Matter of ‘readjusting’ to ticket parking in CBD, Bunbury mayor says

The return of ticket parking in the CBD has caused a stir among locals, but Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan said it was simply a “matter of people readjusting” to the system.

The meters were deactivated and wrapped in plastic on March 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but were put back into play on Monday.

“The whole idea of the meters is to keep traffic moving,” Mr Brennan said.

What a lot of businesses don’t want is employees parking out the front where their customers should be able to park.

For workers, he said there were several parking options on the outskirts of the City, including 24-hour parking at Cobblestone Drive near Queens Gardens and the carpark near Back Beach.

He said there was also four-hour street parking on Carey Street at the northern end of the CBD.

“There is enough parking for visitors, enough parking for customers and enough all day parking for workers,” Mr Brennan said.

There’s plenty of parking, there’s no issue with parking — we’ve just got to go back to what it was like pre-COVID.

For those working late, he suggested employers allow employees to shift their cars closer to town after 5pm when the parking meter restrictions lift.

Mr Brennan said the City was also looking into “smart parking” using sensors, which would provide data on what days and times the CBD was busiest and help businesses in rostering staff for peak times.