Street is also limited to one way eastbound

traffic. Traffic enters the Reef Street one way section via a five way roundabout which links Reef

Street, Monkland Street and River Road.

The Bruce Highway is located south of the study area. There are several options for vehicles to enter

the Town Centre from the Bruce Highway however; the TTM Traffic Study identified Monkland Street

as providing the major access function to the Town Centre. Channon Street, Calton Hill, Lawrence

Street and Mellor Street were identified as the main arterial roads enabling ‘through’ traffic

movements.

TRAVEL MODES 3.2.

Gympie is a regional town which supports large rural areas separated by long distances. As a result,

the primary mode of transport within the region is by private vehicle. The higher local dependency on

cars inflates traffic and parking impacts within the Town Centre.

Pedestrian and cyclist facilities are limited, and it is noted that there is an aversion for walking

extended distances. This serves to amplify traffic and parking issues, particularly within Mary Street

where some people are likely to circulate until they find a convenient park, instead of parking in an off-

street parking space and walking to their intended destination.

A limited number of bus routes are available to local residents which generally connect the Town

Centre with outlying residential areas. Bus services offer a ‘hail and ride’ system which enables

greater flexibility to suit the needs of users. Due to lack of demand, bus services are infrequent with

each route only running a few times per day. Bus services generally do not start until after 9am and

cease before 4pm. Due to the limited time period coverage, most Town Centre workers would be

unable to use public transport as a means of travel to and from the Town Centre. Bus stops within the

Town Centre are located as follows:

Reef Street - East of Monkland Street five ways

Mary Street – East of Smithfield Street




Monkland Street – Opposite Goldfields Plaza

Mellor Street – At Civic Centre

TOPOGRAPHY 3.3.

The Gympie Town Centre comprises undulating terrain with medium to steep grades in some parts.

Accessibility in some areas is made difficult by hills and associated grade changes.

As identified in the Scoping Study, flooding is a major issue for the Town Centre, with some low lying

areas having flooded several times since 1992. Flood prone areas are generally located in the vicinity

of Memorial Park, and include the central section of Mary Street, between Monkland and Smithfield

Streets.

The eastern end of Young Street stands out as an example of the difficulties posed by the topography

of the area. Split level carriageways are separated by a retaining wall with the eastbound carriageway

located on the lower side, and the westbound carriageway on the upper side. A pedestrian ramp

provides access to the upper side of Young Street to the existing off street public car parks on the

southern side of Young Street. Safe pedestrian access to on and off-street car parking is made

difficult by the lack of discernible footpaths and safe road crossing points in the vicinity of the ramp.

Verge widths in this area appear to be very narrow, meaning that there are limited opportunities for

upgrades without resumption of property.

Figure 3.3 – Existing Young Street Parking and Pedestrian Access

Pedestrian Ramp




Figure 3.4 – Young Street Pedestrian Ramp

PARKING 3.4.

3.4.1. General

Gympie Regional Council operates a regulated parking system within the Town Centre area. Parking

is free for stipulated time periods as indicated on traffic signage. Regulated, time limited parking

operates during the following days and corresponding time periods:

Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 5:30pm

Saturday: 8:30am to 12:00pm

Figure 3.5 – Signage at Entrance to Gympie Parking Area

Signage at entrances to the Gympie Parking Area informs that all parks have 2 hour time restrictions,

unless signed otherwise. Generally, within the Parking Area all time restricted parking is signed

adequately (refer Figure 3.6), and unrestricted parking areas are unsigned. This could create some




confusion whereby designated all day parking locations are mistaken for 2 hour parking due to

absence of signage.

Figure 3.6 – Signage displaying Time Restrictions

Figure 3.7 – Signage at Entrance to All Day Parking Location

3.4.2. On-Street Public Parking

The majority of on-street parking bays within the study area have time limit restrictions applied during

regulated days and hours. The time limits and corresponding number of on-street parking bays within

the study area are outlined in Table 3.1.




Table 3.1 – Public On-Street Parking

Time Limit

Restriction

Number of On-Street

Parking Bays

20 minute parking 3

30 minute parking 40

2 hour parking 286

3 hour parking 66

4 hour parking 1

Disabled 17

Unrestricted 8

TOTAL 421

On-street parking within the one way sections of Mary and Reef Streets are predominately line marked

as 45 degree angular parking. The orientation of the angular parking ensures that vehicles must enter

a park in forward gear, which subsequently requires vehicles to reverse out. Generally, all other on-

street parks within the study area are line marked as parallel parking, with the exception of some

perpendicular parking along River Road.

Figure 3.8 – On-Street Parking, Mary Street

3.4.3. Off-Street Public Parking

Off-street public parking areas are generally located on the fringes of the study area. With the

exception of the Glandore Lane and Library parking areas, most off-street public parking is not time

restricted. A summary of off-street public parking is detailed in Table 3.2.




Table 3.2 – Public Off-Street Parking

Off-Street Parking Location Time Limit Number of Parking Bays

Glandore Lane Ground Level Level 1 Level 2

2 hour 2 hour Unlimited

26 54 57

Lawrence St Unlimited 10*

Civic Centre Lower Upper

Unlimited Unlimited

57 (inclusive 4 disabled) 72

Library 2 hour 32

Town Hall Unlimited 57 (inclusive 2 disabled)

Lawrence Street (Adjacent GJ Gardner Homes)

Unlimited 10

Young Street West

Unlimited

58

Nelson Reserve North South (near pool)

Unlimited Unlimited

119 (inclusive 1 disabled) 88 (inclusive 4 disabled)

Jaycee Way Unlimited 25

Gympie Market Place Outdoor Undercover

Unlimited Unlimited

60 97

TOTAL 822

*Car park not fully delineated and number of bays is an estimate only

The most centrally located off-street public parking area is the multi-level car park on the corner of

Nash Street and Glandore Lane. Due to this parking area being located within close proximity to the

retail core of Mary Street, it is observed to be one of the most popular and well utilised off-street

parking areas.

