A business owner has labeled as "totally stupid" a council plan to start charging motorists to park in the Tamworth CBD from Monday.
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Tamworth Regional Council switched off the city's parking meters in April as part of a COVID-19 stimulus package.
But the council will on Monday switch them back on, a spokesperson announced on Friday.
"From 8.30am on Tuesday September 1, 2020 any driver who chooses to park in an area with a parking meter must buy and display a parking ticket. Any vehicle which overstays, or does not display a purchased ticket (or EasyPark e-ticket), risks being fined," they said.
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Goodyear Autocare Tamworth owner Terry Balla said switching the meters back on will just discourage customers from parking in the paid parking spots in Bicentennial Park across the road from his business.
"When the meters are on, no-one parks there, the whole thing's empty," he said.
"It's totally ridiculous, they put the meters in and nobody parks there so the whole thing stays empty all day. If a customer manages to park out the front you know, within two seconds, the parking guy is going to be there.
"They'll walk in to get a price or something and the parking guy will book them."
He praised council's free parking policy as "proactive" and said it had helped their business. "It's made it a million times easier for us as a business.
"Now they're going put them back on and just be totally stupid again. Business is still struggling whether they like it or not. COVID is still affecting everyone."
Tamworth Regional Council charges $1.20 per hour for parking in the White Street carpark at Bicentennial Park, on Kable Avenue carpark on the south side of Ray Walsh House, at the Country Women's Association and Hands of Fame car park, in Kable Avenue and at the Tamworth Town Hall car park.
It costs $3 to park in a full day car park.
There are 902 free parking spaces in the CBD.
Last year, the council received $764,430 in income from car parking, though it spent more than that on operational costs and capital works for car parking.
Andrew Messenger
Politics, environment and energy journalist at the Northern Daily Leader. I also write about health, bushfires and occasionally music. I'm a Brisbane boy by way of Charleville and Hobart who now lives in in beautiful New England. Get me at andrew.messenger@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Politics, environment and energy journalist at the Northern Daily Leader. I also write about health, bushfires and occasionally music. I'm a Brisbane boy by way of Charleville and Hobart who now lives in in beautiful New England. Get me at andrew.messenger@austcommunitymedia.com.au
