What business wouldn’t be happy about earning $500,000 in cash? Byron Shire Council has announced that’s how much its controversial parking meters have collected in the short time they’ve been in place.
And that’s despite the fact that four-hour and all-day meters were not installed until after the Christmas-New Year peak.
And, while users still argue about whether the meters are a good or bad thing for Byron, at least they won’t have to scrabble for change any longer: the council has announced the machines will now accept credit cards.
Council’s general manager Ken Gainger said was ‘a relief to finally have this facility available as it has been quite inconvenient to the community to have to access the volume of coins required for parking machines, particularly in the four-hour and all-day parking areas.’
Mr Gainger thanked the community for their patience and, in particular, ‘Byron Bay business operators who have been inundated with requests for change to feed the meters.’
‘I’m well aware that a lot of local businesses close to parking meters have had to go out of their way to acquire change and hand it out to people that weren’t necessarily customers.’
‘I’d like to thank them all for their patience while Council staff worked with the parking machine operators to iron out the technical issues that precluded the availability of a credit card facility – the problems lay with the service provider and were beyond council’s control,’ he said.
Mr Gainger said ‘a considerable portion’ of the $500,000 revenue had been derived from visitors and would go towards ‘an infrastructure renewal program in Byron Bay and across the shire.’
‘Further infrastructure projects similar to the road works recently undertaken in Middleton Street and Massinger Street and shortly to commence in Broken Head Road, can be expected.’
Mr Gainger also referred to new revitalisation projects under way for Byron Bay’s streets and laneways as examples of parking revenue being utilised to improve amenity for our community and visitors.
‘Reports from Byron business operators and community members suggest that paid parking is also having the desired affect of increasing turnover of parking spaces and improving parking availability,’ he said.
‘Together with improved traffic flows into town following works undertaken by council in Lawson Street, this demonstrates that council’s strategies are working and making a difference.’
Mr Gainger said staff were gathering data on changed parking and usage patterns and would provide a review report to the council mid year.
- Clarification – a reader has suggested we had got our facts wrong but the word ‘net’ in the headline is not intended to mean the earnings are ‘nett’ of expenses.
Half a million dollars hey?
And just what will that teach Byron Council?
That half a million is not enough money, and the whole demography of Byron will be changed to increase the income and developers will move in to lap up the money moving in. The people who can’t pay for the car space and fines will be moved out.
In one, two or three years it will be a city of the Liberal Party.
Byron Council needs to sit down and think of what they are doing and where they are going.
Money is not everything. The people who matter are the people who love the place as it is, is what matters. The people with heart who love the names of the streets and why they were named with those names of poets and writers. Byron Bay is a place of poetry and prose, and books and literature, Of real substance, not money. Oh, Byron, Oh Byron, poor writer. You lived far from these shores in Britain but you loved good English and wrote in art from your good heart and lived on in this bay.
So $500,000.00 is what they have collected so far. Is that after administration and enforcement costs? Does that take into account leasing costs and maintenance? Is the $500,000.00 clear profit after all expenses?
The Chambers of Commerce of the Ballina, Lismore and Tweed would also like to thank Byron Shire Council for implementing paid parking.
Does anyone one know what the, ‘all inclusive’ costs of the meters was?
The wages of the line markers, meter readers, and ongoing maintenance? Are the meters owned by Byron Shire? Are they leased?
What was the , ‘Real Profit’ for our Shire?
These are the questions I would like to have answers to.
I have to admit it’s great to be able to drive into town and find a park wherever I need to go.
What happened to all the cars that used to occupy the spaces?
But at what cost to the businesses that keep this town afloat and are what service the visitors and the locals?
I wonder how much revenue the local shop keepers and café owners have lost because of the meters and the resulting empty carparks. How long before council is spending money on legal representation to address compensation claims?