Wollongong City Council will double-down on its efforts to make parking in the CBD an unattractive prospect, with a new document revealing plans to further "disincentivise" cars in the city centre.
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This is despite continued protests from residents, who insist paid parking has "killed" the city.
In the transport strategy outlined in the council's Wollongong City Centre Planning Review - a dramatic new plan to overhaul the failing city centre - the council says it will change the road network to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists over cars.
This will no doubt anger many residents and visitors to the city, who took to social media to call for the removal of paid parking when the plan was unveiled.
"The NUMBER 1 problem is metered parking , its killing the CBD," Facebook commentator Laurie Morgan said.
Likewise, Bec Jones she "avoid[s] Wollongong CBD due to the paid parking and how all the shops are scattered everywhere. Its not appealing to have to walk out into the rain and have wet shoes going in and out of the stores."
But walking would be highly encouraged if the measures outlined in the review are adopted, with the council set to introduce more measures that deter people from using cars.
The square between Keira, Market, Corrimal and Burelli - as well as either side of Crown Street west to Wollongong station would become the "pedestrian priority core" of the city.
No extra vehicle entrances (via driveways or car parks) would be allowed along Crown, Keira and Burelli Streets, as well as parts of Market and Corrimal Streets populated with restaurants and shops.
This could mean any new developments in this zone would not be required to have car parking in-built, making driving more difficult than other modes of transport.
A bike network would link streets around and through major streets, and new pedestrian connections would allow walkers to traverse block which are currently difficult to navigate.
Corrimal Street and Gladstone Avenue would become the main "vehicle corridors" and the new Throsby/Denison bypass would allow cars to travel around, but less in the city.
To make the plan a success, public transport would need to be improved with the help of the NSW Government, and road and lane upgrades would be made on main streets.
Central Wollongong councilor David Brown said there was "no good reason" to remove paid parking, and noted most cities around the world were transitioning away from cars.
"London taxes private cars in the city, and New York has created 25 to 30 pedestrianised areas," he said.
He also said free parking would mean thousands of CBD workers would be able to park all day, leaving no space for shoppers or those wanting to visit restaurants.
Cr Brown said the shift towards pedestrians and cycling was not a dramatic change from previous council policies, noting that the council has adopted its "City for People" vision in 2016.
"We've had billions of dollars invested in the city of the past decade, so it's not all doom and gloom - we must be doing something right," he said.
"I don't think there's any good reason to get rid of paid parking, it's not going to solve the situation like people think it will.
"As cities grow in population, parking will always get worse, not better.
"That's why we fought so hard to keep the green bus, and why we want a southern loop for that bus - you'd don't necessarily solve parking problems by trying to build your way out of it. You need to shift people to other modes of transport."
Ward 2 Greens councillor Cath Blakey has also welcomed the new pedestrian and cyclist friendly plan, saying it would help to address the discnnection between the city, beach and railway station.
"At the moment there's not a single cycling route through the city and at the moment the mall doesn't even permit cyclists," she said.
"There's talk in this plan about the 'permeability' of block, and that's about making sure blocks are walkable.
"At the moment, you can arrive at the railway station, and there are not natural markers so that you know where you're going and how to get to the places you need to go."