13 July 2016

Phillip traders maintain rage over paid parking

| Michael Reid
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paid parking

The Phillip Business Community claims the ACT government lied to it about having a consultation process before installing paid parking metres in the Canberra suburb.

The community says it remains outraged over the government’s actions, saying the $45 weekly cost of parking ($9 per day) will represent almost 10% of an apprentice’s wage.

Local business owners and an apprentice interviewed last week were unanimous in their objections to the plan.

“The paid parking they are bringing into Phillip is going to cost us a small fortune,” said one local business owner.

“We’re going to lose business over this,” said another. “It doesn’t happen in Fyshwick – where else does it happen? Why are we being singled out here.”

Last month 170 workers marked the 50th anniversary of Phillip as a suburb by staging a rally to tell the government ‘Phillip says NO’.

The community has gathered more than 650 handwritten signatures of support and almost 900 on their online petition on change.org.

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devils_advocate4:38 pm 07 Jun 16

No_Nose said :

Felix the Cat said :

It’s a big empty country. Why not just park in Yass where it is free?

Oh, wait it’s not!

I will never use the parking so why should I as a taxpayer have to pay for you?

You use it, you pay.

I suppose you’re ok with the same logic being applied to the tram then? YOU want to use the tram, YOU pay for it. Considering that the majority of Canberrans don’t want it and wont use it, they shouldn’t have to pay for it.

I hope these business owners remember who introduced these changes when it’s time to vote later in the year.

^^upvote. Drivers are forced to pay their way, tram riders impose their costs on everyone else. Sounds fair.
If it is true that there are not going to be any free short-term parks available, that is just reprehensible. That is beyond incompetence and is just deliberate sabotage of businesses who have entered into long-term lease commitments and worked in good faith to build up their goodwill.

Well I guess by virtue of being close to a dense business district (Woden), the demand for parking is quite high. Has it occurred to anyone that pay parking may assist with the issue of people parking their car in Phillip and walking across to Woden for their day job? Fyshwick on the other hand, is nowhere near any large office blocks. Most people parking in Fyshwick are actually visiting Fyshwick. Also, most places in Fyshwick have their own parking on the lot, so even if the Gov did introduce pay parking they would make very little money from it.

If Phillip businesses want to provide free parking to their customers, they should follow Fyshwick’s lead and provide adequate parking on-site. Perhaps then they will learn that there is no such thing as free parking (or free anything for that matter).

For the auto business, I smell a strong case of freeloading. For everyone else, I empathise with the customer impact, but be realistic; this is simply a function of being located near a dense urban area. Car parking is a limited and in-demand service. Business should argue for a reduction in land rates as compensation; which would be a more effective way to mitigate the perceived loss in profit. Or if they think they’ll do better, move to Fyshwick.

That said, I do think there a grace period of 1 hour would be better than charging from the get-go, but that would be technically difficult to implement with a ticketing system.

crackerpants1:56 pm 07 Jun 16

Signed. I don’t shop regularly in Phillip, but we have ballet, yoga etc there. Phillips has been growing into a great little hub with gyms, dance schools and yoga studios nestled amongst the car dealers, cafes to cater to that clientele, plus lots of specialty shops and grocers. It would be such a shame to see this recent growth stop and businesses close.

Paid parking or not, I would really like to see improved pedestrian access to link Phillip with Woden. Crossing Hindmarsh is the easy part. Crossing Botany St, particularly with kids in tow, is dicey at best, particularly near the roundabout. And crossing Corinna St near Ball St to get to the Hindmarsh crossing is similarly risky. Improving pedestrian access might help the current situation where people just hop in their cars to go from one to the other. Being able to park in one location only and walk would be a big improvement, and give people more flexibility.

Felix the Cat said :

It’s a big empty country. Why not just park in Yass where it is free?

Oh, wait it’s not!

I will never use the parking so why should I as a taxpayer have to pay for you?

You use it, you pay.

I suppose you’re ok with the same logic being applied to the tram then? YOU want to use the tram, YOU pay for it. Considering that the majority of Canberrans don’t want it and wont use it, they shouldn’t have to pay for it.

I hope these business owners remember who introduced these changes when it’s time to vote later in the year.

are the paid parking meters to pay for all the road works that are being conducted that are half started and half finished for the last how many years!!!??? not a fan of this… you know they are going to suck up by giving us another useless road sculpture …

Felix the Cat said :

I will never use the parking so why should I as a taxpayer have to pay for you?

You use it, you pay.

As I recall (and please correct me if I am wrong), u said in a previous posting that u sent your kids to a private school. So, you did not pay the full cost of that, did you – of course not, all taxpayers helped to subsidise that. Also, you would have insurances – same principle – if u never claim, why should u pay the insurance premium. On and on that argument goes.

But u are only happy to trot that “user pays” argument out for cars, roads, car parking – and anything else you dislike. You are on record here as disliking Tuggeranong – maybe u should write to your mates in the ACT Labor/Greens Gov’t and get them to put boom gates onto all roads leading into Tuggeranong – as a “user pays” suggestion.

It’s a big empty country. Why not just park in Yass where it is free?

Oh, wait it’s not!

I will never use the parking so why should I as a taxpayer have to pay for you?

You use it, you pay.

I was at Oatley Court, Belconnen today. Yes – paid parking but there is also heaps on 1 hour time limited free parking on the street, right outside the door of the businesses. That’s not what is being implemented for Phillip.

So, though I am an infrequent shopper in Phillip, its lost my business totally now I’m afraid – to the detriment of the businesses there.

Petition also signed.

A good tax doesn’t screw up the businesses it applies to.
This is not a good tax.

This new paid parking will be going north to fund the light rail. Sadly no new busses will be heading to Phillip.

I signed the petition. I shop at a few places on occasion, including the wool shop, and also visit the medical centre. Unfortunately for these businesses I will now be going elsewhere due to pay parking.
I am heartily sick of this govt, they are so rigid and non-‘agile’ in their thinking, they seem to want to kill businesses.

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