The relentless imposition of parking meters has made a day at the beach an expensive option in Sydney, and now the Illawarra Chamber of Commerce is proposing that meters be installed at iconic Austinmer beach.
Austinmer is popular with the residents of western Sydney. It is one of their nearest beaches and access is a pleasant drive on good roads. Some locals complain that such visitors bring little commercial gain to the area, but leave behind a vast amount of rubbish that costs council money to remove.
On the one hand, Wollongong is trying to develop it's tourist industry. We have spent millions building a failed tourist attraction at Bulli Tops, and there are proposals for another at Bald Hill at Stanwell Tops, and yet this parking meter proposal seems certain to curtail the numbers already visiting this area.
The Chamber of Commerce suggests that local residents would not be penalised. They would be issued with an identification car sticker which would absolve them from parking meter fees, but it is unclear if that applies to those living in the immediate vicinity of Austinmer beach - or to the wider population of Wollongong city.
In some respects, making non-ratepayers contribute to the cost of cleaning and maintaining the facilities they enjoy has merit, but it is also the thin end of a very wide wedge.
Residents complain that because of the limited amount of beachside parking, visitor parking has been encroaching steadily in nearby streets. If we install parking meters, it is inevitable that those who dislike paying for parking will extend further away from the beaches to save a little money - and then it seems inevitable that those same parking meters will follow them into the surrounding streets.
Will beachside parking meters only demand money in the summer peak ? What will be the situation in winter - when the beaches are deserted ? And what level of charges will have to apply to make policing use of the meters worthwhile ?
The commercial shops that service beach trade do a roaring business during the short summer period. They must make a years money while the sun shines, and if we set out to make our beaches less attractive to visitors - there will be consequences.
Surely the experience of city traders when the past city administrators imposed parking meters on this city should sound a warning.
We are getting summer visitors from western Sydney - because this is a pleasant place to visit. Lets keep it that way !
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