Three- and four-hour paid parking spaces could be rolled out across Wollongong after the first city-wide review of parking since meters were introduced.
Despite Wollongong City Council's argument that the unpopular $2 flat fee was intended for simplicity, a new $3 fee is being proposed for some of the new spaces with longer time limits.
Although departing from its one-size-fits-all fee, the council has no plans to implement pro-rata parking fees to allow motorists to pay less money for less time. Wollongong is one of the only councils in Australia to charge a flat rate for on-street parking.
The council yesterday revealed the meters have raked in $215,000 in their first nine weeks of operation - an average of almost $24,000 per week.
The council is proposing to replace two-hour parking spaces in two council car parks with four-hour spaces, charging motorists $3 rather than $2. The Atchison St and Rawson St car parks have been underused since the introduction of paid parking. Their locations mean they are used mostly by city workers, rather than shoppers.
There are also plans for new three-hour parking spaces on George St and at the southern end of Keira and Church streets. All on-street parking would remain $2, while 15-minute spaces are free.
Ten more 15-minute spaces are proposed in Victoria, Kenny, Stewart, Keira and George streets.
Time limits also will be increased from 30 minutes to one hour on Station St, and from one hour to two hours on Stewart St, between Kembla and Corrimal streets.
Traders elsewhere in the city, who have been asking for longer time limits will miss out because council data indicates regular use of those spaces.
"The Inner City Parking Strategy is designed to provide shorter turnover in prime locations in the core of the centre, and longer stays as you make your way into the fringes of the city centre," council property and recreation manager Peter Coyte said.
"This first review is primarily focused on increasing use of parking spots located a brief walk from the core of the city centre, and tweaking a number of time zones in the CBD to better reflect the surrounding businesses," Mr Coyte said.
The new fees for three- and four-hour parking will be advertised and the community can comment until June 16. Those changes are unlikely to take effect until July 1.
Other changes to time zones will need the approval of the City of Wollongong Traffic Committee and could be rolled out within weeks.
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