Two Maribyrnong councillors are vowing to rip out Yarraville’s parking meters if they’re re-elected to council next year.
Paid parking comes into force tomorrow, despite a lengthy community campaign against its introduction, with councillors split over the decision.
This week, 17 new meters are being installed, at a cost of about $120,000.
But Yarraville ward councillors Michael Clarke and Martin Zakharov, staunch critics of paid parking in the village, say the council needs to admit it has made a mistake by forcing its introduction.
Cr Clarke said the matter would be an election issue regardless of whether the Labor councillors take it up as a cause.
“There is an action being taken here that defies logic and reason,” he said.
“Retail is doing it tough, and you only have to look at the level of concern expressed in the community; the inability of the council to have taken this on board leaves me speechless and flabbergasted.”
Cr Clarke said the paid parking saga had dealt a fatal blow to the standing of the council among Yarraville village traders and residents. “The impact on council’s reputation as a result of all this has been horrific,” he said.
“All of the good work we have been trying to do is completely lost in the noise around paid parking.”
From tomorrow, parking throughout the village centre will cost $1.80 an hour from 8am to 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
Parking in the goods yard and Canterbury Street off-street carparks will remain free of charge. A council spokesman said revenue from paid parking would depend on usage, but was expected to be more than $200,000 a year.
“It will be used for amenity improvements and grants to trader associations,” he said. “As yet, these have not been identified.”
The council recently surveyed traders about their preferred days and hours of operation of the meters but is yet to determine how it will measure the impact of paid parking on business, or the flow-on effect to parking in nearby residential streets.
“The frequency and parameters of monitoring will be determined in conjunction with the traders, as well as our own monitoring and feedback from residents,” the spokesman said. “Further details will no doubt be available.”
