Mornington Peninsula parking
Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (09:54): I raise my opposition to the Mornington Peninsula shire’s paid parking trial around Schnapper Point, Sunnyside Beach and elsewhere. I have been concerned about this and have had many complaints for a while but, in the context of the Briars issue, held off raising it. In August last year I warned councillors in my meeting with them about my opposition to it and the potential consequences before it started. Since starting it has had a number of consequences. I met with the owners of The Rocks and SPK cafe at Mornington Pier, who have reported a 20 to 25 per cent drop in revenue. I heard reports of a wedding party who went for photos getting fined, which will not help tourism. Motorcyclists who might normally stop for a quick coffee for 20 minutes are avoiding it. Community groups are avoiding using the yacht rooms. People are driving around looking for more than 15 minutes for a park and getting a fine. Those bringing people with a disability down to the beach or Mornington Pier are getting fined as well, and older residents who normally like to go down at sunset or at other times are avoiding it altogether. I have seen the playground nearly empty at times when it is normally busy. We have had a flow-on effect to businesses at the top of Main Street like ice cream places, fish and chip shops and more. The issue is, particularly for older residents, it is not easy for them to get a resident permit and it is not easy to pay for parking on an app, particularly for those without a mobile phone. People either do not like to pay or do not like the inconvenience of paying, and as a consequence they go elsewhere. The idea was to use tourists to add to rates, but it is actually impacting locals, local business and local expenditure. I call on the trial to be completed.