Parking changes have been introduced in the heart of a Sunshine Coast town, with new time restrictions now in place at public car parks and a street near a major civic redevelopment.
New two- and three-hour parking and short-term parking zones have been rolled out in the Caloundra CBD in a move designed to improve turnover and access for locals and visitors.
Meanwhile, the hourly fee for more than 300 existing two-hour on-street metered spaces has increased from $1.80 to $2.
The changes, implemented on July 1, were expected to support businesses, increase parking availability and improve access to the soon-to-open civic precinct.
A community notice from Sunshine Coast Council outlined the measures.
“Parking restrictions have been introduced as part of an ongoing transformation of the Caloundra administration building into a state-of-the-art district library and customer service centre,” it stated.
“These changes will provide more public parking spaces for the community to access the new Library+ Caloundra building.”
Time limits have been introduced at the Nutley Street car park, where 64 public parking spaces now include 15 two-hour and 49 three-hour restrictions, from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Sunday.
At the Otranto Avenue car park at the Caloundra Regional Gallery, 19 public parking spaces are now two-hour parking from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Sunday.
On Omrah Avenue, between Nutley Street and Minchinton Street, seven five-minute zones have been introduced on-street from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Sunday. The southern end of the street will continue to have on-street two-hour paid parking restrictions.
Local councillor Terry Landsberg said the changes aimed to better manage demand and encourage greater access to key facilities.
“We look forward to the community benefiting from improved accessibility to the facility and increased parking turnover, which will help encourage visitor activation and support local businesses,” he said.
A council spokesperson said the revenue from parking meters would fund “various projects in downtown Caloundra including street activation, public facilities and business support programs”.
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The restrictions will be monitored by council’s ParkSmart vehicles and fines will apply for non-compliance.
The council was set to conduct a two-week educational period in the CBD from July 1.
“During this period, caution notices will be issued to help residents and visitors adjust to the new regulations,” the spokesperson said.
Short-term parking is available closer to the Library+ building, which is expected to open within months, while longer-term unrestricted parking is at Bicentennial Park car park. Council also stated that there are several nearby bus stops.
The Caloundra Residents Association told Sunshine Coast News that it welcomed the changes but said more needed to be done to improve connectivity to the CBD.
“CRA recognises that with Caloundra’s growing population and increasing visitor numbers, well-managed parking is essential to support local businesses and community access,” the group stated.
“We acknowledge the recent updates to parking in the CBD, including the introduction of new time-limited zones and upgraded parking meters as part of the Library+ precinct development.
“Time limits, such as the new two-hour parking and three-hour parking restrictions in key car parks and short-term zones on Omrah Avenue, can help manage turnover and improve access for all users.
“However, we believe that parking management should be part of a broader, forward-thinking strategy.
“We are actively advocating for greater investment in active transport infrastructure – such as safer walking and cycling paths and improved public transport including for people who work within the CBD – and innovative mobility solutions that connect surrounding suburbs to the CBD and surrounding coastal areas.
“These measures will help reduce parking demand, ease congestion, and create a more vibrant, accessible town centre for everyone.”
