Byron Bay’s traffic jams, parking, railway line, bypass, pedestrian movement and soul or vibe are interdependent matters requiring the holistic analysis being attempted in the Byron Bay Masterplan.
Congratulations to council, especially the mayor, for creating that process.
If a consensual master plan can be agreed then the nearby proposed developments at West Byron and Ewingsdale might adjust.
Patience is essential when many ideas and concerns are balanced. Non-compromising positions can force dysfunctional agreements. One ad-hoc outcome may prevent preferred outcomes for larger concerns.
The traffic/parking disgrace inconveniences and wastes time of thousands of persons per day.
Street parking meters are an ad-hoc outcome. With no additional public spaces the cost per space can only increase until public parking is preserved for the rich. Streets earmarked now for meters may become pedestrian-only in the master plan.
Holistic in that regard means re-routing traffic; widening and building new roads and cycleways with pedestrian thoroughfares.
Commercial opportunities for metered car parks abound in the shire.
Nomads backpackers building and new cinema development are spot on – containing vehicles underground.
Greg Davies, Byron Bay
