12 May 2016

Wall to consult small business on paid parking

| Michael Reid
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parking-sign-stock

The Liberal opposition would ditch the Barr government’s plan for paid parking in the Phillip commercial precinct, shadow minister for small business Andrew Wall said on Thursday.

“Unlike the government, the Canberra Liberals will be happy to consult with local businesses and look to accommodate their needs,” he said.

“There should be a fairer mix of short stay, long stay and permit parking in Phillip.

“Removing the government’s paid parking is a live option. As far as we’re concerned, everything is on the table for discussion.

“The government has failed to consult on parking changes, but the Canberra Liberals will.”

Mr Wall will address businesses on the matter at a meeting in Phillip this afternoon.

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Mysteryman said :

Parking policy in the ACT has definitely made me and the misses less likely to take incidental trips or stop-offs at cafes and bars for a quick coffee or beer on the way home from work. If I was a small café or bar owner I’d feel pretty hard done by. The cost and inconvenience of everything in Canberra keeps going up, not for any good reason but just stupid “green” ideology.

Maybe the cost of government, and the upkeep of all this ‘free’ stuff has an effect on them too. But fear not still plenty of cafes etc in the suburban shops that are thriving and still has free carparking. In fact a lot of smaller shops are doing really well now that some businesses like cafes open up. Does go to show though how well off many in Canberra are, but still complain about rising costs and the like.

DragonRyda said :

gooterz said :

oh_ said :

dtc said :

madelini said :

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different

Rubbish. Those car parks are so that customers can access the businesses – including mechanics. Its actually the way it was designed.

How come I’ve never seen it in other town centres? Other town centres for the most part mechanic business accomodate cars between jobs onsite not in government supplied car parking.

Phillip is not the town centre of Woden. That’s why.

Well this has already been answered, but to add it to it: Yes this is the way Phillip was designed, there are roughly 20+ businesses there I could name off the top of my head that use the car parks there like this, and that’s ok, it’s allowed, the government knows, it was always intended to work like that.

As far as I know, there are also places in Fyshwick and Belconnen that were designed to use car spaces like this, it is customer parking, it’s the customers car and it’s parked outside their business, but then it is moved inside to be worked on, then later parked back out there for the customer to pick up. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and there are plenty of car spots in Phillip to allow for this type of business operation there.

Since the government designed Phillip this way though, to introduce paid parking there on top of Woden without consulting those business owners is definitely the height of hypocrisy. I can see why, you can’t make Woden paid parking and leave Phillip the way it is, everyone would try to park over there instead. But they will need to make some allowance for the businesses there who have customers that have to leave their vehicle somewhere for it to be worked on, and someone will have to pay for the parking now if they go ahead with this.

So name these 20 businesses? And name some in other town centres? And we are talking speicfically business like car repairs where a customer parks in a government car park, business takes it in to work on it, then drops it back off in the government car park.

We are not talking businesses where a customer parks, goes inside does what ever they need and leaves, we are specifcally talking ones where the vehicle is left with the business and parked up in a government carpark.

And I don’t see anything special about the carpark layout in Phillip. There are rows of parks outside shops, and a few larger block car parks, for what I presume are longer term car parking for the workers. I do see that Philip is designed so they have back lanes leading to the rear of the business and many businesses have a reasonable space at the back. Your not talking about that are you? If so that space is on the business premisis and not government and is exactly where I am saying customer cars when not being worked on should be parked up.

Oh and in Belconnen really struggling to find any business that uses government carparks to park cars between jobs.

Transtate tyres, parks under their own roof. The group of mechanic shops on Park Street and the unit on the corner of Park and Nettfold streets, all out the front or back, but not government car parks. Though yes Toyota does sometimes park cars on the road, mostly workers cars though. Smash repairers on Oatly court, inside or out the front, off the road. Help me I am struggling.

devils_advocate11:20 am 17 May 16

Parking policy in the ACT has definitely made me and the misses less likely to take incidental trips or stop-offs at cafes and bars for a quick coffee or beer on the way home from work. If I was a small café or bar owner I’d feel pretty hard done by. The cost and inconvenience of everything in Canberra keeps going up, not for any good reason but just stupid “green” ideology.

gooterz said :

oh_ said :

dtc said :

madelini said :

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different

Rubbish. Those car parks are so that customers can access the businesses – including mechanics. Its actually the way it was designed.

