Parking meters have been part of Wollongong life for just over a week, but already a handful of glaring problems have emerged that threaten to dramatically change retail trade in the city.
The meters were clouded by controversy long before the machines officially went live last Monday.
City Diggers boss Phil Ryan led a vocal business campaign against the meters and the Illawarra Business Chamber also objected.
Editorial: $2 flat fee is too much for too littleThen the Mercury revealed that 830 motorists had already paid for on-street parking in the Wollongong CBD with a week remaining until the official start to paid parking.
Wollongong City Council general manager David Farmer has agreed to review minor parking issues after one month, ahead of a comprehensive review.
But some retailers fear they could be out of business by then.
Today, after listening to the concerns of businesses and shoppers, the Mercury proposes four solutions to the major issues.
The top two issues troubling most shoppers and shopkeepers are the half-hour zones and $2 flat fee. The Mercury proposes the half-hour zones be scrapped and the $2 flat fee be abandoned in favour of a pro-rata fee of $1 per hour, 50[PI9014]Centsymb for half-an-hour and so on.
In Burelli St, where half-hour zones line the street, businesses are reporting that trade is down by at least half. By contrast, the Woolworths car park across the road, where parking is free for up to two hours with a docket, has been packed since the meters started operating, causing motorists' tempers to flare. Some shopkeepers have told of being abused by frustrated customers.
The flat $2 fee has confused motorists more accustomed to the pro-rata parking fees adopted by almost all other councils, where motorists insert fewer coins if they want less time.
The fee makes Wollongong more expensive for on-street parking than the Sydney CBD if motorists stay less than 20 minutes. Even the city's private parking stations are cheaper than on-street spaces for up to an hour.
To cater to shoppers who simply need to duck into a store for five minutes, the Mercury proposes free parking in any space for up to 15 minutes - similar to the McDonald's car park where there is free parking up to 45 minutes with a valid ticket.
To alleviate a lack of long-term parking for workers, the final suggestion is new all-day parking stations on the fringe of the city linked to the city with a free shuttle bus. The new car parks could be supplemented by four-hour metered spaces on the edge of the CBD.
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