Paid parking started at Carindale Westfield today and it has been met by protesters from the Retail Union outside the centre. We’ll keep this page updated throughout today and you can add your comments at the end.
It’s free to park for the first 3 hours. So if you want to get your groceries, catch up with someone for a coffee or go to an appointment and the like you should be able to avoid paying. It’s going to be at a cost for those who use it as a place to park while they commute into the city, staff at Westfield and those who want to be at the shopping centre for longer than three hours.
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association state secretary Chris Ketter has called on the government to legislate against paid parking at suburban shopping centres. Read more in the Brisbane Times article.
The Courier Mail says that mother-of-one Allison Turner, 34, from Coorparoo, shops at Carindale once a week and said the charges were a simple “money grab”. Read more in the Courier Mail article.
Oh please, if you want to stay at Carindale shops longer than 3hrs you need to get a hobby. Bring on the easy to get parking spots, I say
— amy (@sensiblespice) July 15, 2012
Union protestors outside Westfield Carindale. twitter.com/notamelia/stat…
— Amelia Birnie (@notamelia) July 16, 2012
Thumbs down #Westfield #Carindale. Trying to push out commuters by penalising shoppers with paid parking = bad move.
— Angel Morton (@Angel_Morton) July 15, 2012
@4BCdrive if me and my partner travel to westfield carindale in the same car and combined purchase $150 worth of items is the parking free?
— Big D little e (@Decca4165) July 16, 2012
What do you think? Add your comments below.
I don’t have a problem with Westfield choosing to implement paid parking, even though I don’t plan on paying for parking there. It will be interesting to see if workers at Westfield look at car pooling, cycling or public transport (which myself and many colleagues did when I worked in the city) or if they will park and pay. For shoppers, I think the first three hours free means you can shop (yes a bit of a cost for cinema goers) without being financially disadvantaged. I do have sympathy for the small retailers there, but they are at Westfield and I wouldn’t be expecting many favours.
I dislike the paid parking at a suburban shopping centers. It’s is a joke when you go to a centre which is basically closed at night to watch a movie and get slugged another$3. This centre is all about greedy Westfield taking more from customers. I’m selling my wetfld shares and Rather than going to birch carrol at carindale shopping centre I’ll be heading to the Hawthorne or balmoral in the future despite the fact I live n Carindale.