DEAR News Of The Area,

I REFER to last week’s letter from Zieta Hicks regarding the recently created bus zone in Marina Drive at the Jetty Foreshores.

This new bus zone takes away five valuable parking spaces from general use.

I, like many other locals, have been wondering about the invisible bus, where is the announcement from Council about this new service and where is the timetable displayed? Finally our questions were answered in the following post which appeared on Council’s Facebook page on Friday, January 10 at 2pm – after Zieta’s letter had appeared in NOTA.

“A new bus zone designed to improve bus access to the Jetty Foreshore has been established,” the post read.

“Following an approach by a coach company, the Local Traffic Committee supported establishing the zone on Marina Drive on a six-month trial basis.

“The zone is expected to facilitate visitors travelling to Coffs Harbour on the Great Southern Rail, which has added the Foreshore and the markets as a point of interest.

“Established in early December, the zone is signposted and line-marked, and will be reviewed toward the end of the trial period.”

For the benefit of Council’s Local Traffic Committee, the Great Southern operates for three months only from December through to February.

It arrives in Coffs on Sunday mid-morning and stays for only a few hours.

The Great Southern then returns on Monday evenings and the passengers are apparently transported by buses to a resort dinner venue.

On Sundays three local excursions are offered to passengers for three hours duration, one being a Jetty Beach and market experience showing the recommended fitness level to participate as low.

Note that the maximum capacity of the train is 214 passengers, but only a limited number of passengers may choose this Jetty option.

Last Sunday, 12 January, the zone was used by one bus carrying 60 passengers and parking for a couple of hours.

How many people would use the five removed parking places in a week?

What we have is the loss of five valuable car parking spaces 24/7 so a private bus company can use the spaces for a few hours on Sundays only.

Council has restricted any comment on this FB post, so I must ask the Local Traffic Committee, via NOTA, the following question: While we welcome the Great Southern passengers, why take away five valuable parking spaces from all visitors and locals every day, all day and night, for six months to accommodate the limited number of Great Southern passengers who just might choose to travel by bus the short distance around the corner from the train station to the Jetty area?

Wouldn’t these five much needed parking spaces serve many more visitors and locals if left as general parking to turn over all day, every day, thus allowing everyone to access the Jetty area at any time?

What an unwelcoming message to our visitors who recently went to enjoy the beach, restaurants or markets only to get a parking fine in this newly created bus zone which initially had limited signage and no road markings (markings were only painted on the road last week).

And, I agree with Zieta that, as a goodwill gesture, all parking fines issued so far should be cancelled or refunded and maybe an apology from Council wouldn’t go astray and hopefully the Local Traffic Committee should do a rethink about this six month trial.

Regards,
Fran STEPHENSON,
The Jetty.