Strand parking meters: Townsville councillors set to debate the paid parking controversy again

The controversial paid parking rollout across Townsville will be debated in chambers again after councillors heard from frustrated business people in a private meeting. Will one councillor change their mind to see a pause on the plan? GET THE LATEST

Councillor Kurt Rehbein is critical of the council's budget measures to rollout parking meters at the Strand. Picture: Shae Beplate.

The controversial paid parking rollout across Townsville is on “a knife’s edge” after councillors heard from frustrated business people in a private meeting, and would only take one to change their mind to overturn it.

Councillors were already split almost to the middle about introducing new paid parking meters along The Strand, South Townsville and the Pimlico health precinct from the new year.

In July, a motion by Cr Kurt Rehbein to pause the rollout until proper consultation was completed was defeated six votes to five.

The motion was voted against by councillors Ann-Maree Greaney, Brady Ellis, Andrew Robinson, Suzy Batkovic, Liam Mooney and Brodie Phillips.

But after a private hour-long meeting between councillors and Townsville business people held in a Gregory St cafe on Monday, Mayor Troy Thompson declared he would try again to pause the meter rollout at next week’s council meeting.

He would seek to pause paid parking meters for four months “effective immediately” until consultation was completed.

Mr Rehbein told the Bulletin the community continuously expressed “outright anger” about the issue and he believed it would become an election platform for candidates in 2028.

He warned he would not compromise with pro-parking meter councillors, such as by shortening the enforced hours.

Mr Rehbein said there might be one or two councillors that may waver in their conviction and listen to the wishes of the business community who sat with them this week.

“So it’s on a knife’s edge in terms of the numbers in there,” he said.

“I think it’s incumbent upon a council to listen to their community, and you need to hear what the community are saying and they are saying they don’t like this, they don’t want it, they’re concerned and they want to get rid of it.

“What I’m interested in is this being removed and stopped.”

President of the Chamber of Commerce Miranda Mears. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Townsville Chamber of Commerce president Miranda Mears, who blasted the decision as a “slap in the face” for businesses when it was adopted unopposed in the council’s annual budget, said the justification of the council’s position had been confusing.

And it was unclear how much it would cost to install the parking meters or enforce the measures.

Ms Mears believed some of these councillors “if sensible” could reconsider their vote.

“They don’t have good brand out there in community, that might be a strong statement but it’s certainly a factual statement as a whole,” she said.

“The council do not have a good brand as a whole, they are seen as quite dysfunctional, arrogant and not listening to community.

“The community expects to be listened to, and definitely what I have seen is since the council elections is a shift in community being prepared to stand up and speak for things they don’t believe is right.”

“As a community we’re seeing that more than what we did before the election under the previous administration.”

Commercial property manager Knight Frank sent a letter addressing the concerns of its clients to councillors and organised the private meeting.

Senior partner Craig Stack said it was important that people “kept their heads” but expressed their concerns while the councillors justified their decision making process.

These concerns included the reduced convenience that a parking meter rollout would have on motorists, who would be more reluctant to casually visit businesses, such as the North Ward Coles precinct.

And this would flow on to the revenue of these businesses.

Knight Frank's Craig Stack. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“And people certainly did that, there was certainly emotion in the room, that people were quite concerned by this, but business owners were respectful,” Mr Stack said.

Mr Stack was uncertain if the meeting had motivated councillors to change their votes.

“We’ll keep prosecuting the argument on behalf of business people, I trust the wider community can make their opinions known to council about its impact on the community user.

“But this issue is not going to go away, and all the business owners there have been just their very nature are in small business, so they’re going to continue pushing very hard for the decision to be reversed.”

Division 8 Councillor Andrew Robinson, who voted in support of continuing the parking meter rollout, said he listened to the business community on Monday night, and along with other councillors would take such concerns “under consideration”.

“Now, whether or not that results in a councillor changing their mind and, you know, switching the vote numbers, I don’t know, I can’t say,” Mr Robinson said.

The matter is expected to come up for debate once again at the next general council meeting on Wednesday, October 2.

Originally published as Strand parking meters: Townsville councillors set to debate the paid parking controversy again