Potential changes flagged as Bolton Park traffic, pedestrian saga sets in

Morgan Street runs along the northern edge of the park and is busy at the best of times - throw MiniRoos and a Wagga Tigers home game into the mix and parking becomes a much bigger issue.

Rhonda Thomson, whose grandchildren play in the MiniRoos competition at Bolton Park, has aired her concerns online.

There are little things that Wagga City Council could look into to make the area safer for pedestrians, she said, like temporarily blocking laneways and using no stopping zones in the morning to create more spaces near the grounds.

"There's a laneway that comes out on Morgan Street, it would be more than three metres either side, there could be two car parks even just there," Ms Thomson said.

"They could even block that street off for three hours of a Saturday morning."

Ms Thomson found support in the public Facebook post, with 15 comments agreeing with her concerns about Morgan Street.

She's seen parents and guardians take risks when dropping kids off before their game due to the lack of available parking.

"They virtually had to do an illegal park to drop their kids off and then go and try and move their car, so therefore, sometimes they're leaving their child unattended," she said.

"We're not talking about 14, 15-year-olds that can cross the road and be alone for a little while at soccer before their parents can find a park."

Weekend activity at Bolton Park has increased since MiniRoos, for kids aged four to 11, relocated from Duke of Kent Oval.

President of Football Wagga Paul Galloway said while the relocation has been successful, they have already identified possible changes they can make to reduce foot traffic on Saturdays.

"We'll have to look at how we structure the competitions for MiniRoos, how we put them together, whether they all play in the same place or on the same day or in the same location," Mr Galloway said.

"All that will have to get reviewed, I'd say especially once we look at the numbers post-June 30, because that's when the registrations close."

The closest safe crossing areas along the 350-metre stretch of road are the traffic lights near the Oasis Aquatic Centre and at the island crossing at the Tarcutta Street roundabout.

While Mr Galloway hasn't had any direct complaints about parking and safety, he urged parents and kids coming to games to be mindful of the busy street and use the crossings available.

"Everyone needs to be mindful about road safety I think, including people driving past," he said.

"The responsibility of crossing that road is up to parents and the kids to do that safely no matter where they are really, no matter which ground you're on and what facility you're using in Wagga."

A council spokesperson said concerns regarding parking options have been noted, and confirmed additional carparking "has been identified in the Bolton Park masterplan".

"Bolton Park has historically been underutilised during winter and the further activation of this CBD location will see additional foot traffic and patronage of surrounding local businesses," the spokesperson said.

"In addition to the current CBD parking options available near Bolton Park, Council staff are working with user groups to investigate further operational management options surrounding Bolton Park that could be utilised, such as the opening of additional entrances to make nearby parking options more accessible."