By Tom Cowie
Paid parking in Yarraville and Footscray CBD has been shelved for at least three months after a sustained campaign by local traders to scrap the meters.
In a special meeting held by Maribyrnong council on Friday afternoon, councillors voted unanimously 6-0 in favour of suspending the operation of paid parking meters immediately until the end of February.
Ian Munro, owner of the Cornershop in Yarraville, in front of a vandalised parking meter in the suburb. Credit: Luis Ascui
The decision comes after a series of protests against the installation of the parking meters in Yarraville village, which have been attacked by vandals with hammers, glue and an axe.
A 61-year-old man was charged after two councillors were violently attacked during a council meeting held in November debating the issue.
Vandals smashed parking meters in Yarraville.
In the aftermath of that meeting, Yarraville Village Says No To Paid Parking spokesperson Megan Darling compared the issue to the Arab Spring uprising.
Maribyrnong councillor Sarah Carter moved the motion on Friday to suspend paid parking and request a further report on traffic management options in Yarraville.
The motion for a paid parking moratorium was amended to include Footscray CBD by councillor Nam Quach. The motion was carried unanimously.
Debate in the chamber centred around the costs to traders in Yarraville of paid parking. Cr Quach said it was unfair to exclude Footscray traders from any moratorium.
Mayor Cameron McDonald said the suspension would provide council with time to gather data about the effects of paid parking.
"The suspension should assist local traders and encourage shoppers over the Christmas, New Year and school holiday retail period," he said.
The decision means traders will be ineligible to apply for special grant funding from the council whilst pay parking is not operating within the Yarraville Village.
Yarraville Trader's Association president Chris Xanthis said the traders were relieved by the decision and would continue to campaign to permanently remove paid parking.
"Christmas has come early for the traders of Yarraville and we are happy and relieved that the Maribyrnong City Council has finally listened to the legitimate concerns of its constituents," she said.
"We applaud their decision to suspend operation, especially at our busiest time of year. It's also a win for the residents of Yarraville and hopefully a return to the vibrant village atmosphere that we all love so much."