The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the following:
Residents of Woodberry Avenue in Coombs are experiencing significant parking congestion and safety issues due to poor street design that does not adequately accommodate medium- to high-density housing. The apartment block at the end of Woodberry Avenue contains over 140 apartments but includes only two visitor car parks. It directly faces a row of townhouses, intensifying local demand for street parking. In contrast, the other end of Woodberry Avenue—lined with low-density single homes—has carved-out parking bays, whereas this high-density section has none.
The lack of parking options is forcing residents and visitors to park on the narrow street and on the wide grass verges, leading to congestion, unsafe conditions for pedestrians, and limited access for emergency vehicles. Trees along the verge remain small and could potentially be relocated to facilitate inset parking. Additionally, a central traffic island that serves little purpose on this narrow street could be removed to increase usable space. This oversight in the original planning has failed to meet the practical needs of a growing population and must be rectified. Solutions like street widening or the addition of inset parking—both already used elsewhere in Coombs and across the ACT—should be urgently considered.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government to:
- Review parking arrangements along Woodberry development at 2 Woodberry Avenue and Pearlman Street in Coombs, particularly in areas where medium- to high-density developments are already in place or planned.
- Investigate and implement an appropriate inset parking to alleviate congestion, improve safety along Woodberry Avenue at 2 Woodberry Avenue.