‘Parking ghettos’ raising ire
FRUSTRATION is growing over the rise of parking ghettos in CBD fringe suburbs.
Residents in the Quarterdeck apartment block in Charles St, including, Lorraine Burns, Richard Underwood, Mark Dizon and Maureen Schmitzer (right) say traffic congestion in the Cairns Hospital precinct is out of control despite the allocation of more than 350 parking spots.
COMPLAINTS of dodgy drivers and infuriating traffic congestion are becoming more frequent as parking ghettos creep ever further into the CBD’s fringe suburbs.
Cairns Regional Council’s recent formalisation of more than 350 parking spots in the Cairns Hospital precinct has been heralded as a success but cracks are starting to form.
Residents of the Quarterdeck apartments on Charles St have tried for months to get no-parking signs erected at the edges of their driveway, outside the designated parking area.
Instead, they say council officers are using the street as a revenue-raiser and issuing fines rather than fixing the problem at the source.
“It means the rubbish truck can’t get in, but what happens if there’s a fire – how will the fire truck get in?” resident Maureen Schmitzer asked.
Ms Schmitzer said the question had been posed to a council officer whose backwards bureaucratic response left her bewildered.
“He said if the fire brigade can’t get in, give them a call and the council will arrange to tow the car,” she said.
“In the meantime, there’s a house burning down.”
Division 5 Cairns Regional Councillor Richie Bates said traffic congestion and parking problems would only worsen unless the council gave up its car-centric transport strategy.
“This council has no adequate plan for transport diversification, with a recent motion to support the metro shuttle defeated by the majority of councillors,” he said.
“Consequently all council have to offer is converting residential streets into parking ghettos, further exacerbating congestion and noncompliance issues.
“Council needs a fresh approach to fix this dilemma – simply throwing more parking bays at streets where they don’t belong is not the answer.”
A council spokesman confirmed a number of complaints had been received from the apartment complex.
“Although this area is patrolled regularly, in response to the complaints, council has stepped up parking enforcement in the area,” he said.