Airport parking disrupts shops

HEAVY LOAD: It’s a long walk from the loading bay to the shop for Peter Della-Bosca.

Sharyn Oneill SO--

NEWSAGENT Peter Della-Bosca would like to write a headline to sum up what he thinks about new parking regulations at Rockhampton Airport.

But we wouldn't be able to print it!

Let's just say that a ban on unattended vehicles outside the terminal building, which coincides with the introduction of paid parking, is a horror story for him and his team.

“My driver tried to deliver the papers to the airport at 3am, at 4.15am and 5am and couldn't get in because the airport gates were locked. We didn't get the Bulletins out there until after 7am,” he said.

But it's the new location of loading zones – about 300 metres from the shop – that are giving him the biggest headache.

He calculated that to deliver all the newspapers and magazines on the busiest days, and remove unsold products, his driver would have to walk more than two kilometres.

“It would take so long,” he said. “Why can't I just park out front for a few minutes at 3am? Who is that going to inconvenience?”

Airport staff met with Peter on site yesterday and suggested he enter the short-term car park and deliver the papers from there.

And it's not just the Archer Park News owner who found the changes hard to bear.

Kim Chippendale at the airport cafe said it took more than two hours for suppliers to deliver fresh produce yesterday.

“It's been shocking,” she said. “The poor guy had to park so far away and make so many trips because he can't park out front any more.”

Airport owner Rockhampton Regional Council said the regulations were for security purposes and applied to all airports.

A spokesman said the airport franchise operators had been informed about the new regulations some time ago and it was their responsibility to inform their suppliers about the changes.