A Wollongong City councillor wants to put up a sign telling Sydneysiders when the northern suburbs are full.
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Cr Leigh Colacino wants council to work with Transport for NSW to use overhead electronic signage to tell motorists when the northern suburbs roads and beach car parks are full.
He has lodged a notice of motion for next Monday's council meeting on the issue, and flagged the possibility of using the electronic signs to provide information about beaches further south than the northern Illawarra.
He said he wasn't looking to stop tourists from visiting the region but felt it would give the Illawarra a negative perception if they came down here only to be stuck in traffic.
"If I've driven from Liverpool or Parramatta to have the day at the beach I don't want to spend three hours in gridlock traffic on Lawrence Hargrave Drive and then find out I can't go to the beach anyway," Cr Colacino said.
"That's my day off wasted and I think it's that's incredibly wrong. With that signage we might be able to alleviate that."
Cr Colacino said the electronic signs were already used to notify motorists when car parks in the Royal National Park were full and he just wanted to see that approach extended to the Illawarra.
As well as benefiting visitors, Cr Colacino said it could also help northern Illawarra residents, who would be dealing with the congested roads throughout the warmer months.
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said it would consider council's request.
"Similar to arrangements that are in place for managing peak demands on Sydney's beaches, Transport for NSW will look at supporting Wollongong City Council to by using these signs to as a way of informing motorists when peak demand is being experienced on Wollongong's beaches," she said.
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