The second stage of Byron Bay’s controversial paid parking scheme was rolled out over the weekend, with four-hour and all-day parking meters now operational in the town centre.
The final machines were installed in the outer areas of the CBD including: along the beachfront at Lawson Street through to Massinger Street; the remainder of Jonson Street; Shirley Street (east of Milton St); the north side of Somerset Street and Butler Street (to Somerset St).
Butler Street Reserve has also been opened and will provide parking from 6am to 1am daily.
Byron Shire Council’s transport and traffic planner Simon Bennett said the free parking spaces in residential areas adjoining the pay parking zone would now have either a two-hour or four-hour time limit restriction put in place.
‘The new time limits in residential areas are being put in place to help ensure residential amenity and to stop these areas becoming packed with parked cars,’ he said
‘Residents who live in the time-limited residential streets will receive in their letterbox a permit to display on their dashboard and a letter explaining how the permit will work.
‘Basically, their car or visitor’s car will be exempt from the time limit introduced and allow them to continue to park all day, as per normal,’ Mr Bennett said.
The areas affected are outlined in blue, purple and orange on the map (pictured).
Council warns that motorists parking in residential streets must check the signage and adhere to the new time limits.
‘When your time is up in the residential streets, motorists need to leave the area, otherwise you could be fined,’ Mr Bennett said.
He added that the physical resident permit is distinct from the pay parking exemptions available to all Byron shire residents and the two are not interchangeable.
‘Pay parking exemption holders, as with any vehicle that does not display the resident permit, it will need to adhere to the street time limits in the residential parking areas,’ Mr Bennett warned.
All-day parking is available along Lawson Street east of Middleton Street, the east side of Middleton Street and around the bowling club and primary school and the southern end of Jonson Street.
Lawson Street car parks north and south will also become all-day parking.
A new car park is being established at Butler Street Reserve, with all-day parking available on the grounds from 6am to 1am.
Council was quick to emphasise that the monthly Byron Bay community markets and farmers’ markets will continue at the site as per their existing licence agreements.
For more details visit Council’s website byron.nsw.gov.au or call the hotline on 1300 811 942.
I saw a very expensive Audi pay park yesterday in a pot hole $3 for that! I’m sure $3 worth of road fill could fix that… yeah btw where does the money go Council?
I am NOT giving ANY money to byron shire council. Farewell, Byron. It’s been great knowing you
council doesn’t get to use our money to build a rock wall, and install west byron megalopolis, threaten to take away the markets, etc etc – destroying ALL faith anyone might have had, AND take my money for parking. It’s too far to walk and I don’t own a bike. I can afford parking – but I refuse to hand my money to council. If the parking money was going to people that actually needed it, like refugees, then I’d be running to queue up for parking every day and inventing reasons for visiting on top of that. But no.
I am just sorry I now won’t be supporting local byron buisness as a result. Sad about that.
With the super high rent – and no one visiting – who will afford to run a shopfront there any more?
McDonalds?
BHP?
Citibank???
who will be left? yuppies? I suppose that was the idea all along, right? Ethnic and class cleansing?
Jennifer, it’s probably not not really all that bad.
Income for council to provide services.
Less cars, more pedestrians, healthier people.
Perhaps it will even be good.
As a Byron local, I am very pleased to see the tourist numbers drop. Every time I see someone write “Farewell Byron”, I think see yah and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Really, what do these people expect? The place is practically gridlocked, they take all the waves, they pump up the prices at restaurants and they offer nothing in return unless… you’ve got a tourist shop and they’re just selling what we love for profit so who cares about them.
I remember when you could get a decent meal for a decent price, you could go surfing and have a good chat with people in the water rather than a fight and driving through town was a breeze.
Yes please, go somewhere else.
[email protected].
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How can I write letters to The Editor????
Paid parking is a great idea, in that it allows council, on behalf of us ratepayers, to extract a “tax” on tourists to our town, that is otherwise illegal. But it really is annoying that an annual fee per car, is also extracted from ratepayers, for the privilege to park in their own town. Even outside their own front door.
In Leichhardt, a real “green” council, the first 30 minutes is free. This is great for locals who only want a park for a few minutes while they go to the chemist, bank or butcher. It frees up a lot of car parks as there is greater turn over. The tourists continue to pay and be taxed because they invariably want to stay longer than 30 minutes.
Why wasn’t this considered by our council? Is it too late to change?
the councils ongoing plan to complete destroy byron and expel all those pesky health conscious locals from the tourism for profit center that byron has become, seems to be coming along quite nicely