Darebin Council reneges on parking policy

The Age: Streets Alive Darebin spokeswoman Ruth Jelley says the rule change will have “unintended consequences”. Credit: Justin McManus

On 28 November 2023, Darebin City Council voted to expand eligibility for parking permits last night in a move that could make Darebin even more car-dependent than it already is. This was against the recommendations of the own Council's officers.

The policy now voted in (to be reviewed in a year) has got rid of a long-standing rule that incentivises developers to provide parking for residents, instead of using the street.

Our submission to Council was against parking permit policy that incentivises car use and creates a scarcity of parking for those that truly need to use cars for transport.

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Darebin Council Agenda: 27 November: Page 111, 9.3 Darebin Parking Permit Policy 2023 For Adoption

Youtube: Darebin City Council | Ordinary Council Meeting - Monday 27 November 2023 6.00pm, Item 9.3 submissions and discussion begins at 2 hours, 53 minutes and 54 seconds

The Age, Time warp on parking permit rules divides inner-north council, Rachael Dexter, 28 November 2023

A contentious two-decade-old street parking rule has been overturned by an inner-north council against its own planning officers’ recommendation amid a wider debate on the future of car use and parking in suburban areas.

Darebin Council, which takes in Northcote, Preston and Reservoir, on Monday night narrowly voted in favour of allowing people in homes built after 2004 to apply for permits to park in on-street bays.

The move was opposed by residents’ group Streets Alive Darebin, whose spokeswoman Ruth Jelley addressed the meeting and later told this masthead the change would have “unintended consequences” such as creating parking scarcity and incentivising motor vehicle ownership over public transport or cycling.

“Lots of people now not eligible for parking permits will be eligible to apply,” she said. “People will find that permit zones will fill up quickly.”

Jelley said the move went against Darebin’s track record tackling climate change and would make streets more congested and “unlivable”. Council officers in the meeting also warned of a potential increase in congestion and high demand in certain areas.

Streets Alive Darebin: Darebin Parking Policy Submission

Streets Alive Darebin is a Darebin resident & ratepayer action group with a vision for thriving neighbourhoods where streets are used by people of all ages, irrespective of whether they choose to walk, cycle, use public transport or drive.

Streets Alive Darebin supports Option 1 put forward in the parking permit policy in tonight’s council papers, with the exception of the user-pays permits.

Options 2A and 2B directly contradict the goals under the current Council Plan, Transport Strategy for green, sustainable and liveable neighbourhoods – as well as Darebin’s leading stance on climate emergency.

Darebin was once a community leader in climate action for the benefit of all residents, and Streets Alive Darebin urges Councillors to hold firm to those leadership commitments.

As noted in the papers, options 2A and 2B will put greater pressure on Darebin’s permit-restricted parking zones, which are concentrated in the busy activity centres, around public transport and higher-density residential areas of the municipality.

Parking permit zones exist to ensure that a limited resource is distributed equitably among residents in a particular street. The system would be undermined if this Council voted to allow residents with additional means (as opposed to those with additional needs by way of disability or aged care support) to take up more than their fair share of the limited public space.

The goal of the policy as stated in the papers is to improve equity in the parking permit system, and the independent reviewer has noted that expanding eligibility contradicts the goals of the policy.

We urge Councillors to consider the basic principles of equity when considering item 9.3 this evening, including the usual meaning of ‘extenuating circumstances’, being those that are imposed upon people (such as in the case of disability or chronic illness – not the gifting of a vehicle by an employer).