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Paid parking at Stromlo Forest Park

Stromlo Forest Park (SFP) is a premier recreation destination and  continues to experience growing popularity, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors each year.

In 2021 the ACT Government announced a decision to upgrade the existing SFP carpark to help manage increased visitation and to improve user safety. Construction is expected to start in Autumn and completed by the end of the year (weather permitting). As the works will be completed in stages, SFP will continue to offer onsite parking spaces throughout the construction period.

SFP attracts diverse sporting visitors including equestrian riders, runners, walkers, mountain bike riders, road cyclists, schools, clubs and general recreational visitors.

SFP is unique in its size, facilities, visitation levels and nature setting, with increasing general site maintenance and there is a need for asset improvements to meet growing visitors’ expectations.

Once the new carpark is complete, paid parking will be implemented at Stromlo Forest Park, with 100% of revenue to be reinvested back into the maintenance and improvement of the park, including the mountain bike trails.

This means all funds raised from paid parking will directly contribute to the ongoing development and repairs/maintenance of the park, including new and upgraded trails and facilities.

The parking fees will be modest, and an annual SFP parking pass will be available for frequent users.

Costings for paid parking will be as follows:

Alongside site sponsorship, this will allow for SFP to have access to an increased pool of funding to help develop the greater visions at the park while continuing to improve and maintain current assets.

This year, the ACT Government will also begin work on a five-year Stromlo Forest Park Trails Masterplan, that will involve public consultation.

This Trails Masterplan will review existing trails and plan for new trails located on both east and west Stromlo for key site users including runners, mountain bike riders, road cyclists, equestrian riders and the general public.

Our team have compiled an extensive list of frequently asked questions, and we encourage everyone to read this list before sending any enquiries through. We request questions are emailed directly rather than posted online as SFP does not have staff working across weekends and emails enable more detailed replies.

If you still have questions, please send them to stromloforestpark@act.gov.au and our team will respond as quickly as possible.

Information sessions

There will be two user pays information sessions (bookings are essential) held at the Margaret Whitlam Pavilion at the National Arboretum Canberra. These sessions will allow community members to ask questions regarding paid parking.

When:

Wednesday, 8 February at 5:30pm

Monday, 13 February at 4:30pm

Where:

Margaret Whitlam Pavilion, National Arboretum Canberra

Please register your attendance by emailing stromloforestpark@act.gov.au.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Stromlo Forest Park (SFP) introducing a user pays system?

• SFP is a free public community facility providing varied sporting and recreational facilities (dedicated cross country running track, purpose-built enclosed criterium circuit, over 44km of MTB single track, equestrian trails and shared use trails) across over 1200ha of bushland on Canberra’s doorstep.
• Facilities are also available for hire and booking for commercial, competition and training use. SFP is unique in its size, visitation levels and nature setting, with bushfire operation planning and other key maintenance requirements, unlike many other sporting facilities.
• In response to growing visitation and increasing maintenance and improvement costs at the park, a user pays system will be introduced to help generate additional revenue at SFP.
• All funds raised from paid parking will directly contribute to the ongoing development and repairs/maintenance of the park, including new and upgraded trails and facilities.
• This additional revenue stream will allow for further growth and asset improvement of the park. The site requires ongoing maintenance, and the tracks and trails require development to meet the community’s growing and evolving needs.

Why is “user pays” taking the form of paid parking and not membership or entry fees?

• Paid parking is an equitable and simple way to introduce a user pays system.
• By introducing an annual pass option and setting the pricing at a moderate level it is intended the community will welcome the opportunity to help improve the facility.
• Stromlo Forest Park will continue to explore other opportunities such as sponsorship, that will also be directly reinvested back into the park.
• Stromlo Forest Park is a bushland site, and the cost of providing staff to be onsite throughout the opening hours to collect fees is prohibitive.
• User pays via paid parking allows the contribution amount to reflect time spent utilising the facilities.

How much is parking going to cost?

I use SFP almost every day, can I get an annual pass instead?

• Yes, an $87 annual pass will also be available, which equates to $1.67 per week.

How do I pay for parking?

• Parking meters will be available on site, and the "EasyPark" app will be able to be used for your convenience. With the app, your parking time can be adjusted throughout your stay as needed (extended or shortened), if within the time limit.

How do I get an annual pass?

• Annual passes will be available from the date of the carpark upgrade opening. Details will be available closer to the date.

What about volunteers?

• SFP appreciates our volunteers and everything they do for the park and the community. Our volunteers will be eligible for a complimentary annual parking pass when they commit 3 or more volunteer sessions a year.

