‘Parking fines should go back into CBD’: Chamber CEO
THE council should reinvest the $760,000 it made in parking fines last year into improving parking options for CBD customers and businesses.
Toowoomba
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THE Toowoomba Regional Council should reinvest the $760,000 it made in parking fines last financial year into improving parking options for CBD customers and businesses.
That's according to Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Rohl, who said he wanted to see the council "go easier" on residents with parking infringements.
New data revealed council parking officers collected nearly $300,000 between January and June 2020, during which businesses faced the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Rohl said while he understood the council had a job to do, infringement revenue should be reinvested directly back into further improving parking in the city centre.
"The chamber calls for the council to go easy on residents with the issue of carparking," he said.
"We understand they have a job to do, so maybe the solution is that they use the money they gained from the fines to work on another solution other than the latest, which was the guaranteed parking.
"If they could use the revenue to look at new solutions, I think that would benefit everyone."
Mr Rohl said he was interested to see the take-up of guaranteed parking spaces on the top floor of the Neil St bus station, which was approved by the council last week.
"I think the concept is good as we it's just another piece of a potential multitude solution to carparking," he said.
"We should have a crack to see if it works. Cr James O'Shea (former infrastructure portfolio leader) should be congratulated on the hard work he has done with this."