2. Provide Parking
"I am seeing the most ridiculous and dangerous parks. So many children walk our streets and parking across intersections and dangerously is not on."
Sally, Cammeray Voice
Cammeray Streets: now an unoffical parking lot,
only not for residents
The second major directive from the Ministerial Conditions for the Project Team regarding On-Street Parking was clear: provide off-street parking for the construction workforce and devise strategies to address any parking issues that arise. It seems, however, that the Project Team took a more 'creative' approach. Instead of a traditional parking lot, they seemed to think, "Why not use the entirety of Cammeray streets? After all, it's spacious and scenic!" A tad presumptuous, perhaps?
Below, you'll find a breakdown: what the Ministerial Conditions dictated, what the Project Teams said they'd do, to meet those Ministerial Conditions, and the slightly 'off-piste' reality we're witnessing".
A. What the Ministerial Conditions said the Project Team had to do
In brief the Ministerial Conditions (see excerpt below) require the Project Team to:
PROVIDE OFF-ROAD PARKING FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS - where there are already residential parking scheme in place - like there are in Cammeray.
OFFSET ANY IMPACTS ON OFF-STREET PARKING - on the local community. A range of measures are suggested including shuttle busses to ferry the workofrce to "construction sites from public transprot hubs and off-site car parking facilities".
PROVIDE DETAILS OF ANY SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES - transporting workers to and from sites and parking.
Excerpt from Ministerial Conditions.
B. What the Project Teams said they'd do to meet those Conditions
As outlined on the Review and Plan page - instead of coming up with a strategy for each worksite - there are six or seven different documents that apply across the project, each with a slightly different take on the strategy. These are broadly summarised in the table below by project "stage' as they apply to the Cammeray Golf Course construction site:
In summary, the Project teams' plans commit to:
PROVIDE OFF-ROAD PARKING FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS - according to the numbers above, the Project Teams are planning to provide sufficient parking facilities for workers who wish to drive to work;
OFFSET ANY IMPACTS ON OFF-STREET PARKING - given that the Project Teams are planning to provide sufficient parking for anyone who wants it, it's not suprising that they draw the conclusion that there is need for extra measures. Only Stage 2 plans by CP Downer indicate the use of 'ancillary parking facilities' off-site with all others suggesting that sufficient parking will be provided on-site at the Cammeray Golf Club.
A SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES - Stage 2 plans by CP Downer indicate that they will be running a shuttle bus 24/7 between North Sydney, St Leonards station and a single drop-off/pick-up location on West street located "35 metres away" from the nearest residence.
Construction workers having an end of day chat in Morden Street (part of Cammeray's unofficial Project parking lot) after being dropped off at their cars in by a Project Shuttlebus
C. And here's what is actually happening
Unfortunately, in the real world, neither the Ministerial Conditions nor the Project Team's own plans are being fully adhered to. In summary - here's what is actually happening (or not happening).
In brief, Project Teams are:
x
x
x
NOT PROVIDING OFF-STREET PARKING FOR WORKERS - instead instructing workers use up scarce on-street parking spaces on Cammeray's streets.
MISUSING CAMMERAY's BACKSTREETS - Instead of fulfilling their promise to minimise the possibility of any off-street parking, Workers have told residents that they are instructed by their supervisors to park on our streets. What's worse, Project Teams, primarily CP Downer, exploit Cammeray's backstreets as free offsite parking for multiple Northern Sites. Workers park in Cammeray and are ferried to other sites by shuttle buses. Those CP Downer workers that do park in North Sydney, tell local residents that their shift breaks are organised so that they move cars parked on metered streets in the area.
SHUTTLE-BUS LOCATION BREACH -as already noted, the shuttle buses are not using the planned drop-off locationpn West Street, which is 35 metres away from residences. Instead they are dropping off and picking workers from their cars on the streets north of Cammeray Golf Course all day, regularly lingering outside peole's houses for extended periods of time in the morning, waiting for workers to board. The map contrasts actual pickup spots (yellow buses) against the planned site (red bus).
What Cammeray voices are saying about this
I have spokent to a lot of workers now as I walk around in the morning. They have all independently told me the same thing: they have been told by their supervisors to park 'near the park'".
Kate
There was nearly an accident this morning when one Construction Worker's car doing laps to fine a park, pulled out in front of one of their shuttlebusses.
Adam
Workers get picked up and dropped off by a van in Morden street. Residents have been struggling to park since it started.
Trent