‘You can shove your 15 minutes . . . what can anyone do with 15 minutes?’

In promoting its free 15 minute parking initiative, the City of Melbourne has ludicrously suggested people can run an errand, support a local business and take in the city’s “vibes” without it costing them a cent.

The City of Melbourne is facing backlash on social media after posting an Instagram Reel about the rollout of its free 15-minute parking initiative in the CBD.

A @cityofmelbourne Instagram post introducing the initiative was flooded with disapproving comments from Melburnians on Friday.

The video showed how to start a session on Easy-Park – the app required to claim the freebie – and emphasised that a parking fee would be waived as long as drivers returned to their vehicle before the allocated 15 minutes were up.

The reel also showed everything that could be done in the city in 15 minutes.

The suggestions included running an errand, supporting a local business and taking in the vibes of the city.

Hardware Lane in Melbourne is “a vibe” visitors could take in.

One commenter said, “As if you can take in the vibes in 15 mins … you’d barely make it to the shop or restaurant and back.”

Another said: “It’ll prob take 5 minutes to set the app up!”

Another commenter hit back at the speed at which parking fines are issued within the CBD and said, “At 16 minutes on the dot, you’ll get booked.”

One comment said the social media campaign was a complete failure.

“Run for your life to get anything done in 15 min,” another comment read.

“You’ve ruined the CBD. Muppets running the council,” yet another comment read.

Another said, “You can shove your 15 minutes where the sun doesn’t shine. What can anyone do with 15 minutes?”

The 15-minute free parking sessions in any two-hour space were introduced in the central city on July 3, and changes to parking signage began on July 17.

Sally Capp said the initiative helped with flexibility and accessibility in a statement on November 6.

“Drivers are embracing the flexibility of our new free 15-minute parking system, which is opening up the city by giving more drivers access to free parking outside more businesses and services,” she said.

“Early data shows our parking improvements are working exactly as intended – keeping spaces turning over outside city businesses, while making it easier to find a park.”