More paid parking in store for Footscray

  • 2011-10-02
The Maribymong City Council has voted to double the number of paid parking machines in Footscray; this will put the number of paid parking spots up to 1486; at $1.10 an hour these machines will help to pay for community improvements and pay for such facilities as the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre car park, which offers free parking at Highpoint Shopping Centre.
The increase in the number of paid parking machines for Footscray was on the advice of the Australia Road Research Board Group who say that such a plan guarantees that the turnover in parking spots will increase thus allowing more people to shop in the area. Needless to say, this is not popular with everyone. The one dissenting vote on the council came from John Cumming who thinks this move will hurt businesses and chase shoppers away.

The increases in paid parking spots will more than likely result in an increase in parking ticket printing. Companies may try to minimise any loss of business by offering to pay for their customer’s parking, however. This would lessen any chance of them losing loyal customers and they should get the money back in sales.

City councils sometimes look to the local media or flyer printing companies to inform the public about such plans, and invite feedback from them. In fact, there has been several citizens’ complaints about this proposed plan; the Western Rehabilitation Group argues that this plan will be a hardship for their patients who are often elderly. There are also two petitions currently circulating which oppose this plan. Those in favour argue that this increase is needed for the economic development of the area.