SOUTHERN Grampians Shire councillor, Katrina Rainsford, has expressed concerns about the new parking meters and said she intended to move a motion at the next Council meeting on Wednesday.

The new ‘pay by plate’ touchscreen Hamilton CBD Parking Meters have been installed over January and went live on February 1.

 Cr Rainsford said the Hamilton Central Business District (CBD) was a congested space along Gray, Brown and Thompson Streets.

“Businesses need good turnover of parking spaces which helps more people access our businesses,” she said.

“The new Pay by Plate parking meters are solar powered, will be regularly maintained by the supplier, and if broken can be fixed on the spot.

“Change brings some concerns and misunderstanding – the main change is the meters are cashless, but the times for charging to park have also changed.

“I support the late charging start of 9.30am on weekdays, which gives those wanting to pick up a paper or get a script from a chemist filled early in the day without occurring parking charges.

“But the charging of parking later to 8pm on Friday nights is a major change I was not aware of until the FAQs came out and will not help to keep our CBD vibrant on a popular recreational evening when diners need to pay for a couple of hours parking which they are not used to doing.”

People can pay for their parking via a debit card, a credit card, pre-paid card from Australia Post, or use an Easy Park App for smartphones – Council has not planned to sell or provide cards for the parking meters, rather use a readily accessible third party.

Cr Rainsford said that when investigating this system, she found the process - while simple for a relatively cashless purchaser already - the prepaid card is a like a debit card and costs $7.95 to purchase with a minimum load-up of $20.

“To get a card you are required to have an ID with you, provide your name, email and phone number – the counter support by Australia Post is excellent,” she said.

“However, some feedback from businesses and ratepayers is that Council should provide a simpler service for the elderly and less debit/card-based users that don’t want to provide all this detail.

“I (will) move that Southern Grampians Shire Council review the new Hamilton parking meters policy to include the following changes – CBD charged parking times to Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 5pm, Friday 9.30am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 12pm (and) Sunday free all day.”

She also had other concerns about providing for those still wanting to use cash, for disabled parking exemptions and helping drivers understand “they can move from parking sites within their paid period without further entering details into the parking meters”.

Southern Grampians Shire chief executive, Tony Doyle, said they had received a motion from councillor, Katrina Rainsford, which she intended to table at the meeting next Wednesday night.

“We have provided the following officer comments in response to Councillor Rainsford ahead of the meeting,” he said.

“The hours for each day of the week for parking in the Hamilton CBD have not been altered with the installation of the new parking meters. This has been done as a matter of consistency with existing signage throughout the CBD.

“Southern Grampians Shire Council could explore further the option of a prepaid ticketing system for those preferring paying cash however it would need to be costed and added to the fees and charges as part of the annual budget process. Prepaid visa debit cards are available to purchase at Australia Post for those who do not have access to a credit card.

“Marked disabled car parking has not changes with the installation of the new meters. It is not and will continue to not be included in the Hamilton CBD parking meter sites- any other parking space is treated in line with VicRoads guidelines, including disability permit holders being entitled to double the time limit for parking spaces.

“Loading zones are monitored by rangers daily as part of their patrols to monitor all street parking.  On-demand responses to breaches of the parking conditions are initiated by customer service and are acted upon.

“A significant amount of consultation around the new parking meters has been completed through both traditional media such as the newspapers and radio interviews as well as online through social media and the Council website including ‘how to videos’ and a FAQ handout.

“This is planned to continue throughout the month of February in line with the communications plan for the project. Council rangers have also been out in the street answering questions and assisting residents and will continue to have a strong presence in the CBD to assist people using the meters.”