Turnover of a different kind will be foremost on the minds of Yarraville businesspeople, with the introduction of paid parking meters next month.
Council chief executive Stephen Wall said meters were being installed to create turnover of parking spaces.
But Megan Darling, group convenor of Yarraville Village Says No to Paid Parking, said paying for parking would only push motorists to use residential streets.
“The only people who support parking meters in Yarraville are business owners in Footscray, where shoppers will start to shop instead of paying for parking in Yarraville,” she said.
Shoppers will be charged $1.80 an hour for parking from next month. They will be able to pay with coins or via a smartphone app when the meters are switched. Charges will apply between 8am and 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday, while Sunday and Monday will be free parking days.
Paid parking has been an issue of contention in the area for some time, but Maribyrnong council believes the new parking meters will offer more choice for visitors to Yarraville Village.
Yarraville residents and traders are overwhelmingly against paying for parking, arguing it will destroy trade by pushing shoppers to areas where parking is free, such as shopping centres.
Mr Wall said six extra 15-minute parking spaces had been installed, and more than 50 per cent of the parking, such as the goods yard or Canterbury Street carparks, was still free.
The council invited 13 hand-picked representatives of interested parties to an information session last week, barely a fortnight before the planned installation of the meters.
Mayor Nam Quach said the implementation of paid parking in Yarraville was conducted in “a measured and scientific way,” based on a survey of parking occupancy and turnover.
In February, Maribyrnong council commissioned an external consultant to run a parking occupancy survey, measuring demand over a week.
“We understand that this has been an issue full of emotion, but the intent of paid parking in Yarraville is to make life easier for the community,” Cr Quach said. “Paid parking has already been successfully rolled out in Footscray, so this is not a new concept.”
Details: www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
