A report on parking in Yarraville village and central Footscray recommends paid parking remain suspended until a new policy is developed.
The report, due to go before Maribyrnong Council on Tuesday night, recommends the council “maintain the status quo” regarding suspension of parking meter operation in Yarraville village and Footscray CBD until a new Maribyrnong-wide parking policy is adopted.
The report recommends a Destination Parking Management Policy based on the principles outlined in the Destination Parking Management Report prepared by transportation policy specialists Phillip Boyle and Associates.
The recommendation comes after Maribyrnong councillors voted 6-0 at a special meeting in December to immediately suspend paid parking in Yarraville and central Footscray until February 29.
The decision was estimated to have cost council coffers more than $600,000 by the end of this month.
The report noted the suspension of pay parking has provided an opportunity to investigate “best practice and potential alternatives” to the current approaches.
The Phillip Boyle and Associates report recommends “an evidence based, holistic and transparent approach” to parking management across Maribyrnong.
“The policy will have a focus on the parking management system for destinations and will enable the community and Council to have confidence that decisions will be made in the context of an agreed and consistent approach.”
The report suggested resuming the operation of parking meters before the new policy was ready would be premature.
The Council last year installed 17 parking meters covering 97 parking spaces in Yarraville at a cost of about $120,000, but they were vandalised with glue before they were even switched on.
Business operators in Yarraville claim the introduction of parking meters to the area has cut into their bottom line by as much as 30 per cent.
Anger at the decision boiled over in a fiery council meeting on November 17 when Cr Grant Miles was punched in the head and Cr Nam Quach picked up and slammed to the floor before being kicked.
Yarraville Traders Association and Footscray Traders Association both welcomed the December switch-off, while the Yarraville Village Says No To Paid Parking group released a statement in support of the decision.
