By Derek Schlennstedt
Yarra Ranges Council will be trialling new parking restrictions in the Belgrave area for the next three months.
Following concerns raised by traders and community members last year, Council undertook a comprehensive assessment of parking restrictions in town.
Parking occupancy and survey data was taken over seven days, assessing the needs of traders, residents, shoppers, visitors and rail commuters.
The data revealed a high amount of all-day parking utilised by rail commuters in Belgrave, which meant there is reduced parking options for traders, residents, shoppers and visitors close to their destinations.
To address this concern, Councillor Mike Clark said Council has installed parking restrictions between 7.30am-9.30am Monday to Friday in the Alexander Car park Lane Car park and Hayes Car park.
Council has also installed three-hour parking restrictions between 9am-6pm Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays to one parking area.
“We’ve taken 40 car spaces in the Alexander car park and converted 20 of them into three hour parks and another 20 are all-day parking but from 9:30am onwards, so there is a time restriction of one hour between 7:30am and 9:30am,” he said.
“In the Hayes car park 20 spaces have been allocated in the same arrangement, with one hour between 7:30am and 9:30am.”
Cr Clarke said the new restrictions will prevent rail commuters from using these parks before 8.30am, freeing up the parking spaces for other visitors to use all-day parking for other purposes.
“This will allow shoppers and visitors to park spaces convenient to access businesses in town,” he said.
The restrictions will be trialed for three months, and started from Friday, 12 April.
Cr Clarke reminded residents that parking compliance officers will be very active over those three months to ensure that the new changes re adhered to.
Residents and visitors will be able to share feedback throughout this period online at yrc.vic.gov.au/belgraveparking.
Traders and residents will also be sent a survey at the completion of the trial to gather feedback.
Any parking changes will also be reviewed once additional car parking at Belgrave Railway Station is constructed by the State Government – a project currently in the planning stage
