Mornington Peninsula council to spend $810,00 to test paid parking for visitors
A short list of Mornington Peninsula beaches to trial paid parking is being drawn up as the local council vows to “make some money” from tourists. HAVE YOUR SAY.
South East
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The free ride for tourists is coming to an end on the Mornington Peninsula as the local council prepares to introduce paid parking.
Mornington Peninsula Shire has allocated $810,000 for a paid parking trial in its 2023/24 budget.
According to budget papers released on Tuesday, the project would test technology, software and business rules for paid parking along the shire’s “highly valued foreshore areas”.
Residents would be provided with permits and would not be expected to pay to park locally.
The Herald Sun understands council officers are prepared a shortlist of areas where the trial would be rolled out.
Most councillors have backed the plan, saying it was time the council found ways to “make some money” from the eight million visitors it hosts each year.
“It’s financially responsible for the sustainability of this council to have an alternative revenue stream to rates,” Cr Susan Bissinger said.
She said failing to implement paid parking was “letting money slip through our fingers”.
“We have eight million visitors every year and we don’t get one cent from them; to be able to tap into that resource would be amazing.”
However, traders were sceptical.
Sorrento Chamber of Commerce president Marco Pietrantonio was disappointed businesses had not yet been consulted about the plan.
“It’s news to me,” he said.
“That sounds like an awful lot of money to spend on a trial.”
Mr Pietrantonio said paid parking was a “seasonal grab” that would work only two months of the year.
“Outside the peak summer months it’s only locals parking here and they will have permits, or so the council says,” he said.
“If they do have paid parking in Sorrento then every dollar spent here on parking should be invested back into the town.
“That would have to be a guarantee. If they are using technology they should be able to do that.”
Cr Antonella Celi said the council had gone a long way down the road towards paid parking without publicly discussing the project.
“We’ve done studies and had consultants come in, put $110,000 in the (2022/23) budget and our community has no idea what is involved in this parking trial,” she said.
Cr David Gill proposed dropping the trial and moving the $810,000 into carbon neutral projects to help the council reach its net zero target.
He said there was “enormous cost” involved in setting up and running paid parking and he didn’t believe it would pay off in the long term.
“As soon as it doesn’t make money from visitors the temptation to make it profitable would mean charging residents,” Cr Gill said.
Cr Gill’s plan failed with only Cr Celi voting in favour.
