Controversial two-hour parking restrictions put on hold in Moreland
Moreland Council’s controversial plan to see two-hour parking rolled out across Brunswick, Glenroy and Coburg has been stopped in its tracks due to COVID-19.
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Moreland’s new parking restrictions have been put on ice until Victoria’s State of Emergency passes.
A decision to delay the roll out of the Parking Implementation Plan was made by council in a bid to ease the impact of the novel coronavirus.
The parking restrictions, which will see two-hour parking pop up on select Brunswick, Glenroy and Coburg streets in an effort to reduce congestion and push people toward more sustainable forms of transport, could now be pushed back until as late as early 2021.
Moreland Mayor Lambros Tapinos said these were challenging times.
“In this point in the crisis I feel we need to ensure our number one priority is to address this emergency,” he said.
“The next few weeks and months will be difficult – we are at war with an invisible enemy.”
Councillor Helen Davidson said the council had to provide relief where they could.
“(The decision) shows how councillors have been able to come together to do what is in the best interests of the community,” she said.
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The controversial parking plan was narrowly passed by the council in early February.
It will see restrictions in place from 8am to 8pm in some suburbs, with residents living in homes subdivided between 2011 and 2021 able to access a new type of permit which will allow them unlimited parking in certain restricted areas.
The restricted parking areas will be focused around a 200m walkable distance of the Brunswick and Coburg Activity Centres.
The parking strategy was previously referred to the State Ombudsman by community group Fair Moreland Parking on the grounds it was unfair to residents.