The arrival of $800,000 worth of new parking meters has taken traders along a Sunshine Coast shopping strip unaware.
Fifty-six new meters are being installed in Caloundra’s CBD, 26 of which will accept payment by card and 30 of which will accept both coin and card. Motorists will also be able to pay using the EasyPark app on their phones.
They replace 64 meters that a Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said were at the end of their life “with diminishing support and replacement parts”.
The spokesperson said the new technology meant fewer meters were needed but some paid parking spaces had been converted to free timed parking.
Brad Moore, the owner of The Guitar Den in Bulcock Street, said he had known nothing of the new meters until they began arriving.
Selina Smith, owner of Cozie Swimwear, said parking meters deterred customers and she would have preferred to see them removed rather than replaced.
“They don’t need meters to enforce parking space turnover if they just enforce the timed parking,” she said.
Mrs Smith was disappointed the meters were being installed prior to a survey that would have covered the effects of meters in the area.
Division 2 councillor Terry Landsberg proposed the survey on social media just before this year’s local government elections.
“I’ve been working on a way forward and I think it all begins with having a clear understanding of who is shopping at Caloundra, who could be and may not be and why – including understanding how parking meters impact people’s decisions to choose Caloundra and Bulcock Street,” he wrote on a Division 2 Facebook page at the time.
“For this reason, I have decided to fund market research into the matter if I am elected again. We will use the outcomes to help build an evidence-based solution for traders in the Bulcock Street area. This will be a priority for me in 2024.”
Mr Landsberg said last week it was “frustrating” the survey had not yet been completed, although it was not just about parking meters but more broadly about barriers to people shopping in the area and why people choose Caloundra as a shopping destination.
Caloundra Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael Shadforth was of a similar mindset, comfortable with parking meters to ensure turnover of spaces but keen on looking at what could be done to draw more people to Caloundra’s CBD.
Cr Landsberg, who chairs the Downtown Caloundra Taskforce, said it was “council policy not to share operational funding details” but all of the revenue from Caloundra’s meters went back into Caloundra on improvements such as lighting, activation events and business support.
An interim report by the Queensland Audit Office, included with the most recent Sunshine Coast Council meeting agenda, says a review of parking meter revenue and the parking meter management system “identified unreconciled amounts”.
The council has responded by seeking a quote for a review to identify ways to reduce or remove the discrepancies, “ensuring future reporting has more transparency”.
Paid parking is in place in Caloundra from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and from 9am until noon on Saturdays, but it is unclear if the new smart meters will collect up to eight hours a day revenue or more.
Sunshine Coast News understands motorists will be required to enter their vehicle registration into the meters and the ParkSmart vehicles will connect to the meters to pick up that information.
While app users can “tap out” at any time, those who pay by card or cash cannot seek a refund on paid time they have not used and the council earns a second round of revenue for any “overlap” between occupants.
A council spokesperson confirmed the potential “overlap” in payments “as payment is pay by plate, not by bay”.
“The new meters allow an occupant to move their car, within the time they have paid for, to any of the metered bays in Caloundra. This allows them to fully use what they have paid for,” the spokesperson said.
“Inheriting the previous occupant’s leftover time is no longer possible.”
The spokesperson said motorists would be able to “tap out” early. However, it is unclear if they will be able to do that if they do not use the EasyPark app.
A council spokesperson said a “concierge service” would be available following the upgrade to help users with the new meters.
The spokesperson said Caloundra’s parking meters had been switched off during the upgrade, which is expected to run into early October.
However, the usual timed parking restrictions remain in place during the upgrade, which means although customers do not have to pay to park, they must stick to the time limits.
Once the upgrade is complete, paid parking will be reintroduced from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am until noon on Saturdays, with fees unchanged.
Free parking is available at various locations in downtown Caloundra and more details about parking on the Sunshine Coast can be found at the council’s website.
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