Concern over parking in Oakleigh saw traders meet with council staff and Mayor Stephanie Perri.
The meeting, called by expat entrepreneur Nick Batounas, took place on Monday, when a number of traders gathered at a restaurant at Eaton Mall.
The main requests were that the council look at extending the parking in the Chester Street car park from two to three hours; a review of the parking arrangements near the market; and a suggestion that the Centro car park remain open later into the night.
Mr Batounas doesn’t think the requests are unreasonable, and says the issue is more about “leniency towards the elderly population, and businesses in the area who have lost customers due to the large number of fines being handed out lately”, having noticed an increase in parking inspectors patrolling the area.
The Monash Council have one of the highest recorded revenues derived from fines, and by the next financial year it is estimated revenue from illegal parking could reach up to $5.5 million.
By increasing the hours of street parking in Oakleigh to that of other suburbs in the Monash region, Mr Batounas says that not only will businesses benefit, but seniors will also be able to get around easier without the added stress of time constraints.
Cr Perri pledged that the council would consider and investigate the ideas put forward by traders after the holidays.
She also added that the council acknowledge that “there is a need for more parking spaces in Oakleigh”.
For this reason, the mayor says the council is currently reviewing a proposal to build two additional levels on the existing ground level car park in Atkinson Street, which will provide 195 new parking spaces.
But there are areas where the council refuses to budge.
“There was some discussion around no stopping zones, loading and leniency around people stopping briefly in those zones.
“No stopping zones are there for a reason – it’s not safe to park there [and] people who do park in those zones risk a fine,” she said.
The council currently provides a grace period for parking, which takes into account that people may be held up for a few minutes before returning to their car.