A timed parking trial will be extended at a scenic seaside location, with 80 fines handed out since it started.
Noosa Council introduced a four-hour limit trial at the car park at the end of Noosa Spit in December after residents raised issues about long-term parking blocking access.
The council’s development and regulation director Richard MacGillivray said it was implemented to make access “fairer to all”.
“The trial, introduced with the support of the Hastings Street Association, followed community concerns people parking for long periods were monopolising the limited parking at Noosa Spit,” he said.
Mr MacGillivray said the initiative was well received.
“Anecdotal community feedback has so far been very positive about the four-hour parking trial,” he said.
The trial was initially slated to run for six months but has been extended after it emerged that dozens of people had overstayed their welcome.
“Council continues to monitor the parking situation at the Spit as well as enforce the four-hour limits, with 80 tickets issued since December,” Mr MacGillivray said.
“The trial will continue for now. Whether the four-hour limits will stay will be considered as part of a broader future look at parking in the area.”
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The trial was enacted after photos of rows of campervans drew the ire of locals last year.
Suzanne King’s pictures showed vehicles jammed into the car park one evening in October.
“There are so many campers now that residents can’t access the area,” she said at the time.
That was despite the presence of ‘no camping or overnight stays’ signs.
Two months later, the council introduced the four-hour timed parking trial to the end car parks on Claude Batten Drive, which had previously allowed unlimited parking from 4am to 10pm.
Council’s then-acting manager local laws and environmental health Clint Irwin said the new regulations were aimed at “giving more residents and visitors a reasonable opportunity to find a car park in the area, to enjoy the beaches and Hastings Street precinct”.
“Applying a four-hour time limit on parking at Noosa Spit will give everyone a fair go and prevent the monopolising of car park spaces for long periods,” he said.
Signs were put in place to indicate where the restrictions would apply.
Sunshine Coast News has reached out to the Hastings Street Association and the Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association for comments.
The council will also expand its 10pm to 4am no-parking signage trial at Noosa Spit into other areas, including Victory Park and Beach Access 50 at Peregian Beach, as part of its bid to crackdown on illegal camping.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
