ALTHOUGH it has refused to drop Flinders from its paid parking trial, Mornington Peninsula Shire has refined its approach to make the experiment more acceptable to residents.
Changes to the rules include a business parking permit for “select volunteers and club members” and a permit for staff of “directly adjacent businesses”.
As well as near Flinders pier, the parking trial will be held over summer at Schnapper Point, Mornington, and Sunnyside Beach, Mount Eliza.
Peninsula residents can apply for up to five permits a household but must abide by parking time limits.
Anyone else parking at the three beach side locations will be charged $6.20 an hour with a $19.50 maximum.
A parking app will allow visitors to pay for the time they have parked without the charge being rounded up to the nearest full hour rate, such as being charged $3.10 for 30 minutes.
Vehicles dropping off or picking up passengers or having been unable to find a car park will not be charged if staying 15 minutes or less.
Parking at Sunnyside and Flinders will be all day, while Schnapper Point will have two and four hour areas “to encourage turnover but also ensure all day parking opportunities remain”.
The shire says the parking rules can be amended during the trial and that a “successful review” of the paid parking trial could see it introduced at other foreshore car parks.
“These refined rules are designed to help reduce the impact of visitor paid parking on stakeholders within the pilot locations, while still achieving the aims of the pilot,” the mayor Cr Steve Holland said.
“We aim to have the pilot up and running during summer to capture important data over the peak visitation period.”
He said the three chosen car parks “meet important criteria to enable a successful pilot, including car park configuration to trial the technology and the ability to test a broad range of pilot rules on both sides of the peninsula”.
“The parking software technology for the pilot is currently being sourced. There is nothing to do for residents just yet. Council will advise once the permit process is up and running and ensure residents are supported to apply for their permit.”
Details about the paid parking trial are at: mornpen.vic.gov.au/parkingpilot
First published in the Mornington News – 29 August 2023
