Transport is a fundamental component of our everyday lives. If cities are to function effectively and be productive, sustainable and attractive places to live, work, recreate and visit then viable travel choices need to be provided.
Parking is a key component of the transport system and is one of the biggest challenges facing local governments. That's why we need to make sure our parking policies and plans are up to date and responsive to the needs of our growing city.
To hear what you think about parking in Ipswich, community engagement for the project was split into two parts. Phase 1 ran from July 2022 to late 2023 and thanks to your feedback, multiple clear themes were identified. To view a full summary of the engagement activities and outcomes click here.
We are now at Phase 2 of this project and have developed a draft iGO Parking Strategy and Action Plan (PSAP) based on your initial feedback. The PSAP will assist council with the management of parking spaces, supporting local business and encouraging travel behaviour change.
We have now closed Phase 2 of engagement and are reviewing your feedback. Thank you for your contributions on key elements of the plan.
Our proposed approach to parking and kerbside management
FAQS
A demand management approach to parking focuses on optimising existing carparks rather than building more.
A demand satisfaction approach assumes that car parking should be convenient and in great supply to all users.
Council is moving towards a demand management approach to parking as opposed to a demand satisfaction approach. This will ensure that the growing community is supported by having access to suitable parking while also encouraging a shift towards more sustainable forms of transport.
The City of Ipswich Transport Plan (iGO) is Council’s masterplan for Ipswich’s transport future. It responds to current and future transport challenges and outlines Council’s aspirations to advance the city’s transport system to accommodate a future population of 435,000 people.
The draft iGO Parking Strategy and Action Plan (iGO PSAP) is a key deliverable of iGO and has been developed to respond to the transport challenges facing the city and identifies key strategies and actions to be implemented over the coming years.
The iGO PSAP is a citywide parking plan that will support a demand management approach to parking as opposed to a demand satisfaction approach.
The iGO PSAP also outlines a framework and series of actions to allow Council to make parking management decisions with a focus on our people and our places.
More parking means more cars, more traffic, more congestion, more pollution and less space for people to meet, eat, shop, and spend. Town centres prosper when people walk and stay for extended periods, rather than quickly driving in and out.
The more cars on the road (especially for short trips) due to the ease of parking, means more traffic congestion, safety and amenity impacts.
Council’s iGO highlights the need to make better use of its existing parking supply, rather than continuing to invest in more public parking to meet an ever growing demand.
Source: ARRB, Austroads
The City of Ipswich Transport Plan (iGO) is an overarching citywide plan that provides direction and guidance on how to overcome transport issues, challenges and achieve identified transport objectives. The strategy has 7 elements:
- Land Use / Transport Integration
- Public Transport
- Active Transport
- Roads
- Parking
- Freight
- Travel Demand Management
The iGO Parking Strategy and Action Plan is an action from the parking element of the plan, providing more detailed guidance and actions on parking management and decision-making frameworks for the City of Ipswich.
You may be surprised by just how expensive car parks can be. Recent multi-storey car parks in SEQ have cost in the order of $40,000 - $50,000 per parking space.
Costs of infrastructure are rapidly increasing over time making the construction of new car parking spaces less economically viable, with one of the most recent multi-storey parking facilities in South-East Queensland costing $76,531 per parking space.
Streets are one of our most important public assets as they influence how we move around and use certain spaces.
When designing them, we consider people movement, loading and unloading, vehicle parking and other city uses that affect our community's connectedness, productivity and health.
However, they are also finite spaces. While car parking is one potential use of the kerbside, it requires significant room which could otherwise be used for creating vibrant spaces, public transport and active travel alternatives. An example of this is the Movement and Place Matrix.
