Free parking ends for train users
The State Government will spend $2m installing parking meters at metropolitan train station carparks in a plan to extend paid parking to raise nearly $20m.
State Budget papers reveal the Government expects to drag in $19.9 million in revenue.
The Budget papers also revealed that two-zone adult public transport fares would increase by 5 per cent.
Under the parking plan, paid parking across all train station carparks will be introduced from July next year.
The $19.9 million will be generated from 2014-15 to 2016-17, the Budget papers say.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell confirmed this morning that the new charges will also apply at the 1000-bay Edgewater multi-storey carpark, despite comments previously that some bays would be free.
Mr Buswell said that while that had been the intention at the time of the announcement, a decision had been made to extend paid parking in all parking stations.
He said he did not think it would affect train patronage.
"At the time when we made the announcement (at Edgewater) that was the intent but as we worked through the Budget process one of the things we saw was that taxpayers were subsidising public transport by the amount of free parking," Mr Buswell said today.
The new fee will be $2 a day for all parking bays.
"Trains are full now. We don't have a problem attracting people to the trains," Mr Buswell said.
He said that currently only about 25 per cent of train station parking is paid.
"There is no indication that a 'gold coin donation' will have any impact on train use," he said.
“Two dollars a day to park your car to go on a heavily subsidised train I think is not a bad outcome.
“Don’t forget, we spend over $750 million a year subsidising public transport.
“One of the issues that we feel is important that we address is the extent to which taxpayers subsidise public transport.”
