Business owners and workers at Phillip have demanded a crackdown on public servants from the Woden town centre who take up car parks south of Hindmarsh Drive.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The fledgling Phillip Business Community has also called for beautification of their brown parks to encourage customers to visit and stay longer in the service trades area.
The community president Robert Issell said free all-day parking areas were being dominated by the Woden workers, and spots with two, three or four-hour limits were not being enforced. He recommended a permit system to cover the immediate workers.
"The parking here is our bread and butter, but parking officers rarely come to ensure that people aren't overstaying," he said.
"We don't want any paid parking areas in Phillip at all, it's a depressed area, but there needs to be a better way of managing it."
Mr Issell, a property investment adviser, said there were between 3000 and 4000 workers in the business district, bound by Hindmarsh, Athllon and Melrose drives, but traders were not getting value for their rates with a lack of seats, shade and amenities.
Sales manager Ian Whiteford said an investment in spaces such as Dundas Court and Colbee Court would deliver a spurt to the diverse mix of businesses, which ranged from bridal boutiques to electricians, plumbers and an extensive car industry.
The government appeared to be leaning towards more meters.
An Access Canberra spokesman said parking officers patrolled the area two to three times a week, but had no comment on the calls for increased patrol hours.
"The ACT government has previously said we will look to introduce paid parking around the Phillip commercial zone to help manage street parking around Woden, and we will inform the community of any changes before they occur," he said.
The business district was immediately adjacent to the Blue Rapid line and two separate weekday bus routes serviced the area, he said.
Liberals small business shadow minister Andrew Wall said the business district had been neglected for many years by Labor, but did not commit to any specific investment.
"If elected later this year, the Canberra Liberals will be happy to continue to work proactively with traders in Phillip and discuss solutions." he said.
"Unlike ACT Labor, we understand that businesses like those in Phillip rely on good access to parking with reasonable time restrictions to allow for proprietors and staff as well as customer turnover."
The Phillip Business Community had its first meeting last June and has nearly 200 business members.
