West Lakes Shopping Centre traders want paid parking scrapped on quietest days to attract shoppers
TRADERS at one of Adelaide’s largest shopping centres want paid parking scrapped on quiet days — saying it has seriously affected their businesses.
TRADERS at West Lakes Shopping Centre would like to see paid parking scrapped on the centre’s quietest days in a bid to attract more shoppers.
One trader, who declined to be named as she feared reprisals from Westfield, said she had lost 20 per cent of her business since paid parking was introduced at the shopping centre in 2013.
“It has been ongoing for nearly four years and it has affected business hugely because so many customers have moved away from coming to the centre,” the trader said.
“It’s hard on the businesses — it’s hard enough with the economy the way it is in South Australia, without putting obstacles in people’s way.
“We have lost business that has never come back.”
The West Lakes business owner said she was still getting customers complain, several times every day, about the cost of parking.
“We’ve asked them (Westfield) how about on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday leave the gates up because they’re the quietest days,” she said.
“Advertise it and let’s see if that would make a difference to our businesses.
“But they are not willing to do that.”
A Newsxpress West Lakes manager, who also did not want to be named, said everyone at the centre still had an issue with the fact that the boom gates had been installed.
“I think our customer numbers have dropped,” she said — while acknowledging that retail trade as a whole had declined since 2013.
She said moving to free parking on Mondays through Wednesdays was worth a try to see if it increased customer numbers.
Mayor Gary Johanson campaigned against the installation of the boom gates as part of his unsuccessful run for State Parliament in 2014.
“It has made things very tough for them (the traders) — you only have to look at the number of people now shopping in the Port,” he said.
As evidence, he pointed to the carpark extension opposite Coles in Port Adelaide.
Mr Johanson said this had occurred “not long after the paid parking went in” at West Lakes.
Westfield did not respond to requests for comment.