Figure 3.9 – Public Off-Street Parking, Entrance to Multi-Level Carpark from Nash Street




Another popular off-street parking area is the undercover area below Gympie Marketplace. It is

understood that this car park attracts workers looking for all-day parking spots. The provision of

undercover spaces appears to increase the popularity of this parking area. The outdoor parking area

at Gympie Marketplace was noted to be underutilised, and is directly adjacent the covered parking

area and only around a 100m walk from Mary Street.

Off-street parking areas at the Civic Centre and McLeod Street are generally underutilised despite

being short walking distances (approximately 150-200m) from the eastern end of Mary Street. The off-

street public parking areas within Nelson Reserve/Jaycee Way are notably underutilised and are

approximately 200-300m walking distance from Mary Street.

3.4.4. Off-Street Private Parking

Private parking areas are commonly located at the rear of shops and businesses. There are several

private basement parking areas (Australia Post, Cullinanes Centre) and a large rooftop parking area

above James Nash Arcade. Provision of private parking is a requirement under the Gympie Regional

Council Planning Scheme (refer Section 3.4). Most private parking areas are clearly signed for use by

tenants, staff, clients and customers.

Figure 3.10 – Private Off-Street Parking, Gympie RSL

There are a number of private parking areas located at the rear of Mary Street premises with access

provided from Reef Street. These parking locations comprise a mixture of well signed, demarcated

sealed areas and informal gravel/concrete areas where owner/staff vehicles are often double parked.

As mentioned in Section 1.1, for the purposes of this study, the primary focus was on public car parks.

We did survey a sample of off-street private parking areas within our assessment. Those off-street

private car parks surveyed as part of our assessment were:

Young Street east of public parking area (approximately 40 spaces)

James Nash Arcade (39 spaces)

Condies Arcade (11 spaces)

Nash Street adjacent Tom Grady’s (approximately 20 spaces)




Empire Hotel (5 spaces)

Council Park (Cnr Channon and Mary Streets) (9 spaces)

Council Park (Cnr Channon and Nash Streets) (19 spaces)

Gympie Realty (10 spaces)

Gympie RSL (52 spaces)

Businesses behind Glandore Lane parking area (15 private spaces)

It should be noted that as we did not survey all off-street private car parks within the study area, that

the results of our survey relevant to off-street private car parks have been included for information

only. Importantly, these results have also been reported independently of public car parking survey

results.

PLANNING SCHEME 3.5.

Gympie Regional Council adopted the Gympie Regional Council Planning Scheme in 2013. Table 9.6

of the Planning Scheme outlines minimum vehicle parking requirements. Parking requirements for

different land use types have been extracted and tabulated in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3 – Proposed Phasing

Use Parking Requirements

Agricultural supplies store 1 space per 40m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Bulk Landscape Supplies

Outdoor Sales

1 space per 100m2 of outdoor use area.

Child care centre 1 space per 50m2 or part thereof of gross floor area; and

Off-street set down areas for a minimum of 2 vehicles; and

1 space for a light rigid bus.

Club 1 space per 50m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Community Care Centre 1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor area

Crematorium

Place of Worship

1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor area; and

1 space per 10 people able to be seated in any facility for the conduct of services.

Dual Occupancy 1 space per dwelling.

Food and Drink Outlet

Office

Service Industry

Shop

Shopping Centre

Gross floor area up to 2,000m2 -1 space per 30m2 or part thereof ; and

Gross floor area between 2,000m2 and 3,000m2 – 1 space per 20m2 or part thereof; and

Gross floor area over 3,000m2 – 1 space per 10m2 or part thereof; and

Where involving a food and drink outlet with a drvie-through facility unobstructed queuing space for at least 8 vehicles.

Function Facility 1 space per 25m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Funeral Parlour 1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor area; ad

1 space per 10 people able to be seated in any facility for the conduct of funeral or memorial services.

Garden Centre 1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor arera; and




Use Parking Requirements

1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of external use area.

Hardware and Trade Supplies

Showroom

1 space per 40m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Health Care Services 1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor area; and

Where a medical centre – 1 space or an ambulance

High Impact Industry

Noxious or Hazardous Industry

Waterfront and Marine Industry


1 space per 200m2 or part thereof of external use area.

Hospital 1 space per 6 beds; and

Ambulance parking.

Hotel 1 space per unit of accommodation; and


If involving a drive-through facility, unobstructed queuing space for at least 8 vehicles.

Low Impact Industry

Medium Impact Industry

1 space per 100m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Multiple Dwelling 1 space per dwelling; and

1 visitor space per 3 dwellings; and

If in Tin Can Bay, 1 boat parking space per 3 dwellings.

Nightclub 1 space per 30m2 or part thereof of gross floor area.

Residential Care Facility 1 space per 3 beds; and

1 space for an ambulance.

Relocatable Home Park

Tourist Park

1 space per accommodation site; and

1 visitor/worker space per 5 accommodation sites.

Retirement Facility 1 space per 2 dwellings; and

1 bus parking space per 20 dwellings; and

1 visitor/worker space per 5 dwellings.

Service Station 5 spaces

Short term accommodation Motel:

- 1 space per unit of accommodation; and

- 1 visitor space per 5 units of accommodation; and

- 1 space for the manager’s residence and office; and

- 1 bus parking space per 20 units of accommodation.

In all other circumstances:

- 1 space per 4 beds; and

- 1 bus parking space per 20 beds.

Theatre 1 space per 10 people able to be seated.

All other uses Sufficient vehicle and bus parking having regard to the nature, scale and intensity of the use.




The Gympie Town Centre is primarily zoned as ‘Principal Centre’. The Principal Centre Zone Code in

the Planning Scheme specifies that no direct vehicular access is provided from Mary Street and where

access to vehicle parking cannot be provided from an alternative street, a monetary contribution in lieu

of providing vehicle parking is required.

Car parking contributions applicable to the Gympie Town Centre currently stand at $18,408 per space.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT 3.6.

