Meters ease congestion

He said it was part of achieving the equitable use of resources, in this case parking spaces to relieve congestion.

User pays was a tool to get vehicles moving and councils are not private enterprise trying to raise a profit, the mayor said.

‘Council took a $5 million dollar loan to fund the entire initiative – signage, line marking, parking meters and licence plate recognition technology, pathways, lighting, vehicles, ticket machines, computing devices and associated IT infrastructure,’ Mr Vaughan said.

The initiative was due to return financial benefits to the Town, and ultimately the community, in the first year of operation with the loan fully repaid in seven years.

‘It’s about educating people to use alternative transport modes, from walking a little further to work after parking further away, not expecting to be able to park right out front, to using public transport or cycling in an inevitable move away from the car-centric behaviours we have got used to and take for granted,’ Mr Vaughan said.