1. Hobart Mercury Brief: HOBARTCC
Page 1 of 1
Saturday 4/12/2010
Page: 24
Section: Editorials
Region: Hobart
Circulation: 61,123
Type: News Item
Size: 237.21 sq.cms.
Published: MTWTFS-
Think outside the spot
MERCURY
all know the Tasmanian commercial activity, the real beating
attitude to parking. heart of Hobart in many ways, particu-
WE We will complain if we can't
get a spot right outside our
favourite shop or cafe and we will circle
larly at weekends, evenings and at the
height of the summer festive season.
It is at its best when the cobblestones
the block relentlessly until a gap magi- are turned over to Saturday's inter-
cally appears. nationally renowned market and it
We will also harrumph if we have to becomes a car-free zone.
walk more than a block or two from our Yet for the other six days, barring
parking spot to our ultimate destination. special events, it becomes the realm of
And, of course, we will be ill-prepared the car again and of course, those
for the capricious weather when we do. dogged Tasmanians circling the block
We will complain about the cost of just waiting for another car to depart.
parking, even though it is vastly chea- Finding a spot right outside your
per than in cities interstate. In fact, we favourite watering hole, cafe or wine bar
will go to extraordinary lengths to find a is obviously a special moment for some.
free spot. If we are to realise the Gehl vision
Such are the attitudes that are deeply and there should be extensive public
entrenched in Hobart. debate about it it can't be simply by
But if we are to realise the vision demonising the motor vehicle and try-
outlined by renowned Danish architect ing to regulate it out of the city.
Jan Gehl in his plans for Hobart, then What we need to do instead is
our attitudes are going to have to change encourage further development of park-
significantly. That doesn't mean we ing on the city perimeter to end the
have to abandon the car far from it. parking-space shortfall, encourage a
The car gives us extraordinary freedom park-and-ride or park-and-walk philos-
and flexibility that no amount of public ophy, develop easier links to the water-
transport can match. front area and slow the traffic all
The problem, however, in Hobart, is ideas that have been aired before in the
long debate about our capital city's
that parking is eating into the amenity
of our favourite areas, such as the future.
waterfront and the Queen's Domain, There are already new parking sta-
places never designed for that role. tions being constructed in Hobart and
What we need to do is be prepared to the Gehl plan will be a catalyst for more
walk a little more and be prepared to if the vision for Salamanca Place, the
make such small sacrifices. Just think of waterfront and the twin highways of
the benefits not just to our city but our Davey and Macquarie streets are re-
own health and well-being. alised.
Of the many recommendations in the The resistance of many Hobartians to
Gehl report, the one that goes to the walking more than a few blocks or, in
heart of what Hobart could be is the the case of some businesses, expecting
suggestions for Salamanca Place. their customers to pull up outside is
It is the gem among our waterfront a tradition that needs to change.
gems. A great meeting place, a hive of
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