"PARENTS WITH PRAMS" PARKING SPOTS AREN'T WIDE ENOUGH in The New Pittwater Council Car Park in Bungan Lane at Mona Vale
HOW CAN THIS BE ?
LOCATION OF "PARENTS WITH PRAMS" SPOTS
At the Council meeting 17 November 2014 the Councillors considered parking layout and times for parking spaces in the new Council Car Park. The parking plan included in the Report, which was adopted by Councillors, showed 3 “Parents with Prams” parking spots at ground level all adjacent and fronting to Bungan Lane.
However this is not what has been provided in the Council car park and the outcome is not consistent with the plan approved by the Councillors 17 November 2014. Two of the spots are now located on the lower ground level, which is a worse outcome for travel distance to Bungan Lane.
Access from these spots to Bungan Lane is a very long route, firstly it is a 45 metre distance to reach the start of the pedestrian ramp and then another 25 metres using the long narrow ramp to reach Bungan Lane. This is a total distance to travel of 70 metres.
The plan approved by Pittwater Councillors 17 November 2014 shows very short distances with as little as 8 metres to reach the Bungan Lane footpath.
WIDTH OF "PARENTS WITH PRAMS" SPOTS
Councillors were informed by a speaker who addressed the Council Meeting 17 November 2014 that the “Parents with Prams” spots were only 2.6 metres wide and the inadequate width was not wide enough as this was the width of a normal car parking space and would be useless for the designated purpose.
Councillors were told a Traffic Report dated 8 December 2011 submitted with the Section 96 modifications and approved by Pittwater Council Staff in 2012 shows there would be 3 spots at 3.2 metres width. This was tabled at the meeting.
Councillors were shown a document from the Hill’s Shire and tabled at the meeting which states “Parents with Prams” spots must be 3.2 meters wide.
And to further support this Councillors were told the "Parents With Prams" spots in the Woolworth’s car park at Mona Vale were measured to also be 3.2 metres wide.
The danger in the spots being the width of only a normal spot and not having them at 3.2 metres width is that parents have to leave their prams in the traffic lanes or behind other cars to get their children in and out of the car. This is reported in The Fraser Coast Chronicle and can easily lead to a dangerous situation as described in the article with statements included here. See further down for full article.
“Mother of twins Bella Tuia organised the rally because of safety concerns for her children who have almost been run over in car parks because space is so tight she has to put their pram behind other vehicles”.
"Ms Tuia said she was also starting a petition to gather support for more pram parking, wider than normal spaces, which allowed parents to park their pram safely next to their vehicle so they could put their children inside".
"Ms Tuia has more than 40 signatures on a petition seeking more pram parking, which is wider than normal spaces, at Hervey Bay shopping centres and on the Esplanade".
"She said her children had almost been run over because she’d had to park her pram behind another vehicle which had unexpectedly started reversing while her back was turned putting one child in the car".
NEW PITTWATER COUNCIL CAR PARK BUNGAN LANE MONA VALE
HOW CAN THIS BE ?
LOCATION OF "PARENTS WITH PRAMS" SPOTS
At the Council meeting 17 November 2014 the Councillors considered parking layout and times for parking spaces in the new Council Car Park. The parking plan included in the Report, which was adopted by Councillors, showed 3 “Parents with Prams” parking spots at ground level all adjacent and fronting to Bungan Lane.
However this is not what has been provided in the Council car park and the outcome is not consistent with the plan approved by the Councillors 17 November 2014. Two of the spots are now located on the lower ground level, which is a worse outcome for travel distance to Bungan Lane.
Access from these spots to Bungan Lane is a very long route, firstly it is a 45 metre distance to reach the start of the pedestrian ramp and then another 25 metres using the long narrow ramp to reach Bungan Lane. This is a total distance to travel of 70 metres.
The plan approved by Pittwater Councillors 17 November 2014 shows very short distances with as little as 8 metres to reach the Bungan Lane footpath.
WIDTH OF "PARENTS WITH PRAMS" SPOTS
Councillors were informed by a speaker who addressed the Council Meeting 17 November 2014 that the “Parents with Prams” spots were only 2.6 metres wide and the inadequate width was not wide enough as this was the width of a normal car parking space and would be useless for the designated purpose.
Councillors were told a Traffic Report dated 8 December 2011 submitted with the Section 96 modifications and approved by Pittwater Council Staff in 2012 shows there would be 3 spots at 3.2 metres width. This was tabled at the meeting.
Councillors were shown a document from the Hill’s Shire and tabled at the meeting which states “Parents with Prams” spots must be 3.2 meters wide.
And to further support this Councillors were told the "Parents With Prams" spots in the Woolworth’s car park at Mona Vale were measured to also be 3.2 metres wide.
