'Parkland' does not mean 'free parking' in the Parliamentary Triangle

Patrick White 'lawns' not Patrick White 'carpark'

Yet again the long running saga of parking in the Parliamentary Triangle raises its head again. This time prompted by the decision to use some parkland for actual recreation. No Canberrans - parkland does not mean 'park my car free of charge for 9 hours while I work'.

Read the Canberra Times article 'Call to correct appalling parking' here

In this recent article a senior manager of Questacon, Lorraine Neish, attacks the lack of parking in the triangle which she claims impacts upon visitor access to the national attractions. this follows yesterdays NCA announcement to return Patrick White lawns to being a lawn, instead of a public servant carpark.

Nowhere in Ms Neishs claims, or in the CT reportage, is the solution to this problem provided. The solution is better public transport which would lessen the requirement for commuters to park all day, and make more parking available for interstate tourists. Parking, either paid or free, would be a second choice for commuters if a better public transport option was available

If light rail were to service the Parliamentary Triangle, it would also be heavily used by tourists outside of peak hours, unlike the ACTION bus system. An express bus service already provides great frequency during business hours to the parliamentary Triangle, although it does not directly serve the main attractions located along the lake.

The fact that this is not referred to once in the article (or readers comments in the online version) speaks volumes about the impact that the express services have had on the public mindset regarding public transport.

The simple fact is that to be effective public transport must be frequent, reliable and attractive. Provide that and the demand for all-day parking will decrease.

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