Tony Wode’s open letter to Townsville councillors over Strand paid parking

Former council media adviser Tony Wode has penned a stinging open letter to councillors, saying introducing paid parking on The Strand is a ‘desperate act’ and ‘a tax on families’. HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL

Tony Wode on The Strand.

Former council media adviser Tony Wode has penned a stinging open letter to councillors, saying city hall “has hit rock bottom” over their move to introduce paid parking on The Strand.

Read his words to Townsville City Councillors below.

Dear Councillors,

As a long term resident of Townsville, I am shocked and disappointed with the Townsville City Council’s recent decision to introduce paid parking on our wonderful Strand.

As if the current situation with the mayor’s position is not shambolic enough, city hall has hit rock bottom with the parking proposal.

I worked for the council for 20 years and served three mayors and many councillors, and in my experience there is no way that an imposition of paid parking on The Strand would ever have been considered let alone approved.

The parking plan sounds very much like a proposal put forward by the bureaucracy and simply rubber stamped by the councillors — and for what, I ask?

A relatively puny amount of revenue that in the overall council budget represents a paltry sum.

And the negative impact of fees and fines would far outweigh the community benefit of regulated parking there.

If jacking up or introducing paid parking in areas like The Strand is necessary to keep the council afloat, then the city is indeed in financial dire straits.

Surely the answer in the first instance is trimming waste, not imposing a tax.

The Strand has been a proud asset for our city and our residents and has attracted praise from people from all over the world.

The underlying success of The Strand, the baby of former mayor Tony Mooney, is its broad accessibility for all Townsville residents and visitors.

So many people have remarked on the fact that the beautiful recreational facilities within The Strand are free for families and others to enjoy.

Commercial interests and any potential development impacts on The Strand have been carefully managed for more than 20 years to protect the integrity of this great public asset.

Councillors, to simply go along with a plan hatched by bean counters to raise revenue at the community’s cost in this way is a desperate act.

Some may say it’s a brave decision, because this was always going to cause an outrage, but I believe it demonstrates how disconnected the council has become to the views of the community.

It is about time the councillors stood up for the people of Townsville and put a stop to the arrogance and often tone deaf policies put up by unelected public servants within council.

We’ve had enough and expect our councillors to serve the best interests of our community.

Please rethink the decision to introduce Strand parking fees, which can be considered nothing other than a tax on families.

Tony Wode

West End

Originally published as Tony Wode’s open letter to Townsville councillors over Strand paid parking