Liberal Member for Ginninderra Elizabeth Kikkert today tabled a petition calling on the ACT Government to act fast to fix the parking crisis it has created at the Kippax Group Centre.

“A 2014 study quoted in the Kippax Master Plan revealed that parking demand was then approaching an unacceptable level,” Ms Kikkert explained.

“Consequently, the Master Plan states that ‘it is important, to identify ways to increase and improve car parking in the centre” to deal with “future population growth’.

“That future growth is already here, but instead of progressing the long-delayed expansion of Kippax Fair, which includes 450 underground public parking bays, this Labor-Greens government made the situation worse two weeks ago by selling off 64 unrestricted parking spaces for development,” Ms Kikkert added.

“This has reduced public parking in and along Hardwick Crescent by 12 per cent!

“The Master Plan clearly states that redevelopment of existing car parks must ‘provide replacement public parking’ and that ‘convenient and accessible car parking … should be retained as development and redevelopment occur’, but this Labor-Greens government has ignored its own Master Plan by providing no replacement parking,” Ms Kikkert stated.

“The new owner of the closed car park has done nothing wrong by fencing it off for public liability reasons, but the impact on local businesses has been devastating. Traders report measurable declines in foot traffic and sales since the fence went up. Shoppers are taking their business elsewhere,” Ms Kikkert explained. “And staff have been impacted as well.

“There are now days and times when it is virtually impossible to find parking at Kippax. Frustration amongst users of the centre is clear from the fact that this petition attracted 536 signatures over just three days.

"Traders fear that they may be forced out of business, especially since so many of them depend on the boost of Christmastime shopping.

“They are calling on the government to do three simple things: 1) resume public liability insurance on the closed car park before Christmas so that it can be reopened until construction actually starts, 2) reconfigure remaining car parks as recommended by the Kippax Master Plan, to increase parking by up to 20 per cent, and/or 3) open a temporary car park as soon as possible.

“Each of these requests is rational and doable,” Ms Kikkert concluded.