'Notoriously bad': CBD traders call for parking change amid customer decline

The current restrictions allow all day parking between 9am and 5.30pm, with users given 60 minutes free before being charged an hourly rate.

They argue this limits foot traffic to stores, as parking spots are used by CBD workers and are occupied by the same cars all day.

Business owners held a meeting with City of Ballarat representatives in November 2023, but after seeing no action, Campanas Deli's Serge Campana set up a petition calling for a change in the council's parking plan.

He said he had spoken to numerous businesses in the area which have experienced drops in customer numbers, which they all attribute to the current parking set-up.

Mr Campana said the problem wasn't restricted to Armstrong Street, which he described as "notoriously bad", but was also an issue across most of the CBD.

"I don't think all day parking should exist at all, there's no need for it, there's not enough parks to start with," he said.

Instead of all-day parking, Mr Campana would like to see them replaced with more two and three hour spaces, which would encourage a higher turnover of customers.

"Come 4.30pm it is almost impossible, Wednesday to Saturday, to get a park," he said.

"You're doing multiple laps, and what we're finding is customers [are] going elsewhere.

"They're not even bothering to come down to Armstrong Street, Doveton Street, they're just going elsewhere, and it has caused a lot of local business owners to move out of the street.

"We know for a fact there are multiple local family businesses here that have had to move out to the bigger shopping centres or permanently close."

While Mr Campana believes it's good to encourage people to ride and walk into the city, he said this wasn't a possibility for many people who rely on cars for reasons such as their age or health.

It's an issue Woolshed Clothing owner Danielle Hunter has also been experiencing, as her clientele are an older demographic.

She told The Courier, like Campanas, many of her customers were unable to come into her Armstrong Street shop if they couldn't find a park nearby.

"95 per cent of my customers walk in that door and are complaining about the parking every single day," she said.

"I just get so sick of hearing about it, and there's nothing I can physically [do], it's a real struggle."

Ms Hunter said she couldn't understand why parking couldn't be restricted to two to three hours, as this was more than enough time for most people to shop or enjoy a meal.

City of Ballarat acting director development and growth Joanna Cuscaden said in a statement to The Courier there were no plans to change Ballarat's all-day parking rules.

She said 2023 data showed there was a high turnover in the area's parking, which indicated people were using the spaces to go in and out of hospitality and retail venues.

"While some people are opting to stay for three hours or more, paying for their stay, most all-day parking is outside of the metered areas," she said.

"The feedback from 2023 showed the community and businesses that completed the survey supported the current arrangements."

Commerce Ballarat chief executive Jodie Gillett said there were several things that could be done to help businesses, such as implementing a three hour time limit or increasing the cost of parking so people couldn't afford to use it all day.

She said it was important to see a more frequent turnover of traffic in areas which are heavily populated by hospitality, takeaway and retail venues.

"Some areas of the city need to be dealt with in isolation, to ensure we do have that turnover of vehicles," she said.

"We know there are some businesses in that Armstrong Street block who are feeling quite strongly because they're not seeing the turnover.

"We ask again to have council looking at this."