The amount of car parks in the city is not the issue. The issue in Toowoomba and a lot of other cities is the high reliance we have on motor vehicles due to the lack of public transport and associated infrastructure. Within 500 meters of walking out of any home/business you should have access to decent, efficient and inexpensive public transport. Toowoomba should pressure state and federal governments to provide this essential service to the people as it should not be run to make a profit (like governments would prefer) but to provide for the needs of the community.

Would it be possible to make the Herries & Julia Street parking a discounted workers only car park? Then make the Greyhound Station 3 hourly shoppers only, free. Over 3 hours, say $5 per hour. Next, turn Ruthven Street into a mall between Margaret Street and Russell. Stage 2, continue the pedestrian mall down Eat Street from Ruthven to Neil Street. The attraction of suburban shopping malls is that you can park and wander around all day at leisure. This is what is need in the CBD. Look at Armidale and Tamworth in NSW. The streets are busy with pedestrians and shoppers.

Hi Roger, thanks for your comments. Our car parking strategy is an ongoing process as I'm sure you can appreciate. Current strategies have been introduced to encourage shoppers into the CBD. Keep visiting this site as we will continue to update people on here of further strategies. In the meantime feel free to browse the related documents section to see our car parking and sustainable transport strategies. If you have any further questions please feel free to email us.

The council should absolutely reintroduce the 3P parking at the Neil st carpark. It also needs to be advertised. People need to be reintroduced to CBD shopping as a lot have been discouraged from the constant lack of parks moving them from shopping downtown. Every single day we have customers complaining about the lack of parking; and that's just those who have actually found one.

I'm not sure why the most obvious has not been stated. Transport! We have an absolutely shocking transport system in a town this large. If bus timetables fit in with 'office hours' and they came more regularly than the rediculous once an hour and they serviced more areas we would be able to catch the bus, save the traffic jams at 8.30am and 5pm and solve a lot of the extra cars in the CBD. I have been to much smaller towns that have brilliant bus services. Nothing has changed in 30 years!

I agree about the need for buses. The problem I see is that unless there is a massive investment into making a rapid bus system there isn't much point. City after city have under-utilised pubic transport systems. To get a full benefit of a bus system there needs to be regular buses (every 15mins and every 5mins during peak times), if people don't know when the next bus will arrive they won't bother. Bus stops need to be at reasonable intervals - comfortable walking distance. People are super lazy and with the comfort of a car and toowoomba been very easy to get around even in peak hour the need for public transport just doesn't win enough people over. It will have to happen one day... Why not look into it before real problems start

A 3 hour paid parking section within Central car park should be reintroduced, as the 3 hour metered street parking available, especially in Annand Street, is not adequate. Metered parking should also be introduced to the centre parking in Ruthven Street, incorporating 1 hour free parking and an optional 2 hours paid parking. This should make available parking for customers who require a relatively short itme to carry out their business and also accomodate those needing several hours. The paid parking would also be less attractive to the CBD workers who make use of the free parking currently available for 2 hours.

Absolutely, we need more customer parks!!! Clearly a multi stores carpark isn't going to happen so something needs to!!

I thought there is a multi-storey car park being built on Annand st. Is this project still going on or the location has been moved?

Hi Dave, I will look into this for you. If you have any further questions please feel free to email us.

Hi again Dave and thanks for your question. As per the Toowoomba City Centre Car Parking Strategy (TCCCPS) adopted by Council in 2014, Council is investigating various scenarios to increase the city core parking supply by up to 400 spaces over the next two to five years, including exploring the potential development of one or more multi-level car parks. Council has a number of off-street sites that could be developed as a standalone multi-level parking structure or sleeved with mutually supportive land uses. For example, car parks in Annand Street (i.e. Central car park and Annand car park) are well located to support the wider city core area as well as peak event demands including the Empire Theatre and a four-level development of the Annand Street site could yield up to 412 car parking spaces (250 additional spaces). However multi-level car parks are expensive structures to build, and a project of this nature would need to be considered and prioritised in time along with the many competing programs and projects that comprise Council’s forward financial planning. As more information becomes available it will be posted here, or on our website and social media channels so keep checking for updates. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to email us or call us on 131 872.

I own a small fashion boutique in Margaret Street and our customers were devastated when Council change parking hours last year. Our business dropped overnight. Our clients need at least two hours because they are women, who like to grab lunch or get their hair done, then go shopping. Alternatively, we find also find women who are looking for garments will need the 2 hours to at least shop at all the boutiques in Margaret & Ruthven Street rather than just running in. Before Christmas, we had clients who couldn't even try on garments because they would have a quick coffee and then didn't have time to try on dresses or items so wouldn't bother. They would try and move their car and if they could get another park, they would come back but it absolutely ruined our Christmas trade. I agree that there is some 15 minute parking needed for those that need to pick up shoes, grab a pie, grab a gift, grab takeaway lunch but there needs to be a mixture of 2 hr parking spots also or metered parking for those that want more. I don't know of anywhere in Brisbane where I haven't paid for parking, that gives me the choice of how long I want at least. Most clients I speak too are happy to pay for the hours so they can relax and enjoy their shopping in the city. If we don't have these options,people will go to shopping centres and won't come into the city at all - I will be forced to move my business which is not what I would like.

Has Council considered all day car parks further out of the city and provide a bus service that stops at various points around the CBD? Works well in large airports around the world; could work here.

Would have to be regular buses doing the loop.. A bus every 5mins in peak of 10mins out of peak to make it actually work No one wants to be stressing about when the next bus will be

Would have to be regular buses doing the loop.. A bus every 5mins in peak of 10mins out of peak to make it actually work No one wants to be stressing about when the next bus will be

How about the council build a decent amount of secure all day parking for workers, thus encouraging businesses to the CBD. Then the currently available parking would be freed up for customers. Blocking parks for customers when employees can't park (and the public transport option is virtually non-existent for 9 - 5 workers) does not make good business sense.