By Luke Voogt
Parking fees have more than doubled in some parts of central Geelong with City Hall failing to list the largest increases in its latest budget.
All-day parking rose from $5.80 to $13, almost 125 per cent, in some parking spaces on Bellerine and Brougham streets, and Eastern Beach, Ritchie Bvd and Western Beach.
The increase to $13 affected 291 on-street spaces, according to City Hall’s planning, design and development director Gareth Smith.
“This is just over 6 per cent of the 4800 parking bays across the CBD,” he said.
Fees at other parking spaces in the affected areas increased from $6.80 to $13, a 90 per cent hike, on Monday as the new financial year began.
City Hall only included an overview in the budget of parking fee increases that affected the sites of “highest volume”, Mr Smith admitted.
“In hindsight, all increases for the smaller on-street car parking areas should have been included,” he said.
“We have introduced one price point for all-day capped fees to provide a consistent fee structure for our off-street and on-street parking spaces in the CBD.”
The blanket $13 all-day fee is a rise of 20 per cent at council’s major car parks off Myers, Corio and Gheringhap streets.
The fee hikes were a “direct result of the increase in demand far exceeding the available supply” due to growth in central Geelong, Mr Smith said.
“As a result, new car parking options are being offered by commercial providers at a higher daily and monthly rate than the CBD has experienced before.
“The City does not want to undercut this increasingly competitive market.
“The best way to attract additional commercial car parking providers to Geelong is to ensure the market is fair and reasonable.
“Our new fee structure still compares favourably to other providers in Geelong and to similar cities across Australia.”
The increases were at odds with a trial of free 30-minute weekday car parking in two-hour zones in central Geelong beginning on 1 December.
Council began trialling new pay-by-plate parking technology on Monday requiring motorists to enter their registration details.
Council planned to use the technology to phase out paper parking tickets by 1 December in line with introducing free 30 minute parking in two-hour zones.
Drivers will still need to display tickets on their cars until 1 December.