Contour met with a representative from the Council’s Local Laws department to obtain an

understanding of local parking habits, issues and levels of enforcement. It is understood that Council

currently employ one enforcement officer who is responsible for monitoring parking.

As per Gympie Regional Council Subordinate Local Law No. 5 (Parking) 2011 (adopted 12 March

2014), penalty amounts for minor traffic offences are as follows:

Paid Parking Offence - $44.00

Stopping on a road contrary to a clearway sign - $88.00

Stopping in a loading zone - $55.00

Stopping in a taxi zone - $55.00

Stopping in a parking area for people with disabilities - $110.00

Stopping in a bus zone - $88.00

Restrictions on stopping and parking - $44.00

Contravention of official traffic sign an offence - $44.00

It is considered that these penalty amounts are generally adequate, however; it is noted that they are

less than those adopted by neighbouring local government areas. The neighbouring Noosa, Sunshine

Coast and Fraser Coast Councils have adopted a $55.00 penalty for minor parking offences (i.e.

overstaying) and a $220.00 penalty for parking in a disabled bay.




4. PARKING SURVEY

SURVEY DETAILS 4.1.

Car parking surveys were undertaken on Friday 9 May from 8:30am to 4pm and Saturday 10 May from

8:30am to 12:30pm. The aim of the surveys was to collect occupancy and duration of stay data for

vehicles parked within the study area. These days were chosen based on anecdotal advice that the

Town Centre is typically busiest at the end of the week inclusive of Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday

mornings. Weather conditions during the survey times were generally favourable, sunny with some

overcast periods. No rain was observed during the survey times.

The survey involved field staff walking defined routes of specified areas or ‘zones’ within the study

area. Overall, five zones were established and each survey staff member was assigned a single zone

to monitor. Parking bays within each zone were identified and assigned a unique ID number and

survey personnel were tasked with monitoring each parking bay at 30 minute intervals and recording

partial numberplate details for cars occupying each parking bay.

All on-street and off-street public parking bays within the study area were surveyed, along with a

selection of off-street, private car parks. All up a total of approximately 1463 parking spaces were

surveyed across the two days. This was comprised of the following:

421 public on-street parking spaces

822 public off-street parking spaces

220 private off-street parking spaces (sample only)

For the purposes of this study, private parking spaces included those located within private property

and those which are signed for use by tenants, staff, clients and customers only. Generally speaking,

private parking areas are not controlled or policed and in some cases are poorly delineated (i.e. gravel

or grassed areas) with limited access. The sample of private parking areas chosen for inclusion in the

survey included a selection of accessible, well delineated parking areas which in some cases are

anecdotally known to be used by members of the general public.

It is noted that the large public car parks within Nelson Reserve were only surveyed for occupancy, as

time limits do not apply to these areas and as it stands, these spaces are observed to be

underutilised.

Maps showing the surveyed parking spaces for each zone are included in Appendix A.

SURVEY RESULTS 4.2.

The survey data was collated and entered into data analysis software to enable determination of

parking utilisation and duration information. Where required, sections of data were extracted to enable

analyses of specific isolated areas and car parks within the Town Centre.

Survey data showed that peak parking demand occurred on the Friday which we have assumed

represents a typical weekday.

Generally, it is accepted that ample parking opportunities are available when occupancy rates are

below 50%. Occupancy rates below 70% will allow people to readily find a car park while occupancy

above 80% may imply that the parking supply is becoming ‘stressed’. Occupancy rates of 90% or

more indicate that car parks are approaching full capacity and that there are likely serious supply

issues.




4.2.1. Parking Utilisation – Public Overall Weekday

Parking utilisation (occupancy) for surveyed public parking (on and off-street) is outlined in Figure 4.1

below. The occupancy rate as a percentage has also been displayed.

Figure 4.1 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – All Public Surveyed Car Parks

As shown in Figure 4.1, parking occupancy rises steadily and peaks in the middle of the day, before

gradually decreasing in the afternoon. Peak weekday utilisation for all surveyed car parks occurred

between 10:30am and 12:00pm when a maximum of 777 surveyed spaces were occupied. This

corresponds to an occupancy rate of 63%.

Occupancy rates for the survey area as a whole are relatively low and suggest that there is significant

spare capacity available throughout the day. It is important to note that some areas had very high

occupancy rates while other areas (generally on the outskirts of the study area) had very low

occupancies. These areas and patterns have been investigated in further detail in the sections below.

4.2.2. Parking Utilisation – Public On and Off-Street Weekday

Occupancies for all public on-street and off-street surveyed parks are displayed separately in Figures

4.2 and 4.3 respectively.




Figure 4.2 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – Public On-Street Parking

Figure 4.3 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – Public Off-Street Parking

On-street parking occupancy shows more consistent utilisation throughout the day, with peak

occupancy of between 73% and 75% from approximately 9:30am to 12pm.

Off-street public parking occupancy rises steadily in the morning and peaks at 54% and 56% from

10:30am to 12:30pm before gradually decreasing in the afternoon.




On-street parking has a higher peak indicating that on-street car parks are more desirable than off-

street. This is because the on-street locations provide more convenient and direct access, close to

preferred destinations. The public off-street parking supply includes underutilised parking areas

(Nelson Reserve, Civic Centre, McLeod Street) which contribute to the lower occupancy rates.

4.2.3. Parking Utilisation – Mary Street Weekday

Parking occupancy for Mary Street is shown in Figure 4.4 below.

Figure 4.4 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – Mary Street Parking

Figure 4.4 shows that from around 9am, car parks in Mary Street were in very high demand and

occupancy hovered around the 90% mark for most of the day. It is noted that Mary Street occupancy

for the one way section (between Lawrence and Monkland Streets) was observed to be higher than

that for the two way surveyed section (between Channon and Monkland Streets).

4.2.4. Public Parking Utilisation – Weekday by Time Limit

Occupancies by car park time limits are outlined in Figures 4.5 to 4.8 below.




