Application for boom gates on supermarket carpark

A Umina supermarket has applied to Central Coast Council to install boom gates on its carpark.

The proposal includes number plate recognition and the removal and replacement of three trees in the Aldi carpark in Trafalgar Ave.

"The purpose of the proposed modification is to enhance site security and to ensure sufficient car parking spaces for customers of the Aldi store and cafe," according to the application prepared by consultants Barker Ryan Stewart.

The application states that the proposal would provide "more queuing space by changing the entry-exit area and extending the landscaping areas".

It includes "modification to the crossover with new kerbs to be instated".

To retain the current number of parking spaces, two planter beds containing three trees will be removed from the car park.

A traffic report submitted with the application stated that the number plate recognition software would mean that "entering and exiting vehicles will not need to stop, unlike boom gates that issue a ticket".

"The parking survey results demonstrate that for a major part of the day there were ample vacant spaces available in the carpark.

"The highest occupancy occurred at 12pm when only four spaces were available.

"The peak occupancy period coincides with the peak period for traffic entering and exiting

between 11.30am and 12.30pm.

"However, on average during the day the carpark was operating at 70 per cent capacity with around 23 spaces available and during the afternoon period from 1pm to 5pm the carpark was operating generally at 60 per cent capacity with an average of 30 spaces available.

"The entry boom gate is proposed to be installed 6.3 metres inside the property boundary and 10.3 metres from the kerb line in Trafalgar Ave.

"The exit boom gate is proposed to be installed just inside the Trafalgar Ave property boundary.

"To facilitate the operation of the boom gates it is proposed to narrow the entry driveway to 7.4 metres wide at the property boundary. The available width at the boom gate will be five metres.

"The exit driveway will remain at the existing width at the boundary (6.6 metres).

"However, the installation of the exit boom gate will reduce the available width to 4.5 metres.

"It is proposed that the boom gates will operate using automatic number plate recognition software in which a camera captures vehicle images and recognizes registration plate numbers on moving vehicles thus enabling automatic entrance or exit without the need for the vehicle to stop at the boom gates."

The report said the carpark had a peak flow of one vehicle every 33 seconds.

"Since a boom gate with automatic ticket issue is capable of processing one vehicle every 12 seconds, it is unlikely that there will be more than one vehicle queued at the entry boom gate during peak periods.

"This will be especially the case with the boom gates operating under automatic number plate recognition software."

The efficient boom gate operation proposed for this site will require queuing for only one vehicle.

Since, the entry boom gate is proposed to be located 6.3 metres from the property boundary and the allowance for a single vehicle is six metres, one vehicle queueing at the boom gate will not encroach on the adjacent footpath.

SOURCE:

DA Tracker, 7 Aug 2021

DA36075, Central Coast Council