Parking revamp planned for CBD

The Townsville City Council has approved a revamp of regulated parking in the CBD that will retain current parking rates, but bring fines into line with other regional cities.

Parking fines will rise for the first time since 2008 to increase deterrents for offenders, while a number of the city’s parking zones will be adjusted to reflect usage and free up more bays for people visiting the inner city.

Workers will be encouraged to better utilise the 700 bay Dean St car park which is serviced by a shuttle bus and part of 1100 free parking spaces on the fringe of the CBD.

The new penalty amounts, to take effect from August 1, are in line with comparable Queensland cities, and reflect the State Government’s SPER (State Penalty Enforcement Registry) legislation, which is responsible for setting penalty unit amounts.

Infrastructure Committee chairman Cr Mark Molachino said parking fees would stay the same and workers in the city would continue to have access to free parking options.

“Townsville’s parking fees are among the cheapest in the State and will remain unchanged, but fines will go up in line with other cities for those who do the wrong thing,” Cr Molachino said.

“Any revenue from parking fees and fines will continue to go towards the cost of regulation and improvements to parking facilities in the city.

“Providing effective deterrents with fines will make people think twice about flouting the laws and tying up parking bays that others could use, particularly in the heart of the CBD.

“The revamp also includes a number of changes to the regulated parking areas to come into effect at the end of this year.

“Time limits will be changed in a couple of targeted locations to improve convenience, and paid parking will be extended to include new areas that are currently free, but adjacent to paid parking.

“Our city has grown and in some areas we have paid parking alongside free parking, which is totally inconsistent and in some cases, confusing.”

From August 1, the fine for overstaying a parking ticket will now cost $36 (up from $20), parking without paying $73 (up from $40) and for overstaying the time limit in a free parking area $60 (up from $50).

Deterrents will also increase for more serious offences with fines for No Stopping Zone and Loading Zone breaches to rise to $73 (up from $40) and the fine for parking in a disabled zone $182 (up from $100).

The cost of parking in the CBD remains unchanged at $1 per hour to a maximum of $6 per day. Free parking will continue to be available at the Dean Street and Leichardt Street carparks, the Sturt St cutting, and along Dean St and nearby streets.

The plan will also see a change to some paid and free parking zones throughout the city at the end of the year, following a survey of the city’s 4788 parking bays.

This includes the conversion of off-street car parks at the top of Eyre Street to paid all-day parking, and the introduction of paid all-day parking in the Aplin Street car park, and the Jones Street/Flinders Street extension, to reflect an increase in commercial activity in the area.

Some parking hotspots, including Walker Street, outside the courthouse, will convert from 2hr to 4hr time limits in response to public feedback while 11 bays in Stanley Street between Hanran Street and the creek will change from 2hr to all-day.

A total of $825,000 in parking fines was issued in the 2015/2016 financial year while $2.1 million was generated from parking machines. This is offset by the cost of regulation and maintenance to the city’s parking bays and zones of approximately $2.2 million and the cost of other parking works in the city.