Illawarra residents are making fewer visits to Wollongong's CBD since the introduction of parking meters, an independent survey has found.
The survey of more than 50 people by Smith's Hill High School Year 11 student Austin Wyatt revealed strong opposition to the meters.
It found that 79 per cent disagreed with their introduction.
"After a few weeks of the survey, I would say spending when people visit the mall isn't changing, but they are using it less often," Austin, 16, said.
LINK: Take part in the surveySince Wollongong City Council introduced the meters, about 50 per cent of respondents said they had made fewer visits to the CBD.
"People are starting to think about using Figtree or Fairy Meadow as an alternative to the mall, because it is much easier," Austin said.
He conducted the survey as part of a geography senior research project.
The Mt Pleasant resident will approach small businesses with the finished survey, to analyse the drop in CBD visitor numbers.
"I'm really interested in what the council told these businesses about the impact parking meters would have on sales after the mall was refurbished," he said.
The latest figures align closely with a survey Austin conducted nearly 12 months ago, on the attitudes to parking meters.
"From that first survey, 80 per cent of people said they would use the mall less often and around 10 per cent said they would stop using it at all," he said.
Austin is seeking more submissions for the survey, which finishes on May 21.
Email a friend