I own more than one car I drive to SFP. Do I need an annual pass for each car?

• Yes, each car will require its own annual pass.

But I don’t know how long I want to stay?

• When visitors are unsure of how long they intend to stay, the EasyPark app on mobile phones will make it easier for visitors to add or subtract parking fees while away from their vehicle, if within the time limit.

What if my parking expires while I’m out riding?

• The EasyPark app allows for your parking time to be adjusted throughout your stay as needed (extended or shortened), if within the time limit.

Why can’t you put in a boom gate in so I don’t have to worry about timing?

• A boom gate increases the chances of traffic backlog coming in and out of the carpark, especially in the case of a large event or busy weekend. By using the EasyPark app, users can easily change the time of their parking as needed.

How was this pricing determined?

• Moderate parking fees were considered to encourage use of the site.
• The hourly carparking fees are approximately half the cost of National Arboretum Canberra hourly and daily fees.

Why can't the ACT Government put more money into the park? I don’t have to pay for parking at other ACT Government sports facilities (outside of CBD areas and town centres). Why do I have to pay at SFP?

• Many sporting complexes run by governments and councils require an admission fee to help contribute to the upkeep of the facility.
• An example of some ACT Government sporting facilities which charge public entry to recoup maintenance costs include:
  • Woden Athletics Park - $6 per adult, $4 per concession. Public sessions are offered 3 afternoons a week for 1.5 hours.
  • ACT Government owned swimming pools – $8.31 per adult, $5.31 per concession, $2.74 per non swimming spectator. 12-month membership $747.61 per adult.
  • Many other sporting facilities are required to be booked for use and hire fees paid. Clubs and organisations who use these facilities also pay fees for use.
• SFP is unique in its 1200 hectare size, diverse sporting assets, scope of maintenance and visitation and its ongoing costs are high in comparison to other similar facilities that don’t charge. SFP is introducing a moderate paid parking as a method of user pays.
• Through a user pays contribution, those who use the park will be able to contribute to a sustainable future for the park, with improved assets and trails.
• SFP is reviewing long term options for additional revenue sources, such as attracting sponsorship in recognition of its benefit to residents and tourists.

Mountain biking and adventure/outdoor tourism bring money in the ACT economy, why isn’t this recognised in funding for SFP and other MTB locations?

• The ACT Government recognises the importance of providing experiences that bring tourism to Canberra and meet visitor expectations.
• The government is committed to working with stakeholders to support development of Canberra’s MTB experience from promotion, sustainable trail maintenance models, tourism product development, and integrated support for cycle tourism across the whole industry.
• The government is continuing to engage with stakeholders on the Canberra Mountain Bike Report.

When will the paid parking come into action?

• Paid parking will be introduced once the carpark upgrades are complete. This is expected to be by the end of 2023.

Is the paid parking being used to pay back the government for the new carpark?

• The funds are not being utilised to recover the cost of building the carpark. All funds will directly contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the park.
• Parking will be managed internally by ACT Government under a similar arrangement as the National Arboretum.

We were told there was no paid parking when the project was announced. Why the change?

• No decision on paid parking was made when the carpark facilities were announced publicly in August/September 2022. SFP consistently stated this was a decision for the ACT Government.

Where is the money for the parking machines coming from? Was it in the original carpark budget?

• The infrastructure for paid carparking was not part of the initial carpark construction budget and will be funded separately through the 2022-23 ACT Budget Review.

What steps will you take to stop your users parking in the surrounding suburbs?

• The ACT Government will monitor car parking in surrounding suburbs following the introduction of paid parking.
• Should there be any issues, the ACT Government will consider whether ‘no parking’ signs or zones along key suburban streets would be beneficial.

What hours will paid parking operate?

• Paid parking will operate during SFP opening hours:
  • 6am to 6pm during non-daylight saving hours.
  • 6am to 9pm during daylight saving hours.

Is there public transport to SFP?

• There is a public bus stop on Opperman Avenue close to the main entrance to encourage public transport alternatives as well as active travel. The criterium track extension also offers a safe non-vehicle entry/exit route for cyclists.

Why does Stromlo Leisure Centre (SLC) still have free parking?

• The SLC parking is for paid users of that facility, and we ask all SFP members to respect this.
• All users of the SLC pay a fee to use those facilities.

What are you doing about the trails and current facilities at SFP? They need investment.

• ACT Government will develop a five year Trails Masterplan for all site users (equestrian, runners, cycling, community) that will involve public consultation and address some of the ongoing concerns from the mountain biking community.