A free-parking trial in central Geelong will run for a year beginning in December, after council voted 6-5 for the measure on Tuesday night.
Councillor Eddy Kontelj raised an urgent business motion at council’s community meeting at Hamlyn Heights, sparking 90 minutes of heated debate.
“If we want to stimulate activity and make the CBD more vibrant and safer, then we must act now and tell the world we are open for business,” he said.
The trial will make the first 30 minutes free in all two-hour on-street parks.
Paid parking discriminated against visitors and traders in central Geelong, Cr Kontelj said.
“CBD traders are telling me they are fed up and some are looking to relocate for more favourable and equitable trading environments.”
Free parking would benefit “financially-challenged” residents, small-business owners, hospital visitors and shoppers, Cr Kontelj said.
The trial could cost more than $1.9 million, with the motion including provisions for foregone revenue of up to $1,117,000 in the 2019/2020 budget and $798,000 in the following budget.
Should council not make the provision in its 2020/2021 budget, the trial would end on 30 June, the motion stated.
But Cr Kontelj said the trial could actually increase revenue by encouraging more people to come to central Geelong, stay longer and pay for parking.
A recent council parking survey failed to “specifically seek feedback” on free parking in central Geelong, he said.
The survey’s questions appeared directed towards “an answer being sought by the initiator of the survey”, he added.
“Many have told me that they do not consider this as community consolation, but rather box-ticking.”
Councillors Anthony Aitken, Kylie Grzybek, Stephanie Asher, Ron Nelson and Trent Sullivan supported the motion, while Mayor Bruce Harwood, Peter Murrihy, Jim Mason, Pat Murnane and Sarah Mansfield voted against.
Cr Mansfield expressed “serious reservations” about traffic congestion, revenue loss and voting on the trial before receiving the results of council’s recent parking survey.
Central Geelong was already experiencing an increase in traffic due to population growth and “evidence from other cities” indicated free parking could worsen congestion, Cr Mansfield told the Indy on Wednesday.
The trial could increase competition for on-street parking and deter people from parking off-street or in areas just outside central Geelong, she said.
Cr Mansfield disputed that the trial would be good for local businesses.
“People spend money, not cars. The more foot traffic you can get through a city, the better retail tends to do.”
Cr Mansfield called for a “more nuanced” parking strategy that made “pockets” of central Geelong free and others more expensive, or used dynamic pricing based on demand.
The 30-minute free parking would do little to help hospital visitors, she added.
