Lord Mayor is 'meter-mad' - Hinchliffe

NEWS

City Hall is making so much money out of its massive parking meter rollout that it can’t be bothered policing the inner-city's two-hour limit on Saturdays, the local Labor councillor claims.

Cr David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) flippantly told The Independent: “2P or not 2P...that is the question!”
Cr Hinchliffe said council had admitted in correspondence to Valley businessman Greg Riley to not policing the 2P parking restrictions in city streets on Saturday mornings when the 2P applies.
A council memo sent to Mr Riley and shown to The Independent reveals “We currently do not enforce the Central Traffic Area 2P on weekends”.
This is despite the 2P remaining in force on Saturday mornings from 7am to 12 noon, Cr Hinchliffe says.
Mr Riley has been engaged in a running battle with council, with emails flying back and forth as he has tried to get council to police the two-hour limit in the Valley heart. He and other local business people have submitted a petition calling for the two-hour limit to apply on both Saturday and Sunday to help traders out.
He says Valley traders are missing out on important custom because on-street carspaces are taken up with people parking all day.
“Some of the stallholders in Brunswick St mall park on the street early on Saturdays and stay there the whole day, depriving customers and visitors from using the space,” Mr Riley said.
Cr Hinchliffe said he suspected the council wanted to maximise revenue from parking meters.
“Council makes a lot more out of parking meters than it does out of policing the 2P zones.
“The Lord Mayor expects to make an additional $6 million a year from the extra parking meters he is installing.
“I believe the council doesn't enforce the 2P because it takes time and it generates little revenue. Meters make money - lots of it.
"It hardly surprises that the Lord Mayor would like to make more money and that’s why parking meters are a better revenue-raising option for him than the traditional 2P. That's why he doesn't bother with patrolling on Saturday mornings when the 2P is still in force.
"By not enforcing the 2P, he expects businesses will be more accepting when his money-hungry meters are eventually installed.
“If the question is '2P or not 2P?', then I think the Mayor has made his mind up on that one -- he's meter mad," Cr Hinchliffe said.

• A response from the Lord Mayor will be uploaded as soon as it is received.