Free parking extension in CBD divides Geelong councillors

FREE parking will be extended across central Geelong until the end of this year, but the decision has divided the City of Greater Geelong’s councillors.

Supporters of Cr Eddy Kontelj’s notice of motion – which only passed by one vote – say the move will have less than half the impact of the estimated $2.1 million in lost revenue and shows the council has empathy, but its detractors have slammed it as populist.

The City of Greater Geelong council initially introduced free casual on and off-street car-parking in the Geelong CBD in March until June 30 as part of its coronavirus support package.

It then extended free parking in two-hour on street spaces until the end of 2020, but reintroduced paid parking in all other time zones on August 3.

The notice of motion will waive all parking fees for council-owned and managed on-street and off-street casual paid car parking in the Geelong CBD until December 31.

It states that because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the estimated foregone revenue to the council would be in the order of $840,000 rather than $2.1 million.

“This is about supporting people who are struggling right here, right now,” Cr Kontelj said, adding he was “flabbergasted” there was opposition to the motion.

He said more free parking would have several benefits, including:

• Financial relief and added convenience for members of the community travelling into the CBD to get access to essential services
• Support for CBD-based local businesses who continue to be heavily affected by the pandemic, and
• Removal of any need for members of the community to touch parking meters, helping to limit further spread of COVID-19 in the region.

Cr Anthony Aitken said Geelong was rightly joining 31 municipalities across Melbourne that were not enforcing parking fees or fines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Arguing against the motion, Cr Jim Mason said the council was at a “pivot point where we could be seen as a not-so-smart city” and universal free parking was a “quick and dirty response”.

“I’m very disappointed in this notice of motion. To me, it’s populist – no comprehensive public report, no transparency, no best practice.”

Cr Bruce Harwood said parking in central Geelong had been a “vexed issue” for some time but the lack of free parking was not and should not be blamed for the CBD’s “shopping demise” of 2005 and 2006.

Councillors Stephanie Asher, Anthony Aitken, Kylie Grzybek, Eddy Kontelj, Ron Nelson and Trent Sullivan voted for the motion, while councillors Bruce Harwood, Pat Murnane, Jim Mason, Stephanie Mansfield, and Peter Murrihy voted against it.