THE Victorian Government will impose a levy on Melbourne's long-term car parking spaces in a bid to ease city congestion. Owners of the city's commercial and private car parks will be forced to pay the new charge of $400 from January 1 next year,
Long-term parking attracts new fee
April 22, 2005
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1351555.htm
THE Victorian Government will impose a levy on Melbourne's long-term car parking spaces in a bid to ease city congestion.
Owners of the city's commercial and private car parks will be forced to pay the new charge of $400 from January 1 next year, with the fee rising to $800 in 2007.
Treasurer John Brumby said the new cost could be passed on to motorists by car park owners.
"Some of that may be passed on, some of that may be absorbed," he said.
"It's a very competitive industry."
But he said the levy was an incentive for car park owners to convert a number of the long-term spaces into short-term spaces.
"Over time what it will do is encourage more investment in the shorter-term off-street parking.
"So it will be good for ... the short-term visitors, the casual visitors, the day-trippers who come in in non-peak times.
"And it will discourage people from driving in in the morning, parking all day and driving home at night.
"When you look at congestion it's about trying to take the edge off the peaks."
Mr Brumby said the Government estimated thousands of new short-term, off-street car spaces would be created as a result.
The levy will reap $19 million for government coffers in 2005-06 and $38.5 million in 2006-07.
All of the money would be devoted to improving metropolitan transport, including $5 million earmarked for CBD transport initiatives, Mr Brumby said.
The city council is expected to use part of the revenue to fund a cross-town shuttle bus.
About 48,000 of the city's 70,000 off-street car park spaces are long-term.
Mr Brumby said 10,000 spaces belonging to public institutions, hospitals, libraries, museums and universities, would be exempt.
AAP