Paid parking will be introduced to Mooloolaba’s new 700-space multi-storey carpark but councillors have voted to ensure existing on-street parking spaces remain free.
After a four-hour debate in Sunshine Coast Council chambers, councillors agreed to move forward with a user-pays system after more than 20 years of traffic problems in the tourism hub.
Paid parking will be charged at $2.50/hour, capped at $12.50/day, which many councillors said was a reasonable price for a parking facility one block back from the beach.
Free parking spaces in other parts of Mooloolaba, including The Wharf, will have their time limits reduced to one or two hours.
Cr Ted Hungerford put forward an amendment to Mooloolaba’s Local Area Parking Plan to ensure paid parking was not extended onto the streets once paid parking came into force in the new tower on Brisbane Road.
It was revealed during the meeting that Mooloolaba’s new ParkNGo carpark, opening in December, could be the first of many such multi-deck facilities on the Coast, with at least one more possible in Mooloolaba and several in Maroochydore.
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The introduction of Mooloolaba’s user pays system could shape the future of parking at beach precincts which are mostly free on the Sunshine Coast.
Councillors were told there would still be some 2000 free spaces available in Mooloolaba when paid parking comes into effect.
The decision was a blow to the area’s councillor Joe Natoli who referenced Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech while lamenting the imminent introduction of paid parking in Mooloolaba.
Cr Natoli said, like the civil right’s leader’s speech more than 50 years ago, people would “never forget” the day people had to start paying to park near the beach at Mooloolaba.
He said it was a “very sad day” and that free parking was symbolic of the easy-going lifestyle of living near the Coast and enjoying the beach.
Cr Natoli said the community supported his position against paid carparking.
Cr David Law raised offence at Cr Natoli’s comments, saying Martin Luther King drew 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 over civil rights.
“Not about whether they can go to the beach and park without paying, but if you have the same rights to vote if you were black,” he said.
“I take offence to that,” he said.
“It’s not okay to compare that time with this time. It doesn’t bear comparison.”
During the marathon session, Cr Maria Suarez failed in her attempt delay a decision on introducing paid parking until January 28.
Most councillors (eight votes to three) did not support her amendment to hold off on a decision to re-calculate fees.
Mayor Mark Jamieson told the meeting it was time to stop “dithering” and solve a parking problem that had been plaguing the tourism jewel for more than 20 years.
Cr Jamieson said the new multi-storey carpark, which was ideally located just a “stone’s throw” from the beach, should be a user pays system and not added to ratepayers’ bills.
The council estimates it would cost each ratepayer $18 per year for the next 20 years if the carpark remained free.
Cr Jamieson said he did not agree with charging residents $18 a year so that other people, including visitors from outside the Coast, could get free parking in Mooloolaba.
Only two other councillors supported Cr Suarez’s amendment to delay the decision – Cr Joe Natoli and Cr Christian Dickson.
Cr Suarez wanted to delay a final decision until January to do more sums on the sale of land which she said should be used to offset the cost of the carpark.
The land in question – a carpark on Brisbane Road – was sold for $7.2 million and that money will be added to the council’s general revenue which officers said was standard practice.
However Cr Suarez said the sale should be used as a direct offset to the costs of the multi-storey carpark which she suggested could reduce the hourly carparking fees to as low as $1.60/hour.
“We should not be revenue-raising to pay for services that should be provided by council.”
Earlier
A Mooloolaba paid carparking showdown is looming in council on Thursday which could shape the future of free parking on the Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Coast councillors will vote on whether to introduce fees at a new multi-storey carpark opening on Brisbane Road, a block back from the beach.
The new ParknGo Mooloolaba Central with 700 spaces will open on December 23 with a recommendation that fees be charged at $2.50/hour with a $12.50/day cap.
Council officers have also recommended to reduce time limits to two hours for free on-street carparking in central Mooloolaba and The Wharf.
Mooloolaba residents have strongly opposed the paid parking in a survey of 4000 residents undertaken by the Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce.
An overwhelming 93 per cent of respondents said they preferred free parking.
Division 4 councillor Joe Natoli is against paid parking anywhere on the Coast but especially near the beach which he said should be a free asset for people to enjoy.
“People should have the opportunity to go to the beach without putting their hand in their pocket,” said Cr Natoli.
“Free carparking is a way of sending a good message to people that we want them to come back.
“It would have been fantastic if we could continue to have a point of difference from the Gold Coast and Byron Bay.”
During a trial period, the $18 million carpark would be free for the first three hours with an exit fee of $10/day until January 18.
After that, council officers recommend full fees kick in:
- 0 to 1 hr $2.50
- 1 to 2 hrs $5.00
- 2 to 3 hrs $7.50
- 3 to 4 hrs $10.00
- 4+hrs (capped daily rate) $12.50a
- Early bird $6.00
- Night time (enter from 5pm & exit before midnight) $5.00
- Overnight Parking (enter after 5pm, exit by 9am the next day) $10.00
- Monthly (unreserved) (capped at 150) $100
However Cr Natoli said the $12.50 flat daily rate, which he said did not incur a fine for overstaying, would mean people could park all day – or even days on end – without any incentive to move.
“It’s not time restrictive, you could park there for a month and not get a fine for it,” he said.
“That raises questions about the motive of council. It has become evident to me that this is more of a revenue-raising exercise and an opportunity to create a new business for council.”
Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce president Graeme Juniper said the multi-storey carpark was not adding significantly to Mooloolaba’s available parking spots.
But Mr Juniper said some 300 would be lost from the Mooloolaba Foreshore revitalisation project and 200 had disappeared to make way for the new ParkNGo.
“We are basically ending up with the same number of carparks and the Sunshine Coast has tripled in population in the last 40 years,” he said.
“We understand there is a shortfall in Mooloolaba of about 2000 cars so this only goes a little way to fixing it.”
Thursday’s meeting will also consider paid parking in select areas of the Maroochydore City Centre of $2.00/hr capped at $6/day.
