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Could making Lonsdale Street one way solve Braddon's parking woes? Proposals from local group Braddon Precinct include a plan to swap one lane of Lonsdale Street for angled street parking, which could create between 150 to 200 additional parks. "We've looked at a number of proposals - some of those are keeping both sides of the street open and trying to increase parking down the middle or on both sides of the verges," said Braddon Precinct spokesman Damien Maher. "Another plan that's getting a bit of traction is actually closing down the street altogether in one lane and making a one way street, reducing the speed to 40 kilometres per hour and actually having angle parking on the other side of the street that's closed down." The proposal would keep the existing trees in the centre of the street, and include pedestrian crossings and more loading zones for retailers. Existing access points for residential buildings and businesses would remain in place. Mr Maher said a traffic impact statement would be required to determine which direction traffic would flow, while cars would still be able to travel in the opposite direction on nearby Mort and Torrens Streets. "The whole idea too is if it becomes a one way street it will discourage cars that come in here to use it as a through road and a linkage to the city," Mr Maher said. The Braddon Precinct group, made up of business owners and residents, initially formed to organise the Braddon Block Party, a festival planned for October 2016 but cancelled when the major sponsor pulled out. The group now collaborates with the ACT government on local issues as well as working with the In The City Canberra group, which represents Civic traders. The group will participate in a walk through of the area with the ACT government's new City Renewal Authority next week. "Parking's a big problem for Braddon and I think if it's not fixed soon it's just going to drive businesses out," Mr Maher said. "On behalf of the businesses that I walk up and down the street and talk to every day, [the lack of] parking is killing them. They need loading zones and need more people to be able to park in Braddon." Lonsdale Street retailers have joined the call for more carparks, saying that frustration from customers was limiting business. "I would say every third to fourth customer who comes in says, 'I can never get a park'," said Loulou Moxom from florist Moxom and Whitney. "We're lucky that we do deliveries. Because people can't get parks they'll opt to have flowers delivered, but it's added expense for them and it shouldn't need to be. And then we've got no loading zone out the front for our courier." Alicia Xyrakis, owner of fashion boutique Rebel Muse, said construction in the street has reduced parking spaces over the past year, with some parks fenced off and many taken up by construction workers. "It's obviously temporary pain for long-term gain because the construction and development is going to make it a bigger better precinct, but we need to find some way for us to all work together and be able to make the improvements and do the construction in Braddon but still make it easy for our customers to come and park and shop around here," she said. While she supports the proposal to make Lonsdale Street one-way, Ms Xyrakis said it was more of a long-term plan and more needed to be done in the interim. "I'd like to work with the government and look at ideas on ways to improve parking now, whether it's just highlighting other areas people can park or putting in linking pathways from Torrens Street or other streets," she said.

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