Bunbury parking meters to stay wrapped up for time being

The City of Bunbury’s parking meters will only be reactivated when the community is operating under the “new normal,” according to Mayor Gary Brennan. For the past two and a half months, the City of Bunbury’s parking meters have been wrapped in plastic and out of use, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future as WA enters phase three of its coronavirus recovery plan. “We don’t have a date in mind for reinstating them yet,” Mr Brennan said. “We’d have to be operating under the “new normal” before we did that.” The meters – which are dotted on streets and in carparks throughout the CBD – were deactivated on March 24, following the closure of a number of city facilities the day prior. “This measure has been considered for public health reasons to lessen the risk of possible transmission and to continue to support our business community however possible,” Mr Brennan said at the time. “Community safety officers will continue to monitor time limits and we implore those in the community to do the right thing and think about those with accessibility challenges when parking.” The council’s 2019/2020 budget review – which will be presented at tonight’s council meeting – revealed the temporary suspension of the meters had resulted in a net loss of more than $86,000. With more people returning to work and venues reopening, Mr Brennan said he had observed carparks in the CBD filling up over the past few weeks. He said the main reason for the meters was to keep traffic flowing and prevent people parking on the street for extended periods, but a date had not yet been set for them to be reactivated. “The fundamental aspect of the parking meters is to ensure the circulation of motorists in the CBD, particularly on the street,” Mr Brennan said.