THE UWA has been told it should feed its carpark-hungry students more bays.
A City of Nedlands review of the Melvista Park precinct found the university was the key generator of street and verge parking in the area.
Nedlands Mayor Max Hipkins said the precinct’s streets were struggling to cope and residents were keen to have the issue addressed.
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READ NOW“It’s been building up over the years,” he said.
“The university should consider more carparking for students. It can’t expect surrounding streets to absorb the carparking pressure.”
A UWA spokeswoman said parking numbers at the Crawley campus were capped at 3300 bays, “a policy that has been agreed between UWA and the WA Planning Commission”.
She said the university encouraged staff, students and visitors to use buses, trains and other alternative forms of transport, including walking and car sharing, and had developed purpose-built end-of-trip facilities for cyclists.
UWA also contributes to the cost of running the 950 and 97 bus routes.
Mr Hipkins said the university was not the only generator of parked vehicles, with sporting clubs and businesses also attracting large numbers to the study area bounded by Broadway, Edward, Webster and Bruce streets and the Esplanade.
To address the issue, several new parking restrictions in the Melvista Park precinct will be introduced on October 1.
“The main parking change is reducing three-hour zones to two-hour zones or placing a time limit on previously unrestricted parking areas,” Mr Hipkins said.
“Due to the width of the streets within the precinct, the proposed timed parking restrictions will apply to one side of the street, with no parking allowed on the other side, to allow vehicles safe passage.”
Elizabeth Street will be an exception, with parking on both sides of the road permitted.
“Existing no parking and no standing zones in place for safety reasons remain unchanged, as do restrictions for loading bays, bus bays and other service parking,” Mr Hipkins said.
Viewway resident Rainer Offermann was hopeful the restrictions would stop university students parking in bays reserved for Nedlands Primary School visitors.
“It will make a difference to the residents and local school community because it will stop people parking all day,” he said.
“Those spots are for parents. With all the bays taken up, they are being forced into driveways.”
Mr Hipkins said the changes would be monitored and adjusted if necessary.
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