How come I’ve never seen it in other town centres? Other town centres for the most part mechanic business accomodate cars between jobs onsite not in government supplied car parking.

Phillip is not the town centre of Woden. That’s why.

Well this has already been answered, but to add it to it: Yes this is the way Phillip was designed, there are roughly 20+ businesses there I could name off the top of my head that use the car parks there like this, and that’s ok, it’s allowed, the government knows, it was always intended to work like that.

As far as I know, there are also places in Fyshwick and Belconnen that were designed to use car spaces like this, it is customer parking, it’s the customers car and it’s parked outside their business, but then it is moved inside to be worked on, then later parked back out there for the customer to pick up. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and there are plenty of car spots in Phillip to allow for this type of business operation there.

Since the government designed Phillip this way though, to introduce paid parking there on top of Woden without consulting those business owners is definitely the height of hypocrisy. I can see why, you can’t make Woden paid parking and leave Phillip the way it is, everyone would try to park over there instead. But they will need to make some allowance for the businesses there who have customers that have to leave their vehicle somewhere for it to be worked on, and someone will have to pay for the parking now if they go ahead with this.

HiddenDragon5:24 pm 16 May 16

ACT Budget Paper 3, 2015-16 announced (page 131) that –

“The Government will introduce pay parking in the Phillip trade service area to better manage parking demand. This initiative will provide for new parking machines and signage,which will come into effect from July 2016.”

and allocated $419,000 for capital costs in the 2015-16 financial year. While that amount of money, is of course, a mere trifle for a Government which likes to think, and spend, big, there would surely have been reasonably careful consideration and (desirably) consultation before that decision was made – and yet now, with six weeks to go, it’s time to let those directly affected have a say –

http://the-riotact.com/fitzharris-seeks-feedback-on-phillip-paid-parking-scheme/175759

oh_ said :

dtc said :

madelini said :

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different

Rubbish. Those car parks are so that customers can access the businesses – including mechanics. Its actually the way it was designed.

How come I’ve never seen it in other town centres? Other town centres for the most part mechanic business accomodate cars between jobs onsite not in government supplied car parking.

Phillip is not the town centre of Woden. That’s why.

dtc said :

madelini said :

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different

Rubbish. Those car parks are so that customers can access the businesses – including mechanics. Its actually the way it was designed.

How come I’ve never seen it in other town centres? Other town centres for the most part mechanic business accomodate cars between jobs onsite not in government supplied car parking.

HenryBG said :

Kalliste said :

Well they definitely didn’t consult the residents, i live across the road from the shopping centre district and I certainly didn’t get anything in the mail asking my opinion. I also know quite well the owner of a mechanic in phillip I go to he says his business was not consulted about the changes, and he is now looking at hundreds a week in parking for the cars between when they’re being worked on. So I can’t speak for other businesses in the area but if they did consult, they certainly missed some.

Stand by for that “decision” to be amended to a proposal.

As I said, it is now a “proposal”
http://the-riotact.com/fitzharris-seeks-feedback-on-phillip-paid-parking-scheme/175759

madelini said :

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different

Rubbish. Those car parks are so that customers can access the businesses – including mechanics. Its actually the way it was designed.

Seems it is a choice between one party where we know their ‘consultation process’ is to tell you what they will be doing, or else the other party where they might be lying and do the same, but there is a chance that they won’t. If I were to play those odds, I know 0% chance of consultation will never beat a small chance that there actually may be some consultation.

The one definite is that we have had the current government in for many years so we know how they operate. If you like the way they do things, then go ahead, keep status quo.

madelini said :

Kalliste said :

Well they definitely didn’t consult the residents, i live across the road from the shopping centre district and I certainly didn’t get anything in the mail asking my opinion. I also know quite well the owner of a mechanic in phillip I go to he says his business was not consulted about the changes, and he is now looking at hundreds a week in parking for the cars between when they’re being worked on. So I can’t speak for other businesses in the area but if they did consult, they certainly missed some.

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different.

And and stated above I am generally opposed to pay parking in industrial areas but by the same token also very opposed to businesses using them in the manner that you indicated.

