Be prepared: an optimist’s guide to travelling and parking in the city
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With construction to support Light Rail to Woden gearing up, the HerCanberra team are among thousands of others contemplating the impact on our commute and parking in the city.
In preparation for the raising of London Circuit, entry to the city—particularly during peak times—will become more difficult and congested as we move towards 2023.
So, in an effort to be prepared, we have brought together some of the things we’ve been considering as we look towards construction starting.
Now not all these suggestions will work for everyone, but we’re hoping this will help address any commuter-related angst you might be feeling.
For those who need to drive, skip to the meaty parts at the bottom of this article.
Public transport
Bus and light rail times can be challenging, particularly for those commuting in from the suburbs, but there is likely to be a Rapid Route or Park and Ride options near you.
Like us, you may have bad memories from school commutes back in the day, but if you haven’t taken a bus or light rail for a while, this could be your chance to give it another try.
You might be surprised how much you enjoy switching off for your commute or finally getting a bit of time for that book or podcast you’ve been wanting to get to. Plus no tailgating, road rage, and fewer traffic jams!
Active travel
There are a range of spots to park on the city outskirts or be dropped off in a nearby suburb so that you can cycle, run, walk or even e-scoot into work—and we’re very lucky to have some great pedestrian corridors and lakeside amenities to enjoy. Plus, who doesn’t like the opportunity to humble-brag that you got your daily exercise, a coffee and a lakeside selfie all before 9am?
Work from home
This isn’t an option for everyone, and it may only be possible some of the time, but every day you work from home is a day of travel and parking saved!
A technique that’s working for us is saving all virtual meetings for one or two days you plan to be at home. Alternatively think about how you can group up the complex or time-consuming work you do and save it for working from home (like invoicing, research, book-keeping, rostering…all the fun stuff.).
Routes into the city
Now if the car is your only option, there will still be quite a few ways to get into the city— it’s just that they will be busier as construction ramps up.
You may have noticed round-the-clock roadworks at the roundabout at Parkes Way and Coranderrk Street (near Civic Pool and CIT), and on Vernon Circle (around City Hill). These entry points will be important for all commuters once the raising of London Circuit starts in late 2022, as anyone who comes into the city south from Parkes Way (via Tuggeranong Parkway, Caswell Drive or William Hovell Drive) will need to consider using another route.
We suggest planning more time for your commute once things begin to change, or you might even consider changing your start and finish time to avoid peak hour traffic. Pack the car the night before and be out the door before 7:30am if you are so inclined. Otherwise, dedicate your morning hours to something else, and have a later finish with dinner in the city once a week.
Carparks
Around 665 of the city’s approximately 14,250 public parking spaces will be changed or removed over the coming months. With parking already at a premium, we’re likely to see an impact.
As such, consider parking further out or scoping out options you haven’t tried before. The travel impacts section of the Built for CBR website has some useful suggestion of alternative car parking around the city.
Parking update as of October 2022 – Built for CBR
If you’re wanting to keep up-to-date on progress on the project, sign up for updates or head to the Built for CBR website.
