Lane Cove Village and St Leonards Parking Study – Do You Have any Comments To Make?

In our latest week in review, we mentioned the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards Parking Study.  Parking is always a hot issue in Lane Cove, so we thought highlighting the study in a separate article might be a good idea.

Lane Cove Council is asking for your feedback on the draft parking study for Lane Cove Village and St Leonards. The study areas are marked with the red dotted line on the map of Lane Cove below.  You can submit comments by 29 November 2022.  If you have some comments but can’t submit them by 29 November 2022 call the Acting Coordinator Traffic and Transport on  Ph: (02) 9911 3623  or email [email protected] attention Acting Coordinator Traffic and Transport and ask for an extension.

This study seems a long time in the making. Lane Cove Council contracted Cardno (now known as Stantec) to undertake a comprehensive study of parking in the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards.  Cardno had their contractor physically observe where cars were parked and how long in December 2021.  In April and May 2022, Cardno spoke with residents and businesses in the Village through two workshops and an online survey.  The report was presented to Lane Cove Council in September 2022 and has been publicly displayed since mid-October and November.  It seems strange to request comments on an out-of-date report.

Why the Report is Out of Date

Harris Farm Mult Level Car Park and Increased Demand for Parking in the Village

The survey was undertaken before the Harris Farm car park re-opened.  Shoppers visit Harris Farm has increased parking demand in The Canopy and Lane Cove Market Square as visitors and new residents find it hard to locate the multi-story carpark as there are no wayfinding signs.    ITC has also pointed out to Lane Cove Council that their parking map is out of date.  They do not have directions to the multi story car park behind Harris Farm which is owned and operated by Lane Cove Council.

Burns Bay and Tambourine Bay Lights

The report does not address issues that have arisen since the installation of the lights and removal of parking bays in front of Len Wallis Audio.  ITC has been asked by several locals what can be done to provide accessible parking near the doctor’s surgery on the corner of Burns Bay Road and Tambourine Bay Road.

Pocket Parklet Plans

The Lane Cove Council received funding to put pocket parklets on Longueville Road in place.  This grant was approved after the report, at the time the report was commissioned, there were only trials.

What Was Reviewed?

The study has been segmented by precinct, and outcomes of the study were presented using the following categories:

• On Street Parking demand
• Accessible Parking
• Seniors Parking
• Electric Vehicle Charging
• Loading Zone
• Carshare
• Wayfinding
• Active Transport

The purpose of the study is to:

• Provide an efficient, fair, and equitable use of on-street parking;
• Improve the utilisation of existing parking spaces while ensuring that future parking demands are met; and
• Consider the opportunity to provide sustainable transport options such as car share and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations.
• Using the data collected from the observations and feedback from the community, several recommendations have been made. These aim to improve parking availability and standardise the parking restriction times.

Lane Cove Council Summary

Lane Cove Council has summarised the key findings as:

• On street parking demand in the Lane Cove Village varies from street to street and differing users are served by each street.
• Opportunities to improve accessible parking in the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards
• Seniors parking is highly utilised in Lane Cove Village
• Car share has low use in Lane Cove Village and St Leonards
• The overall Loading Zone demand in the Lane Cove Village does not exceed capacity
• Following is some of the key recommendations for the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards.
• Changes to the parking restrictions on a street-by-street basis with a focus on streets that exceed 85% capacity at the time of the survey.
• Increase the number of accessible parking spaces in the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards
• Implement 3-hour time-restrictions for on-street accessible parking spaces in the Lane Cove Village
• Ensure consistent seniors parking signage
• Develop a Lane Cove Council LGA Electric Vehicle strategy including consideration for on-street EV charging bays
• Develop a Lane Cove Council LGA car share strategy

Recommendations

A summary of the recommendations from the Draft Lane Cove Village and St Leonards Parking study and the complete Draft Lane Cove Village and St Leonards Parking Study have been prepared by Cardno in consultation with Council.

Streets Impacted

Recommendations Have Been Made For the Following Streets:

• Longueville Road (as far as Dorritt Street)
• Pheonix Street
• Little Street
• Birdwood Avenue
• Burns Bay Road
• Rosenthal Avenue
• Central Avenue
• Sutherland Street
• Pottery Lane
• Coxs Lane
• Sera Street

EV Charging

ITC regularly receives photos (which we do not publish) of petrol cars parking in Electric Vehicles Spaces.  The uptake of EV cars has grown in the last year since the physical observation has taken place, and the observations are out of date.

There is a proposal for a charging station at Little Street (parking near pottery oval).

Loading Zones and The Canopy Shared Space Rosenthal Avenue

The report notes:

“There are several loading zones in Rosenthal Lane however, based on consultation, there is a perception that it is potentially not the most convenient due to the prohibited right Turn from Rosenthal Lane onto Rosenthal Avenue. This limits the ability for delivery drivers to circulate back to Epping Road to continue to other destinations.”

This is not what happens in reality.  Those loading zones are used extensively and the idea should be to limit the amount of traffic in the shared zones.  Those loading zones are used for deliveries all over the Lane Cove Village, and illegal right-hand turns continue.   Should Lane Cove Council find extra loading zones, so there is less traffic in the Canopy’s shared zone?

Car Share

The report notes:

“Of those car share spaces that appeared to be used during the survey period, the 3 vehicles in The Canopy and the 1 vehicle on Burns Bay Road wer e most used. A consultation comment was received that mentions the car share vehicle adjacent to the Post Office having low utilisation and this would be supported by the weekday survey result.”

One of the reasons the car share is not used on Burns Bay Road is the car is always covered in Bird Crap.  ITC was told the shared car space was removed and was only recently reinstated, it has caught some people out who thought it was a legitimate street parking space.  The shared car must have been used the day we took this photo.

Wayfinding Signs

The report notes:

Wayfinding to car parking areas within the village generally consists of static parking signs. Through consultation, there was community responses that wayfinding within the village needs improvement and not just limited to parking.

The utilisation of the larger offstreet carparks is generally high with exception to the Sera Street carpark, though this could be as a result of the temporary construction work associated with the approved Harris Farm. [ITC Note report prepared before Harris Farm opened]

The limitation of the static car parking directional signs is they do not provide re altime information on car parking availability. This is especially important where motorists need to make decisions on parking and during peak hour congestion and high utilisation of parking motorists will need to respond quickly to their environment and decision making.

There are three main gateways to the village, being Burns Bay Road to the west and the northern and southern ends of Longueville Road. These gateways provide little to no advance signage on car parking conditions within the village.

Most directional signage is provided  at intersections, and decision motorists are first made aware of parking, and it may be too late for motorists to decide making points where or where to park.”

As you can see from our cover photo, the directional signs can take a bit of a battering and yes they are static.

Have Your Say

To have your say on the above recommendations, you can make a submission by either:-

Completing the online survey. Your email address will not be linked to your answers and all comments remain anonymous.

Email: [email protected], quoting Lane Cove Village and St Leonards Parking Study; or

Post: Lane Cove Council, PO Box 20, Lane Cove NSW 1595.

Submissions must be received by Council before 5.00pm, Tuesday 29 November 2022.

What Happens Next?

Any comments will be reviewed and evaluated. The final parking study will then be submitted to the Traffic Committee for endorsement and Council for adoption.

Locals can monitor the progress by reviewing the agenda of the Traffic Committee meeting. Meetings are typically held every two months and published on Council’s website at the link below www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au/advisorycommittees.  ITC has asked for specific dates for the traffic committee so we can look out for the agenda.

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