Footscray Traders Association president Ben Coyle has called for parking restrictions in the Footscray CBD to be relaxed to encourage more visitors to the area.
There is limited free all-day parking in central Footscray, with most streets providing either one- or two-hour paid parking spaces.
Mr Coyle, who owns the Dancing Dog Cafe in Albert Street, said Maribyrnong council should consider extending parking limits.
“One or two hours is not long enough to attract people or encourage them to stay,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maribyrnong council has hailed the success of new solar-powered electronic signs that provide updates on the number of available spaces at two public car parks in Footscray’s CBD.
Automatic counters register when a car park becomes available and send the information to a parking guidance system.
The electronic signs are on Paisley Street, west of Footscray library, and French Street, north and south of Paisley Street.
Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles said an estimated 38,000 people had used off-street car parks in central Footscray since the installation of the new system late last year.
“Parking studies conducted for the Maribyrnong Integrated Transport Strategy showed there is plenty of off-street parking available in central Footscray,” he said.
“But motorists need real-time information to know how many spaces are available and where they exist.”