“So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.”
But isn’t this the same principle as the sexy new “car share” schemes that our government is embracing where “free” government car parks are provided for “parking cars between jobs”?

Kalliste said :

Well they definitely didn’t consult the residents, i live across the road from the shopping centre district and I certainly didn’t get anything in the mail asking my opinion. I also know quite well the owner of a mechanic in phillip I go to he says his business was not consulted about the changes, and he is now looking at hundreds a week in parking for the cars between when they’re being worked on. So I can’t speak for other businesses in the area but if they did consult, they certainly missed some.

Stand by for that “decision” to be amended to a proposal.

Mordd said :

HenryBG said :

rosscoact said :

Garfield said :

bungers_boy said :

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

Strangely, that what an “opposition” does. However, in the ACT, there seems to be so much to “oppose”.

Well, of course there is a lot to oppose when a government is busy accomplishing instead of spending all its time tesring stuff down out ofmspite for former governments.

There is far more to opposition than simply opposing everything. The role of an opposition is as much about monitoring the process of government (“keeping the bastards honest”) as it is about presenting alternatives to Government policy. Being in opposition is not about saying “no” all the time.

Now there mist have been some consultation with businesses about changes to parking in Phillip, otherwise the protest would be about changed that have been made, rather than changes that are proposed. There must be some process of consultation under way otherwise the opposition wouldn’t be promising to be more consultative after the next election: the period of time involved implies that there is a long consultation process under way.

So in short, the Lieberals are lying again, and have no more competence in arguing than simply gainsaying whatever the other party has said.

Maybe you could supply details of the “consultations with businesses that must have taken place”.
I think the stage has been reached with the current government where the community accepts their decisions as nobody cares anymore.
Two examples of that are the total reversal of “no poker machines for the Casino policy” and the decision to move the proposed tram construction depot on London Circuit to the Civic swimming pool area.
Note the latter was done after consultation with businesses AFTER the decision had been made to close the car park on London Circuit.
There was hardly any comment made in the media and except what I raised, nothing on this blog.
See, nobody cares.
And we are looking forward to another four years of this.

It wasn’t a decision to close the London CCt carpark. It was a proposal and after consultation they changed it to elsewhere. What more you want.

A source?

Kalliste said :

Well they definitely didn’t consult the residents, i live across the road from the shopping centre district and I certainly didn’t get anything in the mail asking my opinion. I also know quite well the owner of a mechanic in phillip I go to he says his business was not consulted about the changes, and he is now looking at hundreds a week in parking for the cars between when they’re being worked on. So I can’t speak for other businesses in the area but if they did consult, they certainly missed some.

So this business is using government car parks to park customer cars between jobs? And is complaining he will be asked to pay for using those spots?.

In many ways this is the kind of thing the government is trying to ‘stamp’ out. Those parks are not there to keep his business costs down by leasing less land to do his business. Most mechanics shops I know accomodate customer cars between jobs on their own site why is this mechanic any different.

And and stated above I am generally opposed to pay parking in industrial areas but by the same token also very opposed to businesses using them in the manner that you indicated.

HenryBG said :

rosscoact said :

Garfield said :

bungers_boy said :

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

Strangely, that what an “opposition” does. However, in the ACT, there seems to be so much to “oppose”.

Well, of course there is a lot to oppose when a government is busy accomplishing instead of spending all its time tesring stuff down out ofmspite for former governments.

There is far more to opposition than simply opposing everything. The role of an opposition is as much about monitoring the process of government (“keeping the bastards honest”) as it is about presenting alternatives to Government policy. Being in opposition is not about saying “no” all the time.

Now there mist have been some consultation with businesses about changes to parking in Phillip, otherwise the protest would be about changed that have been made, rather than changes that are proposed. There must be some process of consultation under way otherwise the opposition wouldn’t be promising to be more consultative after the next election: the period of time involved implies that there is a long consultation process under way.

So in short, the Lieberals are lying again, and have no more competence in arguing than simply gainsaying whatever the other party has said.