Figure 4.5 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – 30 Minute Parking

Figure 4.6 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – 2 hour Parking




Figure 4.7 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – 3 hour Parking

Figure 4.8 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – Public Unrestricted Parking

As seen in Figure 4.5, 30 minute car parks are in high demand throughout the day. This is likely due

to their premium locations, as most of the 30 minute car parks are located within Mary and Smithfield

Streets.

2 hour parking shows reasonably high occupancy rates, remaining above 70% from 9:30am to

1:30pm.




3 hour parking has a lower utilisation, with peak occupancy rates hovering just above 60% from

9:30am to 12pm. 3 hour parks are generally located towards the outskirts of the study area (Nash

Street and Memorial Park).

Unrestricted public parking has the lowest occupancy rates, and is again a reflection of the under-

utilisation of large off-street parking areas on the outskirts of the study area (Civic Centre, McLeod

Street and Jaycee Way/Nelson Reserve).

4.2.5. Parking Utilisation – Public Parking Bays for People with Disabilities, Weekday

Figure 4.9 below displays survey results for parking spaces for people with a disability (accessible

parking).

Figure 4.9 – Weekday Public Parking Occupancy – Accessible Parking

Generally, accessible parking bays were well utilised. Table 4.1 below outlines average and peak

occupancies for accessible parking within different areas of the Town Centre.

Table 4.1 – Accessible Parking Occupancy - Weekday

Location (Number of

spaces)

Average Occupancy Peak Occupancy

Smithfield Street (5

spaces)

61% 100%

Mary Street (7 spaces) 57% 100%

Library (2 spaces) 30% 100%

Reef Street (2 spaces) 17% 100%

Town Hall (2 spaces) 7% 50%

Civic Centre (4 spaces) 0% 0%




The 5 accessible parking bays in Smithfield Street were generally well utilised with an average

occupancy of 61% and were observed to be at capacity (i.e. 100% occupancy) during five 30 minute

intervals.

Accessible spaces in Mary Street were reasonably well used with an average occupancy of 57%.

Similarly, Mary Street accessible bays were observed to be at capacity during several survey passes.

Accessible parking spaces in Reef Street and at Town Hall were also recorded as being fully occupied

at periods during the survey.

It is noted that during the survey, vehicles parked in accessible bays were not checked for compliance

permits therefore it is possible that some of the parks may have been occupied by unauthorised

vehicles.

4.2.6. Public Parking Utilisation – Typical Saturday

Public parking utilisation (occupancy) for all surveyed parks for a typical Saturday morning is outlined

in Figure 4.10 below.

Figure 4.10 – Saturday Public Parking Occupancy – Overall

As shown in Figure 4.10, Saturday public parking occupancy rises steadily and peaks in the late

morning. Peak Saturday utilisation for all surveyed car parks occurred between 11:00am and

11:30am when a total of 490 surveyed spaces were occupied. This corresponds to an occupancy rate

of 39%.

Saturday occupancy rates for the survey area as a whole are very low and demonstrate that there is a

higher demand for parking on weekdays. This is likely due to many businesses and service providers

being closed on the weekend.

Parking demand in Mary Street remains high on Saturdays, as shown in Figure 4.11. Many of the

retailers in Mary Street are open for business on a Saturday, hence the high demand for convenient

parking.




Figure 4.11 – Saturday Parking Occupancy – Mary Street

4.2.7. Parking Occupancy – Weekday Surveyed “Private” Off-Street

As previously mentioned, as part of this study, select private off-street parking locations were

surveyed. Parking utilisation for surveyed private off-street locations are outlined in Figures 4.12 to

4.13 below.

Figure 4.12 – Weekday Parking Occupancy – Surveyed Private Off-Street




Figure 4.13 – Weekend Parking Occupancy – Surveyed Private Off-Street

As highlighted above, as a whole, surveyed private off-street parking areas were generally

underutilised. The utilisation rates of these parking areas is slightly higher than the utilisation rates for

public off-street parking (refer Figure 4.8).

4.2.8. Parking Duration – Overall Weekday

During the parking survey, vehicles were recorded at approximately 30 minute intervals. This means

that a vehicle observed once during a single pass by a survey staff member could have parked for a

duration anywhere between 1 minute and 59 minutes (i.e. vehicle departed just prior to second pass

by team member). Vehicles observed once were therefore assumed to have stayed for an average

duration of 30 minutes, vehicles observed twice were assumed to have stayed for an average duration

of 60 minutes etc. Figures 4.14 to 4.18 display the percentage of vehicles staying for average

durations in 30 minute intervals, for the various parking categories.




Figure 4.14 – Weekday Parking Duration – All Public Surveyed Bays

Approximately 63% of vehicles were parked for an average duration of 30 minutes, and around 14%

were parked for an average of 60 minutes. This means that around 77% of all vehicles that parked

within surveyed bays throughout the day, parked for an average duration of 1 hour or less.

Figure 4.15 – Weekday Parking Duration – Public 30 Minute Parking

As outlined in Figure 4.15, approximately 88% of vehicles in 30 minute spots, stayed for an average

duration of 30 minutes. It is likely that a large proportion of vehicles in 30 minute parks, parked for

durations less than 30 minutes, however since vehicles were recorded at 30 minute intervals, parking

durations of less than 30 minutes were unable to be quantified.




Note that throughout the day, at least 12% of vehicles (46 vehicles total) overstayed the 30 minute

time limit.

Figure 4.16 – Weekday Parking Duration – Public 2 hour Parking

Approximately 70% of vehicles in 2 hour spaces, parked for an average duration of 30 minutes, with

86% of vehicles parked for an average duration of 60 minutes or less. At least 3.5% (75 vehicles)

were recorded as having overstayed the 2 hour time limit.




Figure 4.17 – Weekday Parking Duration – Public 3 Hour Parking

Survey results for 3 hour parking shows that just over half of all vehicles parked for an average

duration of 30 minutes. At least 6.6% (10 vehicles) overstayed the 3 hour time limit.

