Change.org petition created to protest rollout of North Ward parking fees

More people have created petitions calling for Townsville City Council to reverse their decision to introduce paid parking in various locations, including The Strand.

Paid parking at The Strand will be coming with the rollout of meters from next year. The council announced these changes as part of its annual budget this week.

Three electronic petitions in protest of Townsville City Council’s planned installation of parking meters across the city, including at The Strand, have been published on its website.

The Change.org petition created on Wednesday night already has about 4500 signatures, but it will not be formally considered by the council.

Principal petitioner Justin Fox’s e-petition ‘No Expansion of Paid Parking’ is the more popular of the three, with 163 signatures.

“The economic drawbacks and outdated nature of this approach make it unsuitable for a modern, vibrant city,” Mr Fox said.

“Instead, Townsville City Council should focus on creating a free multi-level carpark on Leichhardt St in collaboration with the state government.

“Other locations, i.e, Palmer St should be investigated for similar solutions.

“The economic harm and reputational damage to Townsville likely exceed the revenue generated by paid parking.

“The city is known for its dead CBD, featured in videos by international tourists describing it as a ghost town.

“This decline is due to suburban shopping centres, which the council still approves, and further compounded by making the CBD unattractive to visit.”

Another e-petition emphasises maintaining free parking at The Strand, which so far had 23 signatures.

There was also an e-petition that protested metered parking at Pimlico medical precinct.

Community outrage sparks petition against Strand paid parking

A Change.org petition protesting a council decision to install parking metres at The Strand from early next year received almost a thousand electronic signatures within its first day.

The petition titled ‘Maintain Free Parking at Strand, Townsville’ was created by independent Thuringowa candidate Natasha Lane, who seeks to repeal the Townsville City Council’s decision to include parking fees in North Ward.

Ms Lane said she was motivated to create the petition in protest while trying to enjoy the State of Origin on Wednesday night following the council’s budget announcement.

People kept talking about parking fees being enforced at The Strand, which was described as a “slap in the face” by Townsville Chamber of Commerce president Miranda Mears.

And so Ms Lane decided to use the platform Change.org to create a petition, which is unlikely to be recognised by the council which only accepts petitions through its e-petition platform.

President of the Chamber of Commerce Miranda Mears has described the council's decision to implement paid parking on the Strand as a 'slap in the face'. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Ms Lane said she knew of the council’s e-petition process, and would likely use it to create a second petition, but said it would have taken time have it approved by council officers.

“And I just thought, people are upset about this now,” Ms Lane said.

“So that’s why I just did the Change.org one straight away.

A Change. Org petition in protest of the Townsville City Council's decision to install parking meters at The Strand.

“If I can just use my voice in some capacity to get them to think about this then I’m going to do it.

“Like, $2 for one hour just to hang out in a free space?

“It affects families and individuals who use The Strand as well.

Townsville City Council Acting Mayor Paul Jacob speaks to media following the adoption of the 2024/25 council budget. Picture: Chris Burns

“A lot of people have birthday parties, family barbecues, they go fishing.

“A lot of people use it for physical exercise and also for mental health.

“Every time I’ve gone down there different times of the week I’ve always been able to find a park.”

Other notable council e-petitions have included a request to build a Julian Assange statue at the Strand, and to address erosion of Rowes Bay and Pallarenda.

But Change.org petitions appealing to the Townsville City Council have been used numerous times and have gathered huge traction, including 46,000 digital signatures to save Huxley the Golden Retriever from death row after a mauling.

Townsville’s Acting Mayor Paul Jacob announced changes to the city’s parking fees in his budget speech in a special council meeting on Wednesday.

Parking would increase by $1 per hour.

Mr Jacob said it was the first time parking had increased for 14 years, and that it was still “well below” parking costs of other cities, such as Cairns at $2.20 per hour, or Newcastle at $5 per hour.

“This revenue will be reinvested back into council roads and well-utilised parts of the city,” he said.

“We have also widened Townsville’s scope when it comes to paid parking, introducing new meters for The Strand, Gregory St, Palmer St, and at the Fulham Rd medical precinct.

“This is not just about balancing council’s budget but aiming to balance the needs of businesses, residents and workers while providing a sustainable approach to offsetting the cost of maintaining key community assets such as The Strand.

“The inclusion of paid parking at these locations is expected to improve the turnover of parking bays and increase visitor numbers while also providing much needed funding towards upkeep.”

Mr Jacob said it cost ratepayers more than $6m each year to maintain the Strand.

Former Division 1 councillor Margie Ryder, who lost against Mr Jacob in the election in March, urged the councillors to halt the decision about parking until public consultation was completed.

“I think the councillors have been ill informed,” she said.

“As a previous councillor, no, I wouldn’t have voted for it, I would have asked for more consultation.

“But you make decisions based on information provided.”

The Change.org petition can be signed here:

Originally published as Change.org petition created to protest rollout of North Ward parking fees