Plan for new parking fines at Aussie tourism hotspot spark anger
The new fines are in keeping with the broader nationwide trend of councils cracking down on public parking, especially when it comes to travellers.
Locals living on one of Australia's most popular holiday islands say the looming introduction of new fines to crackdown on long-term parking at wharves will have an adverse impact on vital tourism.
Minjerribah (formerly known as North Stradbroke Island) is home to just 2,200 people, but an estimated 375,000 people visit the hotspot every year. But the move to limit the amount of time people can leave their vehicles at wharf car parks is expected to hurt local operators, as Aussie tourists could be targeted with parking fines.
The new fines, set to be implemented at parking lots on July 8, will mean people will no longer be able to leave the car in a bay for longer than 12 hours in certain areas.
While Queensland announced this week that pubic transport fees would be capped at 50c, business operators on Minjerribah say the generous policy won't help them as residents and tourists to the island pay about $12 each way on privately operated ferries and $106 for a one-way trip for a car on the barge.
These prices, coupled with the impending threat of fines could deter tourist activity, Straddie Chamber of Commerce President Colin Battersby says.
Aussie councils crack down on tourist parking nationwide
The new parking limits are in keeping with the broader nationwide trend of councils cracking down on public parking, especially with it comes to travellers. Noosa Shire council for example, also in Queensland, has been trialling new rules prohibiting parking at the Noosa Spit car park between the hours of 10pm and 4am since August last year.
However Battersby believes the uniqueness of Minjerribah makes the parking crack down difficult.
When it comes to Minjerribah, the islands "aren't considered the same as the mainland" and therefore the "governments do not provide the same standard of services", Battersby said, whether that be transport, waste management or "any other service" you'd expect, he told The Courier Mail.
"There is no appetite for change," he claimed.
Battersby said there are no "proper bus services on the island" and most people have to drive to the ferry terminal. He warned that many people have to leave their car there while they're on the mainland, which can often be for longer than 12 hours.
"Businesses are withering with irregular, unreliable public transport services that don't serve the needs of residents let along tourists," he said. "When the new parking fines and time limits come into play on July 8, we'll have cars parked ad hoc at the bus stops and in the streets."
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As it stands, without a reliable bus service, locals and travellers need to have, or bring, cars to the island every time they visit. Now they're going to face even more limits — and fines — when it comes to parking.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted Redland City Council, the Straddie Chamber of Commerce and TMR for comment about the impending parking fine changes.
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