Figure 4.18 – Weekday Parking Duration – Public Unrestricted Parking

As expected, the majority of vehicles parked in unrestricted spaces stayed for longer durations, with at

least 39% (306 vehicles) observed to stay for periods longer than 4 hours. Note that it is likely that

some all-day Town Centre parkers would leave their workplace to run errands or return home for

lunch, before returning to the Town Centre. This means that an all-day parker may have been




recorded to contribute say, two individual durations of less than 4 hours, rather than a single duration

of more than 4 hours.

4.2.9. Parking Duration – Mary Street Weekday

Average parking durations for vehicles parked in Mary Street are outlined in Figure 4.19 below.

Figure 4.19 – Weekday Parking Duration – Mary Street

Approximately 77% of vehicles parked in Mary Street were observed to park for an average duration

of 30 minutes. Furthermore, 91% of vehicles were parked for an average duration of 60 minutes or

less. Note that the majority of Mary Street parks are currently signed with a 2 hour limit.

4.2.10. Parking Occupancy – Weekday Surveyed “Private” Off-Street

As previously highlighted our assessment only sampled select private off-street parking locations. Average parking durations for vehicles parked in surveyed private off-street locations are outlined in Figures 4.20 to 4.21 below.




Figure 4.20 – Weekday Parking Duration – Surveyed Private Off-Street

Figure 4.21 – Weekend Parking Duration – Surveyed Private Off-Street

Parking durations for weekday private surveyed parks shows that private parking is used by a

combination of short term and long term parkers. Short term parkers are likely to be customers whilst

the long term parkers are likely to be workers.




5. OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS

PARKING SUPPLY 5.1.

Survey findings indicate that there is significant spare parking capacity within the study area as a

whole, with approximately 37% of surveyed public car parks (466 of 1243) being unoccupied during

the peak period of the survey (between 10:30am and 12:00pm).

Based on the above, and in recognition of the significant costs associated with the construction and

maintenance of parking facilities, we do not see a need for Council to construct additional parking

facilities at this time.

Despite this, public opinion points to a perceived shortage of accessible parking within the Gympie

Town Centre. This perception of insufficient parking is attributed to the following:

High peak occupancy (>90%) for parking in Mary Street and other central, high use parking

areas.

Public expectation of finding a convenient park close to one’s destination.

General unwillingness to walk to/from off-street parking areas.

The expectation that convenient on-street parking should always be available is unrealistic for a Town

Centre/CBD area. On-street parking has become a valuable commodity, particularly within Mary

Street and as a result, the provision of appropriate time limit controls, combined with effective

enforcement is required to manage the limited spaces available.

Typically in CBD areas, limits of increasing duration should be applied at increasing distances from the

centre of the district. Shorter term parking is applied to maintain a high turnover for parks with the

highest demand while longer term parking is provided at greater walking distances.

Within the Gympie Town Centre, this strategy has been implemented to an extent; however, with the

exception of a handful of 30 minute parks, the majority of high demand on-street spaces still have a 2

hour duration limit. Application of short-stay duration time limits of 1 hour or less to high demand on-

street spaces may be more appropriate, particularly outside local shops that rely on a high level of

convenience such as banks, take away outlets, chemists, newsagents, post office etc. This should

also serve to encourage staff and other medium and long-stay parkers to utilise off-street and outlying

parking areas.

It should be noted that in normal circumstances, the implementation of shorter time limits would likely

result in an increase in turnover and hence, an increase in traffic movements. The potential traffic

increase needs to be weighed up against the capacity of the existing road network. Note that in this

case, the potential increase in traffic movements may be offset somewhat, by a reduction in through

movements attributed to vehicles circling to find a spot. Additionally, local people who are familiar with

parking restrictions may avoid entering Mary Street altogether if they intend to park for longer than the

nominated time restriction.

Medium and long-term parkers should be provided with adequate off-street parks. As it stands,

existing off-street parking is significantly under-utilised and implementation of strategies to encourage

greater use of these areas need to be considered.

GROWTH 5.2.

The Gympie CBD Revitalisation Strategy Scoping Study included population forecasts from 2011 to

2031. This information is included in Table 5.1 below.




Table 5.1 – Population Forecasts, Gympie Town Centre

Population 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031

Primary Trade Area 35,119 36,738 38,150 41,854 45,633

Secondary Trade Area 11,486 13,593 16,402 17,218 18,107

Main Trade Area 46,605 50,331 54,552 59,072 63,740

Based on the above, we have forecast the current population at approximately 48,800, with proposed

population growth of around 8.4% over the next 5 years and 17.4% over the next 10 years. We note

that within the Gympie CBD Revitalisation Strategy Scoping Study that CBD retail market share is

expected to decline marginally as the total population grows, with new competing centres forecast to

emerge.

Factoring in population growth of 17.4%, and applying a matching growth in parking demand implies

that parking occupancy for Town Centre public parking would peak at 73% in 2024 (increase from

63% peak in 2014). This corresponds to 334 of 1243 parking spaces remaining vacant on an average

weekday.

Note that this calculation does not consider demand created by additional significant development

within the Town Centre. Any intensification of use of existing sites will likely generate increased

demand for public parking. Council will need to assess parking demand created by new

developments during the development application process and where a development cannot provide

the full number of parks as required by the Planning Scheme, the relevant monetary contribution in

lieu of providing parking should be set aside by Council to develop additional public off-street parking.

PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES, CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESSIBILITY 5.3.

As stated above, outlying parking areas are under-utilised and in many cases, pedestrian connectivity

and accessibility between these areas and the centre of town is lacking.

Based on visual observations during our parking survey, and feedback received from Town Centre

shoppers and workers, it is noted that the limited pedestrian connectivity to Mary Street from off-street

parking areas is discouraging utilisation of some off-street parking areas. The key area of concern

highlighted during our survey was Young Street, although there is also a shortage of through

connections to Mary Street, from Reef and Nash Streets, which means that there are limited

‘shortcuts’ to Mary Street, and people are forced to walk around the block to gain access.

