CBD parks in Apsey’s sights
FIXING parking woes in the Toowoomba CBD is the foundation of Ben Apsey’s platform, after announcing his candidacy for the upcoming council election.
The car salesman and former CBD small business owner is one of several candidates from 2016 to return for another bid.
Mr Apsey said the city centre needed major attention from the next council.
“A week ago I wasn’t going to stand, but having seen the candidates already announced, I’ve noticed that not a lot of them were talking about the elephant in the room — the Toowoomba CBD,” he said.
“It’s struggling, it’s dying and I don’t want it to look like the next Ipswich — it cannot turn into a one-shopping centre town.
“I couldn’t stand by in good conscience and not fight for the CBD.”
Mr Apsey said parking was a major aspect of the CBD’s struggles, offering a possible solution as well.
“The CBD is here for the entire region to enjoy, and the biggest problem is parking,” he said.
“A lot of the shop owners complain about it, and nothing gets done.
“People just want to park in front of the shops and you notice the workers are (in those spots), moving their cars every hour.
“In the short term, I really think the only solution is free CBD parking, across the board.
“You can’t build a multistorey car park overnight, but to get people back into the CBD, we need to open it up and let people in.”
Mr Apsey said his qualifications as a town planner made him suited for a position on council, particularly around planning and development.
You can follow him on Facebook by searching “Ben Apsey”.