Maybe you could supply details of the “consultations with businesses that must have taken place”.
I think the stage has been reached with the current government where the community accepts their decisions as nobody cares anymore.
Two examples of that are the total reversal of “no poker machines for the Casino policy” and the decision to move the proposed tram construction depot on London Circuit to the Civic swimming pool area.
Note the latter was done after consultation with businesses AFTER the decision had been made to close the car park on London Circuit.
There was hardly any comment made in the media and except what I raised, nothing on this blog.
See, nobody cares.
And we are looking forward to another four years of this.

It wasn’t a decision to close the London CCt carpark. It was a proposal and after consultation they changed it to elsewhere. What more you want.

Well they definitely didn’t consult the residents, i live across the road from the shopping centre district and I certainly didn’t get anything in the mail asking my opinion. I also know quite well the owner of a mechanic in phillip I go to he says his business was not consulted about the changes, and he is now looking at hundreds a week in parking for the cars between when they’re being worked on. So I can’t speak for other businesses in the area but if they did consult, they certainly missed some.

“Now there mist have been some consultation with businesses about changes to parking in Phillip, otherwise the protest would be about changed that have been made, rather than changes that are proposed. There must be some process of consultation under way otherwise the opposition wouldn’t be promising to be more consultative after the next election: the period of time involved implies that there is a long consultation process under way.”

As a business owner in the Phillip Business District, my only ‘consultation’ about the changes was a letter hand delivered to my business last week detailing the changes that will be made, and when they will happen. No If’s. Just wills and whens. Two ‘information sessions’ were detailed to attend if you wish to get more information on the changes. Thats it.

Thanks ACT Gov for making my customers not bother to stop…

rosscoact said :

Garfield said :

bungers_boy said :

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

Strangely, that what an “opposition” does. However, in the ACT, there seems to be so much to “oppose”.

Well, of course there is a lot to oppose when a government is busy accomplishing instead of spending all its time tesring stuff down out ofmspite for former governments.

There is far more to opposition than simply opposing everything. The role of an opposition is as much about monitoring the process of government (“keeping the bastards honest”) as it is about presenting alternatives to Government policy. Being in opposition is not about saying “no” all the time.

Now there mist have been some consultation with businesses about changes to parking in Phillip, otherwise the protest would be about changed that have been made, rather than changes that are proposed. There must be some process of consultation under way otherwise the opposition wouldn’t be promising to be more consultative after the next election: the period of time involved implies that there is a long consultation process under way.

So in short, the Lieberals are lying again, and have no more competence in arguing than simply gainsaying whatever the other party has said.

Maybe you could supply details of the “consultations with businesses that must have taken place”.
I think the stage has been reached with the current government where the community accepts their decisions as nobody cares anymore.
Two examples of that are the total reversal of “no poker machines for the Casino policy” and the decision to move the proposed tram construction depot on London Circuit to the Civic swimming pool area.
Note the latter was done after consultation with businesses AFTER the decision had been made to close the car park on London Circuit.
There was hardly any comment made in the media and except what I raised, nothing on this blog.
See, nobody cares.
And we are looking forward to another four years of this.

Garfield said :

bungers_boy said :

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

Strangely, that what an “opposition” does. However, in the ACT, there seems to be so much to “oppose”.

Well, of course there is a lot to oppose when a government is busy accomplishing instead of spending all its time tesring stuff down out ofmspite for former governments.

There is far more to opposition than simply opposing everything. The role of an opposition is as much about monitoring the process of government (“keeping the bastards honest”) as it is about presenting alternatives to Government policy. Being in opposition is not about saying “no” all the time.

Now there mist have been some consultation with businesses about changes to parking in Phillip, otherwise the protest would be about changed that have been made, rather than changes that are proposed. There must be some process of consultation under way otherwise the opposition wouldn’t be promising to be more consultative after the next election: the period of time involved implies that there is a long consultation process under way.

So in short, the Lieberals are lying again, and have no more competence in arguing than simply gainsaying whatever the other party has said.

HiddenDragon5:31 pm 13 May 16

Aside from this announcement about Phillip, the Liberals might want to make clear their view about paid parking in other areas, such as Fyshwick, and the group centres, which would surely be likely future targets for “parking management” initiatives by a returned ACT Labor/Green Government.

bungers_boy said :

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

Strangely, that what an “opposition” does. However, in the ACT, there seems to be so much to “oppose”.

Does the territory opposition have a policy other than “opposing” anything the government proposes?

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