The road network, traffic volumes and topography within the broader Town Centre make access to

Mary Street difficult for elderly people and people with a disability. The key areas of concern

highlighted during our survey were:

Access to Mary Street from Town Hall, Library, Civic Centre and McLeod Street parking

locations.

Access to Mary Street from on-street parking locations on Nash Street, and the Glandore

Lane Multi-level car park.

Access to Mary Street from Young Street parking locations (particularly the area between

Calton Hill and Smithfield Street).

The provision of safe, visible and accessible through connections may be effective in encouraging

greater use of under-utilised parking areas. Directional signage to inform pedestrians of walkway

locations and locations of major attractors may also be beneficial.




It is also noted that some members of the public expressed concern for their security when walking

around the Town Centre at night. It would not be uncommon for some Town Centre workers to work

into the night, therefore major pedestrian connections to off-street parking should be visible, well lit

and covered by Council security camera’s to ease security concerns.

SIGNAGE 5.4.

Signage displaying time limits for on-street parks is generally sufficient, with most signs easily

readable and in good condition.

As discussed in Section 3.4.1, known all day parking locations are not generally signed as such,

therefore it is likely that these areas may be mistaken as 2 hour parks (as per the 2P signs at

entrances to the Town Centre). An example of this is shown in Figure 3.7, which is the signage at the

entrance to the Civic Centre unrestricted parking facility.

Signage at all-day off street parking areas noting that they are available for all-day use would enhance

public understanding of the time limits relevant to these locations.

It was also noted that provision of additional directional signage directing drivers to off-street parking

will raise awareness as to the location of these areas and may prevent some medium/long term

parkers from searching in Mary Street.

PARKING FOR PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY 5.5.

The Scoping Study noted that Gympie has a high proportion of people aged 65 years and over.

Persons aged 65 years and over account for 18.3% of the Gympie population, compared to 13.1% for

Queensland. Following on from this, it would be reasonable to suspect that in Gympie, there are a

greater number of people who hold disability parking permits.

As outlined in Section 4.2.5, parks for people with a disability, particularly within Mary and Smithfield

Streets were reasonably well utilised. Figure 5.1 below demonstrates full occupancy of the 5 disabled

bays in Smithfield Street.

Figure 5.1 – Occupied Disabled Parking in Smithfield Street

Accessible parking bays at the Civic Centre were not utilised at any point during the survey period,

and it is noted that this parking location does not provide easy access to the Town Centre Core. It is




recognised however, that these bays are required for when functions and events are taking place at

the Civic Centre.

Accessible parking must generally be provided in accordance with AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 Parking

Facilities – Part 6: Off-street Parking for People with Disabilities. There have been recent changes to

these standards and accessible parking spaces are now required to comprise dedicated (non-shared)

spaces with a shared area adjacent to a dedicated space. It is therefore noted that many of the

existing disabled parking spaces within the Gympie Town Centre will not comply with the new

standards. It is also noted that the topography of the Gympie Town Centre limits opportunities for the

provision of new compliant accessible parking spaces.

The Building Code of Australia prescribes minimum number of car parking spaces that should be

provided for persons with a disability. The proportion of spaces varies according to land use however;

in general, the rate equates to 1-2% of total spaces.

Out of the 1243 surveyed public spaces, there are 23 disabled bays. This equates to 1 disabled

space per 54 total spaces, or 1.85%, which is generally in line with accepted requirements. This does

not take into account disabled parking within private parking areas.

It is recommended that the current number of disabled parking spaces be maintained. Any future

changes to parking arrangements should be planned so as to maintain and if possible, increase the

number of accessible spaces in key areas such as Mary Street.

Throughout our survey, anecdotal information provided by members of the public highlighted a general

lack of understanding as to the concessions associated with the Australian Disability Parking Permit

(ADPP). We feel it may benefit ADPP holders and the broader community if Council promoted the

concessions associated with this permit, as a better understanding of the following concession

available at on-street and off-street parking bays, may reduce reliance on accessible parking bays:

Where the time limit specified by a sign is 30 minutes or more, parking will be allowed for an

unlimited amount of time.

LOADING BAYS 5.6.

On-street loading zones are spread throughout the study area, generally as outlined in Figure 5.2

below.




Figure 5.2 – Loading Zones

At present, loading zones are signed such that non-commercial vehicles are allowed to stop within

loading zones for up to 5 minutes. Based on anecdotal advice and observations during our survey, it

is noted that loading zones are commonly occupied by passenger vehicles, rendering them

unavailable for use as intended, by delivery vehicles. Consequently, commercial vehicles are forced

to circulate to find an available space to stop and unload. Often, delivery vehicles will double park or

stop within through traffic lanes to make deliveries, thereby potentially blocking through traffic and

causing other safety issues. Private vehicles overstaying in loading zones was generally observed by

Contour team members during the survey, although these instances were not recorded.




Figure 5.2 – Commercial Vehicle within Loading Zone

Figure 5.3 – Cars Parked in a Loading Zone in Mary Street

It is understood that there are historical reasons, many of which are still relevant, for justifying the

location of existing loading zones. We recommend that these be reviewed in the context of the current

circumstances and where possible, reduce the number of loading zones within the Town Centre.

Consolidating loading zones may be effective in freeing up additional on-street space. Fewer loading

zones provided in the most effective locations would be a more efficient use of space. To address the

issue of passenger vehicles preventing commercial vehicle access, signage could be altered to further

restrict the use of loading zones by passenger vehicles.

It is noted that any change to current loading zone locations would require input from business owners

to ensure that acceptable loading amenity is maintained to businesses.




TIME LIMIT ENFORCEMENT 5.7.

Table 5.2 below highlights the number of vehicles that were recorded to have overstayed time limits

during the weekday parking survey.

