Newcastle Labor is promising to ease parking pressure in the CBD by partnering with businesses and land holders to free up space for car parks.
Labor's Nuatali Nelmes, the current Lord Mayor, announced their plan yesterday which will see them work collaboratively with businesses and land owners to open up space to create car parks. They say they're not ruling out creating financial incentives to get people on board.
Should they be elected on September 9, they say the plan would work hand-in-hand with a parking app as a part of the Smarter City Strategy which will allow drivers to see what parks are available where.
There are reportedly around 11,300 car spaces in the city, and council estimates around 2,500 are vacant between midday and 2pm - council says it's because they're long term car parks.
Labor Councillor Declan Clausen says the aim is to address the imbalance between long and short term parking throughout the city and prioritise short term parking."If you're popping into the city just to go shopping or something like that you need to know the car parks aren't all taken up by people there for long stays or all day workers in the city and conversely it's about making sure that long term parking is also accessible and convenient and making sure there are options for people to get into and out of the city."
But Independent Mayoral candidate Kath Elliot is slamming the proposal and says the council has had a number of years to come up with a viable solution and it's laughable this is all they've come up with.
"I think we should have wifi in the city for businesses, for people, not so that we can find out when someone has overstayed their parking spot and fining them. This is a revenue raising exercise, it's not well thought out and there's no wfi to deliver it."
The Newcastle Independents believe the plan will be detrimental to the city, rather than beneficial.
"Mrs Nelmes has been in council for eight years, I find it very surprising that in the week before the election all of a sudden she has solutions to parking problems."
