Association says Point Lonsdale needs more car parks

POINT Lonsdale will need a lot more car parks, according to the Point Lonsdale Civic Association (PLCA), with the problems now only predicted to get worse with population growth.

The latest edition of the PLCA newsletter features an item about Point Lonsdale traffic and parking, and refers to the hundreds of new homes slated to be built in the Borough of Queenscliffe.

Under the draft housing targets in Victoria’s Housing Statement, announced in June, the borough will be expected to construct 800 new homes by 2051.

The PLCA states the borough had 2,898 houses according to the 2021 Census, notes the extra 800 homes would increase this figure by about 28 per cent, estimates this is equivalent to 1,680 new residents and at least 1,000 more cars, and asks a question: “Where are the cars to go?”

“We are only talking about the everyday locals, not the peak season holidaymakers and day trippers who, as we all know, add to the population, and add to the existing parking congestion, making it really tough for anyone but the quickest to get a park.

“With the number of tourists over holiday periods, etc. the population can rise to close to 20,000 on a given day.

“The parking problems of Point Lonsdale main street are becoming worse.”

These problems, the PLCA says, include cars doing U-turns to get a spot, cars doing loops waiting for a “unicorn” empty parking spot to appear, and patrons of coffee shops moving so drivers and/or passengers can get out of their cars.

“If this growth is going to happen, we need to start planning now and not wait for the growth to happen.

“It is time for us to show that we can be a future capable borough.”

The PLCA’s suggested solutions include:

• More car parks somewhere
• Better allocation of parking for supermarket, post office and beach access, and
• Acknowledgement that many residents are in the older age brackets and need ease of access and protection – “they don’t necessarily need disabled parks, just access to parking in proximity to shops and facilities”.

The parking situation is both an amenity issue and a streetscape issue, the PLCA says, so should be addressed as part of a masterplan taking in the entire area between the Springs Beach car park and the lighthouse that would also include building more toilet blocks.