Table 5.2 – Parking Overstays

Parking Time

Limit

Total Vehicles % Overstaying

Vehicles

Number of

Overstaying Vehicles

30 minute parking 378 12.4% 47 vehicles

2 hour parking 2135 3.5% 74 vehicles

3 hour parking 151 6.6% 10 vehicles

Total 2664 4.91% 131 vehicles

As outlined in Table 5.2, 131 vehicles were observed to have overstayed time limits. This equates to

approximately 4.9% of vehicles which utilised time restricted parking bays throughout the day.

Feedback from Council’s Local Laws department suggests that on average, approximately 10-15

parking infringement notices are currently being issued daily. Based on the total recorded daily

overstays in Table 5.2, this corresponds to approximately 8-12% of overstays being issued with an

infringement notice. This highlights a strong potential to increase the enforcement of overstay

offences and consequently influence behaviour to reduce overstays and increase efficient use of

current parking supply.

Council have appointed a single officer to monitor and enforce parking restrictions and it is noted that

the Parking Officer was on leave when the parking survey was undertaken. We have concluded from

our time on-site that increased parking enforcement of the Town Centre would be challenging without

additional resources and/or technology.

We understand that Council has undertaken an assessment of the Parking Overstay Detection

System (PODS) and that it is considering the use of this technology. The installation of this type of

technology has the potential to significantly enhance time limit enforcement within the Town Centre

Core.

Should parking overstays remain a problem following increased monitoring and installation of PODS,

Council could consider increasing penalties. Refer to Section 6 for further details.

TOWN CENTRE WORKERS UTILISING PREMIUM PARKING LOCATIONS 5.8.

A large portion of premium off-street parking in close proximity to Mary Street is utilised for all-day

parking. These locations include the top level of the Glandore Lane Multi-level car park, Reef Street

undercover car park, and the Town Hall and Monkland Street car parks.

As previously mentioned, it is a generally recognised practice that limits of increasing duration be

applied at increasing distances from the centre of the district. Based on the above we believe

consideration could be given to the implementation of a reduced parking limit in some areas to

increase short/medium term parking supply within close proximity to Mary Street. This would require

long term parkers (predominantly staff working within the Town Centre) to park in areas that are

further away from the Town Centre core and which are observed to currently be underutilised.




COVERED PARKING FACILITIES 5.9.

Although not an issue directly impacting parking availability, it is worth noting that the covered public

car park below Gympie Marketplace (accessed from Reef Street) was extremely popular with all-day

parkers. Based on weekday survey results, 85 of 97 parks at this location (88%) were occupied by

8.30am, increasing to 97% occupancy by 10.30am.

By way of comparison, the adjacent unrestricted public car park fronting Monkland Street had only

32% of its 60 parks occupied at 8.30am, and only reached 68% capacity at 10.30am.

Based on the above, and from anecdotal feedback gathered during our survey, it is clear that there is

a preference amongst all day parkers to utilise undercover parking facilities. The provision of covered

parking facilities could therefore prove effective in enticing all-day parkers to use outlying under-

utilised off-street parking areas. Council could consider the installation of sails or other similar

products as a low cost means of providing shelter.

LEASING OF PUBLIC PARKING BAYS 5.10.

The idea of leasing existing public parking bays within the covered levels of the Glandore Lane multi-

level parking facility, to business owners has been raised by Council. Council have requested advice

from Contour regarding this subject.

With regards to the usage of Glandore Lane parks, it is noted that the bottom and mid-levels of the

multi-level car park had an 86% peak occupancy rate. The top (uncovered) level was fully

occupied. These rates indicate that parking bays within this facility are already in high demand/use by

the public.

As discussed throughout this report, one of the primary parking objectives is to encourage long term

parkers (i.e. workers), to park in existing underutilised off-street parking areas on the fringes of the

Town Centre. Leasing parks in high use/high demand central areas, to businesses for their private

use would be counter-productive to the above, particularly if these businesses were utilising the parks

as all day spots for their staff.

Notwithstanding the above, the need for certain businesses to have their own dedicated parks near to

their business is understood. This could be particularly relevant for businesses that rely on making

frequent trips such as delivery of food, goods and/or services, or business professionals that

frequently drive to and from inspections or client appointments etc. Council would need to make

special considerations on a case by case basis. We would not recommend that parks be leased if the

business was intending on using the park/s as long term/all day parking option for their staff.

To summarise the above, we recommend that these parks be kept available for use by the public, to

encourage general public/customers to frequent the Town Centre.




6. RECOMMENDATIONS

The recommendations outlined in this section have been developed from information gathered during

the parking study and from informal feedback received from community members and Council

representatives during the undertaking of surveys and development of this report. Our preliminary

draft recommendations were discussed with Council representatives on 16 June 2014. Following this,

feedback from Council was integrated into the development of the final recommendations documented

in this report.

As a large number of the current issues relate directly to Mary Street, recommendations have been

categorised into the following Sections:

General

Mary Street Parking

Off-Street Parking

On-Street Parking (non-Mary Street)

Recommendations have been further split into subsections specifying recommended phasing for

implementation. Recommended phasing is as follows:

Short Term - 5 years

GENERAL 6.1.

6.1.1. General - Short Term Recommendations

1. REMOVE 2P GYMPIE PARKING AREA SIGNS AT ENTRANCES TO THE GYMPIE TOWN

CENTRE.

As discussed in Section 3.4.1, known all day parking locations are not generally signed as

such, therefore it is likely that these areas may be mistaken as 2 hour parks (as per the 2P

signs at entrances to the Town Centre). It is recommended that the 2P Gympie Parking Area

signs be removed. Much of the parking within the town centre is not 2 hour limited and

generally, all time limited parks are adequately signed without the need for the 2P Gympie

Parking Area signage.

2. UNDERTAKE A THOROUGH ASSESSMENT OF LOADING ZONES.

This assessment should be undertaken with a view to addressing the following:

a. Removal or reducing access to loading zones for non-commercial vehicles.

b. Reduction in the number of loading zones, ensuring remaining loading zones are

located in the most efficient and effective locations. This will require liaison with

business owners to ensure acceptable loading amenity is maintained to businesses.

c. Utilisation of any freed up space as ‘No Parking’ areas, ie. (Vehicles permitted to stop

temporarily for the purpose of setting down or picking up passengers and goods).

