By NOEL MURPHY, JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
WEEKDAY free parking in central Geelong is disappearing as City Hall clamps down on existing zones with new fees and time restrictions.
Brougham St, Western Beach, Gheringhap St and side streets throughout the university and Western Wedge precincts are being hit up with new meters and fees.
The new paid parking spaces are appearing simultaneously with new meters.
They contrast with weekend free parking introduced to lure more shoppers to the city.
Both sides of Western Beach Rd, from Gheringhap St westward, are now ticketed. Previously both sideswere full with parked cars but now gaps remain as motorists avoid the cost.
City of Greater Geelong’s car park east of the waterfront’s skate park has changed from half permit parking and half two-hour parks to now be all paid permit parking Monday to Friday and two hours-only on weekends.
Workers have slammed the tighter parking, coupled with a recent increase in charges from $2 to $2.50 an hour, as a rip-off disincentive to shop in the city and an obstacle to find tenants for empty shops.
An Independent vox pop of city workers head comments such as:
. “People who walk during the day, where are they supposed to park? It’s just a rip-off.”
. “Council should offer us parking permits for a yearly fee at a reasonable price so you can park the whole day. When you’re in and out during the day for your work you need some sort of permit that helps you. The parking in the city works against you.”
. “If they want to attract tenants to the CBD’s 80 empty stores, they need something.”
. “Why offer free parking on the weekend when you should be looking after regular workers and business during the working week? Lots of workers need to be in and out and are wasting time, reducing productivity moving their car every two hours. They’ve put the charges up from $2 to $2.50 hours. It’s costing $20 a day, $100 a week, and you’re still running the risk of parking fines.”
. “I only work part time but I can’t drive to work because I can’t afford to park my car. I also can’t move my car every two hours during work. Lots of shops in Geelong have young people on their staff working for very low rates, $10 or $13 an hour. They can’t leave their jobs to move their car, they can’t afford car parks, and they can’t afford parking meter charges.”
. “It’s crap. I have to get out and move my car all the time. It costs me between $10 and $18 a day and I’ve been fined $75 three times when I’ve missed moving my car.”
. “I catch the bus. I can’t afford to park in the CBD.”
. “I don’t come into town if I can help it. When I do I watch myself very carefully. I was a breakfast the other day, and a couple of minutes past nine the parking inspectors were out hunting.”
A City Hall spokesman said the central Geelong precinct was growing and experiencing considerable change, with new developments and changing user demands.
He said the needs of the general public coming into central Geelong were paramount in adjusting some existing parking arrangements to cater for changes in demand.
The changes being implemented were removing some anomalies and making the parking arrangements consistent across the Central Geelong precinct, the spokesman said.
It was unfortunate some employees working in central Geelong businesses and medical centres might no longer have access to free daytime parking Monday to Friday but the needs of the general public had to be catered for in the first instance, he said.
“Reaction to the changes from the general public – including people needing to make short-term visits to the hospitals and medical clinics – has been very positive.”
