Time Limits or Payment to Increase Availability

I believe it takes a combination of all mentioned, ie, paid, time limited etc to have an effective turn over of parking spaces in the center of the town. Perhaps paid parking on the main thoroughfares, ie, Horton, William and Clarence with time limited outside of these areas and expanding out to the fringe as to the amount of time. You need to consisder 'travel' time for walkers from the fringe when setting the limits and reward them with longer term parking.

Paid parking of another type could also be considered for workers and/or businesses where a parking permit could be purchased for areas such as the Plaza or other designated parking areas. This would give Council another form of revenue which could perhaps be used to eventually expand the concept of parking stations or areas.

I think paid parking is a fantastic idea. In the Main streets around town and at the beach, Not only will it help council with their current financial state, it would move traffic along.

Is this whole survey an excuse for Council to introduce parking meters, reduced parking times and increased fines? We all know our Council is strapped for cash. Are they looking to follow many other councils who see parking fees/fines as an additional income stream?

Paid parking would ruin the experience of port cbd, plain and simple.

I don't believe paid parking is the most appropriate action for the CBD. Many other councils introduced paid parking in their CBD - such as Newcastle for example, and now the CBD is a ghost town, with mnay people going elsewhere to shop. The problem isn't the lack of turnover of parking spaces in the CBD, as I can always get a park when I want it in the CBD, the problem is there is not enough parking spaces to accommodate the influx of tourists during the summer months, the events like Ironman and other festivals and when big shows are on at the Glasshouse. A parking station, like those is Sydney on that lovely vacant block of land near the historical museum is what council should be considering, which will give all those additional cars during events and peak season a place to park, and undercover as well.

I believe that we don't need paid parking within the Port Macquarie area. We need to have timed parking in the main area that we have already and this needs to be enforced by parking officers(employment & income for the area. outside of the couple of main streets within the CBD the time limit should be of long time frame. Then we also need all day parking within a couple of blocks of the CBD. Paid all day parking within the CBD for workers is a great idea. what about angle parking on both sides of Horton St with no centre parking this would increase parking spaces in Horton St without much outlay & would not be hard to reconfigure.

People will stop using the area if we have paid parking meter.

Paid parking creates no solution to availibility of parking spaces. Business owners and their staff will simply come out each hour and feed the meter. This will work out a lot cheaper than an Infringement Notice. The public will continue to see the same vehicles abusing the system and the Council will be seen as raising revenue from the meters and still not providing a solution.

Some genuine enforcement of time limited parking will move people on. The revenue from Infringements should be placed in a fund, similar to sec. 94 contributions and Council should provide a multi storey car park within reasonable distance from the CBD. Council must provide more parking to cater for the demand for the next 20 years otherwise we will be addressing the same issue again. Dont we employ Town Planners any more ?

I think the best option at the moment is to use the new system the council has put into place which accurately times each parking space. This will stop a majority of people overstaying (particularly if they get fined) and free up spaces quickly.

I have to do banking for an organisation and always have to park outside Coles and walk to the bank in Horton St.

I do think you need a 2 hour parking area as there are times when 1 hour is not enough time to go from one end of the CBD to the other with things to do.

I think Port Central needs to be policed very heavily.

I dont agree with time limits less than 2 hours for the CBD. I'm happy to pay per hour parking if it meant i could park for longer ie instead of restricting parking limits).

In relation to the question, I think providing more time limited spaces is a good idea. I woudl think parking meters woudl be detrimental to local businesses - unless thay have say a 30min or 1hr free option?

However, I only find CBD (or beachside) parking a problem in school holiday periods.

If possible, I'd be happy to have holiday parking restrictions only (perhaps on a street sign that can be changed similar to the flood warning signs)? Or parking meters that are turned on during peak periods only?

Alternatively, and someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but Pitwater Council in Sydney provides all residents of that council area with parking stickers that exempt them from having to put money in meters. This would be a great way to free-up beach parking for residents use in summer.