An example of a ‘No Parking’ sign is shown in Figure 6.1.




Figure 6.1 – No Parking Sign

As per the Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Road Rules) Regulation

2009, the driver of a vehicle must not stop on a length of road or in an area to which a

no parking sign applies, unless the driver –

i. Is dropping off, or picking up, passengers or goods; and

ii. Does not leave the vehicle unattended; and

iii. Completes the dropping off, or picking up, of the passengers or goods, and drives

on, as soon as possible and, in any case, within the required time after stopping.

Additional information can be added to the sign to indicate the applicable time of day

and any time limits for stopping. If there is no indicated time limit, the time limit is 2

minutes for ordinary vehicles.

6.1.2. General – Medium Term Recommendations

1. FOLLOWING INSTALLATION OF PODS (AS PER 6.2.1), SHOULD PARKING

INFRINGMENTS (OVERSTAYS) REMAIN AN ONGOING ISSUE, CONSIDER INCREASING

PENALTY AMOUNTS.

As outlined in Section 3.6, penalty amounts are generally considered adequate, however,

there is precedent for these to be increased if necessary. Penalty amounts relevant to minor

traffic offences adopted by Council are around 25% less than those adopted by neighbouring

Councils. We understand that Council have recently increased the penalty amounts to their

current levels.

As outlined in Section 5.7, over 130 vehicles were observed to overstay parking time limits

during a typical weekday. Following installation of PODS, and with increased enforcement,

we would expect the number of overstays to go down.

We therefore recommend that following implementation of PODS, Council monitor compliance

with parking limits and consider increasing penalties should overstays within key Town Centre

locations continue to be a problem.

MARY STREET 6.2.

As noted within this report, parking within Mary Street is in high demand throughout the day,

particularly within the one way section east of Monkland Street.

In consideration of the above, we make the following recommendations directly relevant to Mary

Street.




6.2.1. Mary Street - Short Term Recommendations

1. CONVERT EXISTING 2 HOUR ON-STREET PARKS WITHIN THE ONE WAY SECTION OF

MARY STREET; TO ONE HOUR DURATION LIMIT PARKING.

There are currently 67 two hour on-street parking bays within the one-way section of Mary

Street. Survey results indicate that 618 vehicles accessed these parks on a typical weekday,

with 78% of these vehicles observed to park for an average duration of 30 minutes.

The introduction of the above recommendation could potentially result in an increase in

parking turnover within Mary Street in excess of 100 vehicles per day. This could also act to

reduce traffic movements within Mary Street, as locals intending to park within the Town

Centre for more than 1 hour would be encouraged to travel directly to an alternate parking

location further away from the Town Centre core.

This is also likely to contribute as further deterrence to workers who are anecdotally known to

park in prime 2 hour spots and move their vehicle throughout the day.

2. INSTALL TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE ENFORCEMENT OF PARKING TIME LIMITS.

THIS COULD INCLUDE THE INSTALLATION OF PARKING OVERSTAY DETECTION

DEVICES (PODS).

If deemed appropriate by Council, we recommend a phased implementation process, whereby

the installation of PODS covering Mary Street and Smithfield Street on-street parking would be

prioritised. If successful, future phases would extend PODS coverage to incorporate premium

on and off-street locations including the Glandore Lane multi-level car park, Reef Street and

Young Street.

PODS will enable increased detection of vehicle overstays through constant monitoring of

parking bays using a sensor. The sensor is installed within the pavement of the road thereby

minimising visual impacts and potential for vandalism. Overstay information can be monitored

by parking officers who will be alerted to the location of overstaying vehicles. This will enable

more efficient usage of parking officers’ time, as parks covered by PODS will not require

ongoing visual monitoring.

In addition to enabling more effective time limit enforcement, PODS will enable continual

monitoring and recording of parking bay usage and analysis of usage and overstay patterns.

6.2.2. Mary Street - Medium Term Recommendations

1. SHOULD PARKING WITHIN MARY STREET REMAIN AN ONGOING ISSUE, CONSIDER

THE PURCHASE OF NEW, OR UTILISATION OF EXISTING COUNCIL LAND TO INSTALL

AN ADDITIONAL PARKING FACILITY.

For this strategy to deliver tangible benefits it would need to be located on, or in close

proximity and with strong connectivity to Mary Street. We note within the Gympie CBD

Revitalisation Strategy Scoping Study (April 2013) that Intervention No. 2 recommended the

creation of car parks on sites fronting Mary Street and we would support this recommendation

as a medium term strategy. The creation of an additional off-street parking area would need

to ensure that traffic issues are not created or exacerbated by vehicles entering and exiting

parking areas. For this reason vehicle access to a new parking area directly from Mary Street

should be avoided and primary access should be provided from adjacent streets such as

Nash, Young or Reef Streets.

Within this strategy, one option is to consider the opportunities presented by the Council

owned land on Young Street. Although acknowledging that there may be some issues with




the topography of this site, it is noted that it is located in close proximity to the core retail area

of Mary Street. A pedestrian crossover could be incorporated, providing a safe link directly into

Mary Street. This would likely require the purchase of a parcel of land fronting Mary Street.

6.2.3. Mary Street - Long Term Recommendations

1. SHOULD PARKING WITHIN MARY STREET REMAIN AN ONGOING ISSUE, CONSIDER

THE RE-INTRODUCTION OF METERED PARKING WITHIN MARY STREET.

The impact of this would be to encourage the use of free parking outside of Mary Street and

more evenly distribute on-street parking around the Town Centre. It would also serve to

reduce the levels of circulating traffic in Mary Street.

Part 11 of the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management recommends that the implementation

of paid parking should be considered in the following circumstances:

Where an insufficient turnover of parking spaces is identified resulting in ille

gympie cbd revitalisation strategy · 2015. 6. 2. · gympie cbd revitalisation strategy– parking...

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