Westfield stings the workers

cmdwedge said :

Chadstone Westfield, the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere, charges absolutely nothing for you to park as long as you like.

End result? Lots of people shop there, and the rents on the shops are astronomical. Everyone wins.

Only good thing about Chadstone Westfield is that you can go to the nearby Notting Hill Hotel rather than the mall …

cmdwedge said :

Chadstone Westfield, the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere, charges absolutely nothing for you to park as long as you like.

The difference is that there are no office blocks nearby. They don’t need to provide a disincentive for people to park there all day because there is no reason for people to park there all day (with the exception of a few people that work in its shops of course).

PBO said :

Who cares if they want to charge more, they cannot effectivly enforce it and sometimes it is just easier to drive throught the boom gate or over the gutter. You will find that the security carmeras in the carpark leave a lot to be desired and the “guards” are more often found in the food court.

It is awful that westfield charge their tennants rent according to their turnover.

”Guards found in food court ” yeah right i have walked around there alot and never see security guards, when i have seenthem they are in carpark smoking and chatting with each other or flirting with female retailers, seen with my own eyes as have my children and friends.. Havent you seen them chatting young female staff up next time you are there watch. they should be ashamed they are to work not pick up, that what dating sites are for westfield guards

Paid parking in the town centres was an ALP policy that arose from its early 2000’s Transport Plan. By making you pay for parking, you will all catch the bus instead.

I recall a briefing from their consultant in 2008 on the ‘SUSTAINABLE Transport Plan’ that showed their estimates of how many people would choose to travel by bus with different (increasing) paid parking rates. It showed most people travelling by bus if parking rates were over 30 dollars a day. i asked if they really though tthis was likely, or was it more likely that the Liberals would say ‘we will lower paid parking’ and the ALP get voted out. The consultant said it was a modelling tool.

To make people use public transport it needs to be Frequent, Reliable and Attractive. You cannot punish people into using it.

Damien Haas
Chair – ACT Light Rail