Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on proposed parking improvements at Garran shops last year. A What We Heard Report summarising feedback received is now available.

Plans have also been released for parking improvements at Garran shops informed by the extensive engagement with local residents, businesses and visitors to Garran shops.

Changes to parking include:

• introducing one way traffic flow at the front and back of the shops to improve safety and traffic flow
• introducing 27 new short-term parking spaces including 11 new one-hour, 12 new 30-minute and 4 new 15-minute parking spaces to increase parking turnover
• retaining 45 spaces as 2-hour parking for longer appointments to the health centres and shops
• providing 2 more designated mobility car parking spaces, increasing the current mobility parking at the shops from 3 designated spaces to 5
• introducing a new drop off / pick up zone, taxi zone and designated parking for emergency vehicles
• updating the line marking for street parking adjacent to the shops to improve safety for local residents.

The map below shows the changes to parking arrangements be implemented mid 2023.

No stopping signs will also be installed at the following intersections located between Garran shops and The Canberra Hospital:

• Gilmore Crescent and Hartigan Street
• Hartigan Street and Dennis Street
• Hartigan Street and Curlewis Crescent

The signs will improve safety for all road users and local residents by reinforcing the Australian road rules when parking close to intersections.

The changed parking arrangements will come into effect mid-2023 to improve parking at and around the Garran shops. Changes will be monitored and reviewed as necessary.

Timed parking restrictions will be enforced once they come into effect to support increased parking turnover at the Garran shops.

Garran shops is a thriving community centre in Woden servicing locals and attracting visitors from further afield. It contains a range of businesses and services including hospitality, retail and health and wellbeing.

Each of these businesses require different parking facilities to support their work -from short stay parking (i.e. 30 minutes) to long stay parking (i.e. 1 or 2 hours) as well as all day parking. It is important the right mix of parking options is provided to support the needs of shoppers and traders.

Parking capacity at the shops and surrounding areas is becoming an issue due to increased activity in the immediate and surrounding area.

While a longer-term plan for additional parking spaces is being considered by the ACT Government, some immediate changes are proposed to help improve existing parking facilities. These include:

• changing the time restrictions of some car parking spaces to support increased visitor numbers and parking turnover
• formalising one-way system behind the shops to improve traffic flow
• retaining some areas for all-day parking, including on adjoining streets.

A map has been developed to help advise the community of proposed changes.

Feedback from the community was used to inform the plans to improve parking at Garran shops.