ACROSS the board free parking in the City of Ballarat will end on Tuesday when the municipality switches back on the parking meters.<\/p>\n
The devices were switched off in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic but mayor Ben Taylor said now is the time to return to the City\u2019s original Smarter Parking Plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we can see is we\u2019ve got a whole lot of people starting to come back into the CBD,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s with work, but most importantly supporting businesses that are here that are opening up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we can see now is there are zero car parks available. So it\u2019s really important that we look at the turnover of car parks and make sure those car parks are available.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the meters are being turned back on in what the city calls zone one, nothing changes in zone two where there\u2019s free but time limited parking.<\/p>\n
Cr Taylor said the Creswick Road car park, which was opened earlier in the year will remain free \u201cin the short term\u201d for city workers and those who need to park in the CBD but can\u2019t afford the more than $20 a day cost of keeping a car in zone one from 9am to 5pm.<\/p>\n
Also staying for the time being are the 10-minute zones, set up by the City to help with quick pick ups from downtown shops and restaurants. One free hour of parking in paid areas will once again apply.<\/p>\n
Commerce Ballarat CEO Jodie Gillett said that her members and other traders in the paid parking zone had been calling for the meters to be switched back on for a few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe retailers need it, hospitality needs it\u201d she said. \u201cBusiness will be happy to see the parks moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been inundated with calls and emails from our members saying that their customers can\u2019t get to them. We\u2019re not talking about being able to park out the front of their business, but not being able to get to them at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Gillett said when paid parking was returned and the churn of parking spaces meant that it was easier to get into the CBC, it would be a great opportunity to drive the local economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur business community provides our jobs, so we need to help them recover,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a long time. This is not something that\u2019s going to be fixed in the next few weeks or the next few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need our community to support our businesses as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City of Ballarat estimates it lost about $7 million in fees and charges since making parking free across the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ACROSS the board free parking in the City of Ballarat will end on Tuesday when the municipality switches back on the parking meters. The devices were switched off in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic but mayor Ben Taylor said now is the time to return to the City\u2019s original Smarter Parking Plan. \u201cWhat we […]<\/p>\n