The danger in the spots being the width of only a normal spot and not having them at 3.2 metres width is that parents have to leave their prams in the traffic lanes or behind other cars to get their children in and out of the car. This is reported in The Fraser Coast Chronicle and can easily lead to a dangerous situation as described in the article with statements included here. See further down for full article.
“Mother of twins Bella Tuia organised the rally because of safety concerns for her children who have almost been run over in car parks because space is so tight she has to put their pram behind other vehicles”.
"Ms Tuia said she was also starting a petition to gather support for more pram parking, wider than normal spaces, which allowed parents to park their pram safely next to their vehicle so they could put their children inside".
"Ms Tuia has more than 40 signatures on a petition seeking more pram parking, which is wider than normal spaces, at Hervey Bay shopping centres and on the Esplanade".
"She said her children had almost been run over because she’d had to park her pram behind another vehicle which had unexpectedly started reversing while her back was turned putting one child in the car".
NEW PITTWATER COUNCIL CAR PARK BUNGAN LANE MONA VALE
“Parents With Prams” spots in the new Pittwater Council Car Park are only 2.6 metres wide.
WOOLWORTH'S CAR PARK at MONA VALE
WOOLWORTH'S CAR PARK at MONA VALE
Woolworth’s Car Park at Mona Vale “Parents With Prams” spots are 3.2 metres wide.
THE HILLS SHIRE DCP
The Hill’s Shire Development Control Plan (DCP) “Parking” has a Control requiring “Parents With Prams” spots to be 3.2 metres wide. One must ask why other Car Parks and Council’s have this regulation but Pittwater Council does not.
THE HILLS SHIRE DCP
The Hill’s Shire Development Control Plan (DCP) “Parking” has a Control requiring “Parents With Prams” spots to be 3.2 metres wide. One must ask why other Car Parks and Council’s have this regulation but Pittwater Council does not.
TRAFFIC REPORT SUBMITTED TO PITTWATER COUNCIL
Of further concern is The Traffic Report submitted to Pittwater Council for the Section 96 Modification in 2012 showed there would be 3 “Parents With Pram” spaces at 3.2 metres width as shown below.
Of further concern is The Traffic Report submitted to Pittwater Council for the Section 96 Modification in 2012 showed there would be 3 “Parents With Pram” spaces at 3.2 metres width as shown below.
THE 2012 SECTION 96 APPROVED PLAN
The modified plan approved by Pittwater Council Staff in 2012 showed 3 "Parents With Prams" parking spots all at 3.2 metre width. These spots are shown on the plan as car spots 15, 31 and 32.
So what happened to the Approved 3 "Parents With Prams" spots 3.2 metres wide, why did Pittwater Council Staff change this? Read on.
THE PITTWATER COUNCIL TRAFFIC COMMITTEE MEETING
The Pittwater Council Traffic Committee at their meeting 9 September 2014 approved a modified plan which was not consistent with the approved S96 plan from 2012. The Committee's approval now resulted in deleting altogether the previously approved two "Parents with Prams" 3.2 metre wide spots known as spots 31 and 32 and made these "15 Minute Parking Spots" later to be changed to "Loading Bays".
The committee also approved the relocation of the remaining one "Parents With Prams" spot from space 15 to space 12 and the reduction in the width from 3.2 metres down to 2.6 metres. The result was the Traffic Committee deleted two of the 3 spots required and the remaining one they changed the width so it did not comply and was not functional.
THE COUNCIL MEETING 17 NOVEMBER 2014
Councillors at the meeting 17 November 2014 approved another modified version, this time it had gone back up to three "Parents With Prams" spots all fronting Bungan Lane, but all were only 2.6 metres wide. This plan was approved by the Councillors but is NOT WHAT has now been provided one week later in the car park. All three spaces are in other locations than what was approved.
A Councillor asked a question to Staff at this meeting of why the spots where changed from 3.2 metres width to now be only 2.6 metres and the reply was -
“To maximise the number of other car parking spaces within the car park”.
The unfortunate outcome from the Council meeting is that the “Parents with Prams” spots in the new Pittwater Council car park will not be altered and will remain at the inadequate and impractical width of 2.6 metres.
THE FRASER COAST CHRONICLE
Articles in the Fraser Coast Chronicle are included below and what you need to get from reading them is the extra width required by “Parents with Pams” spots is 3.2 metres wide and the danger in not having this width may result in children being put in harms way.
Maybe similar protests by “Mothers With Prams” to Pittwater Council is necessary to achieve compliance to the industry standard of spaces to be 3.2 metres wide to increase safety and convenience.
What do you think? Leave a Comment!
What do you think? Leave a Comment!