Launceston drivers may have to dig a little deeper into their pockets for on-street parking fees if the City of Launceston council’s proposed increase is approved.
The council’s annual budget for the 2023-24 financial year has suggested a $0.10 per hour rise for one-hour, three-hour and nine-hour parking at on-street metres.
Currently, one-hour metres cost $3.30 per hour for one-hour parking, $2.80 per hour for three-hour parking, and $1.30 per hour for nine-hour parking.
However, City of Launceston mayor Danny Gibson insists that the increase is fair and reasonable, with fees only proposed to increase by three per cent next financial year, which is less than half of the current rate of CPI.
While some fees will increase, in many cases, fees will either remain stagnant or even decrease compared to the previous year.
Mayor Gibson said that the revenue generated from parking fees is fed back into the provision of services and facilities for the community, making the user-pays system more equitable for ratepayers.
Although off-street parking fees will generally remain the same, the council’s multi-storey car park fees will continue to be kept low to encourage longer stays and use of the park to minimise demand on on-street parking metres.
Despite the proposed increase, Mayor Gibson noted that the City of Launceston’s parking fees remain amongst the cheapest of all city councils in Tasmania, and are generally significantly cheaper than comparable cities on the mainland.
