In a bid to improve parking availability for customers, City of Newcastle (CN) will install sensors along Darby Street.
The thoroughfare’s commercial precinct was selected as a location for the new technology in response to feedback received during the recent Streets as Shared Spaces trial.
It’s also part of recommendations identified in CN’s Parking Plan “On the Street”.
In the coming weeks, sensors will be set beneath the road pavement in parking areas along Darby Street (between Queen and Bull streets), Council Street (between Darby Street and the Council Street Carpark exit) and in the council-owned carpark behind the Hotel Delany.
They do not collect identifiable information, but work by recording when a vehicle arrives in a spot and when it leaves, monitoring the length of time it has stayed in the space.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said supporting local businesses by improving parking turnover in the popular suburb was a priority.
“We conducted extensive consultation with ventures, as part of the highly-successful Darby Street Streets as Shared Spaces project,” he explained.
“From this feedback, we heard parking turnover was a concern for businesses, who requested that City of Newcastle explore more options to improve availability.
“Most of them surveyed in the Darby Street and Hamilton precincts supported the installation of parking sensors.
“Installing the technology will allow us to collect data on parking occupancy and turnover, ensuring spaces and restrictions suit the needs of customers and traders now and into the future.
“Many local businesses have told us that some drivers are parking well beyond the two-hour limit, which prevents people who are coming for a meal or coffee from being able to find a spot on Darby Street.
“The sensors will support our staff in enforcing the existing time restrictions, while ensuring turnover.”
Additional locations for parking sensors are under review for commercial precincts in Hamilton’s Beaumont Street and selected locales of Hunter Street in Newcastle.
Installation is planned to occur later this year in Hamilton, with areas in the Hunter Street precinct in Newcastle under consideration for installation in line with current infrastructure works.
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