Council urged to put focus on city parking
HAYDEN SMITH council that deals with the issue, taking into account the growth the city is experiencing and will continue to experience over the next five years.”
A Cairns City business owner himself, Mr Loukas said a “uniform approach” to free parking areas and the creation of more multi-tiered parking areas were worth considering.
It comes as the council’s popular Lake St carpark undergoes a multimillion-dollar refurbishment.
“We don’t think the council is putting enough emphasis on this issue,” Mr Loukas said.
Cairns Division 5 councillor Richie Bates, whose division includes the CBD, said the parking problem was not something that had been seriously addressed.
“My belief about fixing the CBD parking issue is that we need a holistic approach … including good public transport opportunities and looking at parking apps,” he said.
“We do need to think more strategically about how we can better provide for the city’s parking needs.”
Cr Bates said he was disappointed plans for a city-loop shuttle bus service had fallen over recently.
“Building new carparks won’t just fix it,” he said. “People who drive into the city and do laps until they find a park are just adding to the congestion.”
Sing Sing Espresso owner Richy Mindenhall said closing the Lake St carpark – during peak tourism season – had been a “big blow” for many CBD businesses.
“Lake St has been undergoing continual works over the past few years,” he said. “Feedback we’ve had from a lot of loyal customers is that they’ve tried to come during the week but haven’t been able to find a park.”