sooo by now everyone's seen the parking meter charge price hike in the nt news: http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/04/27/891_ntnews.html
I've sent my letter to the editor off - prolly wont get printed so here's my spit: Quote: Regarding parking fees skyrocketing - I thank God this isn't a revenue raising excercise, otherwise - oh wait, it is.
I work in the IT industry and am frequently called upon to conduct onsite repairs and maintenance. I recall when these machines were originally put in (despite the massive public outcry) the council claimed it was to improve the ability to get a park within the CBD, nothing to do with free money. In the years since I've seen NO/ZERO/NADDA/NOT ONE ****ING IOTA of an increase in available parks (less in fact due to the constant construction taking parks) within the CBD. So now on top of throwing away fuel trolling around town for a park, we have to pay more too? Faaaaaantastic.
May you choke on your mountain of wallet shrapnel Lord Mayor. --Aegis
Quote: Cavenagh St, Nichols Place, Darwin Oval, Stott Lane and McLachlan St from $3 all day to $3.60; McMinn St, Mitchell St/Daly St from ".80 all day to $2.20; and Woods St from ".80 all day to zone C meters.
lol.. so cheap :\ Have to pay at LEAST double that here that's even assuming you can find an all day park in the first place.
I don't disagree with your point and believe that it is always about revenue with any government/council, however I will point out that they have increased available parking. Probably not where you want it though. There has been the Chinatown car park which nobody seems to use. That is a council car park.
"If you drive, you are also entitled to claim for any parking fees, tolls and the kilometric rate (mileage) -- although you cannot claim for any parking fines."
Quote from http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/print.htm?DocID=ITR%2FIT2409%2FNAT%2FATO%2F00001:
8. While it is not practicable to provide an exhaustive list of all expenses which may be allowable as income tax deductions the following list illustrates the sorts of deduction which may be allowed.
- snip -
(p) Parking fees incurred while travelling for business purposes.
it's pretty much exactly as i said, parking while at the place of work & travel to and from work; can't deduct. parking and travelling in your own vehicle during work, for work purposes (eg, visitng clients onsite) - deductible
must've changed - i specifically looked it up when the meters first came in. regardless, you dont get it all back, and what you do get back, you dont get til mid year - and it would require you to retain and photocopy the tickets as they fade like most receipts so additional pain in the arse.
Sorry pala, there's still no defence for this shit. they claim they've improved parking by putting them in, but all they've done is ****ed everybody off over it.
The parking meters have not solved the short-term parking shortage in the CBD. The reason why those Chinatown parks are empty, is because they're of a reasonable distance from the major Office-Johnny infested buildings, to encourage them not to use them.
Personally, I've resorted back to Westlane carpark, because it's cheaper and its undercover.
The amount of extra car-parking they've offered also doesn't cover the number of parks that were taken off the allday parking list, when they rezoned them. They are also further away from the main buildings than previous.
I don't disagree that short term parking in the CBD is a good thing. But if they want to stop people parking in them all day, they either need to have more diligant Fines officers (Ive gone two whole days without even paying for a minute of parking and recieved no fine), or provide more inner-city all-day parking.
I think one of the suggestions tossed up during the 'public counsel' period of the parking meters, was to clear a huge block of land, bitumenise it, set it up as a huge car-park and supply a shuttle for the drivers, to drop them off smack-dead in teh CBD. Seemed like a good idea.
No matter which way you spin it, they're after more money for nothing (and chicks for free). Just look at the repricing - they've raised the cost of 'The Oval' - That's an All-day Carpark.
i love the mayor's suggestions to get around it: catch a bus (because gin piss is FUN to sit in). car-pool (because everyone wants Kernal in their car (and everyone goes home at the same time)). ride a motorbike (a good idea - for about half the year - assuming you can ride one, dont have to drop off or pick up kids etc)
seems to me that they're trying to make back the money they pissed away on the multi-hundred-thousand dollar web system they had developed down south that has never worked... get peter adamson back - at least he only nicked fridges.
Sucked in for working in the city. I dont go there ever unless its for work, used to before meters were introduced. Even then I dont pay for parking, just stick the dodgy little this is a police vehicle sign I printed up on the dashboard. Never had any fines.
the on street all day parking should be more expensive than the parking towers. This will encourage people who work in the city to use them freeing up on street for shortterm use.
and I hasten to add that Darwin != Melbourne by any stretch of the imagination - might as well say that it costs X hundred dollars to park kerbside in New York - or that they PAY YOU to park in Elliot.
Quote from Milenko;306298: I'm also willing to bet that Melbourne has public transport infrasctructure that supersedes Darwins.
Depends if you count my phone sms inbox full of "Connex apologises that the xx:xxam/pm train to Upfield has been cancelled...."
$3.50 per hour on street parking, $3.50 per half hour in commercial parking. CBD. $8 a day on a yearly pay commercial parking. Half an hour travel time from bedroom to cbd.
Public transport, $6.10 a day. Travel time varies between 50mins and Three hours, depending if the trains are sent out or not.
Quote from Aegis;306126: In the years since I've seen NO/ZERO/NADDA/NOT ONE ****ING IOTA of an increase in available parks (less in fact due to the constant construction taking parks) within the CBD. Well then it's obviously not a very high price is every man and his dog still chooses to park in the CBD. Raise the parking fees, 10 fold I say - that should free up some parking :roll:
Melbournes public transport system shits all over most places. Connex are just incompetant but even then it's a very good system all the times Ive had to use it.
Cheapest capital city to pay for parking. I think I spent $46 for 4 hours in sydney city once. And If you were worried about what you pay here then you should be more worried about how much it costs most of you to drive to and from palmerston everyday - fuel tires registration and general wear - has to be more than parking.