New week, new way of parking in one of our main streets.
Nose-in parking was introduced in Lachlan Street this week, with contractors rolling through the CBD blocking out reverse-angle parking lines and then marking for nose-in on Sunday and Monday nights.
By Tuesday morning, the street was lined with cars parked nose-in from Cross Street down, although there was one block as yet unmarked where drivers had reversed in as they had a week earlier.
Work crews were also busy at the intersection near the Post Office, where changes being made to the pedestrian island will allow for a right turn into Court Street.
Otherwise, the gardens and islands in the main street remain unchanged, with some space created by the change in parking angle.
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Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said the nose-in parking had been discussed since the CBD masterplan, and had been successful since introduced in a section of Templar Street two years ago.
The recommendation to change sections of Lachlan Street came to the April 2022 council meeting from the traffic committee, the council resolving to progress with designs to be delivered back to the traffic committee.
The recommendation was passed by Council’s Traffic Committee, with representatives from Transport for NSW, the community, Police, the Roads Safety Officer and Forbes Shire Council, Mayor Miller said in her column for the Advocate last week.
The change has been met with mixed - to say the least - reaction on social media, with some drivers concerned about the short notice of the change and the need to reverse out into the traffic.
Others have said it allows for more parking spaces and keeps traffic flowing more smoothly as drivers pull into the parking more quickly.
"I know there has been a lot said about this but as I was standing in the street watching traffic on Monday, it was great to see (almost) all the cars nose in," Mayor Miller says in this week's column.
"Traffic flowed smoothly and our courteous Forbes drivers shared the road well.
"It has been a long time since it the CBD masterplan but it really was thoroughly consulted.
"The work itself has been a bit delayed with Covid and the flood. Let’s see how we all feel in 12 months."
Senior council staff were down town Monday morning to talk with anyone who had questions.
