Multi-storey still on table

A report into the proposal for a car park that could house between 200 and 800 cars said commuters would need to fork out $11 a day for parking for the City to cover its cost. That figure was considered too high.

Instead of scrapping the project altogether, Mayor Logan Howlett moved to push the discussion back two months so alternative funding sources and construction methods could be examined.

Cockburn resident Mitchell Wake said a multi-storey car park was needed.

After being fined $100 for parking on a kerb in Knock Place, Mr Wake said he was ‘extremely frustrated’.

‘Traffic in Perth at the moment is at an all-time high and public transport, especially trains, are a great means to reduce this and help with road congestion,’ he said.

‘However not everyone has access to connecting bus routes or someone who can drop them at the train station, so most people need to drive and park there.

‘With all the parking problems they are having, it would seem obvious that a multi-storey car park is the greatest use of space and it would simultaneously solve the parking problems in the area without using up more land.’

Cr Carol Reeve-Fowkes was equally forthcoming.

‘Big cities around the world have multi-storey car parks,’ she said. ‘Businesses need to be accessible and we’re kidding ourselves if we think we don’t need one because clearly we do.’

Jandakot MLA Joe Francis was confident the new train station at Aubin Grove would ease the commuter grind at Cockburn Central.

‘With nearly 2000 parking bays, Cockburn Central is already the biggest park’n’ride in WA,’ he said. ‘You could build a multi-storey (car park) there, but it’s very expensive compared to ground-level parking bays.’

‘The Aubin Grove train station is a better use of taxpayers’ money because 2000 new bays will be opened up on land under high-voltage powerlines. It makes sense to better utilise land that isn’t suitable for anything else.’