A Minute With The Mayor - Ry Collins

Council is introducing changes to parking across some of our busiest areas including Airlie Beach, Cannonvale Foreshore, Shingley Beach and Shute Harbour, and I want to explain why these changes matter.

As our region continues to grow, we need to make sure parking in our busiest precincts works better for everyone — improving access, supporting local businesses and making it easier for residents and visitors to move around our town centres.

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It’s about making parking fairer, easier and more practical for everyone who uses these areas. We want parking to work better for locals, visitors, workers and businesses as these areas continue to grow.

One of the biggest frustrations we hear is people driving around Airlie Beach or Cannonvale struggling to find a park while some vehicles sit in premium spots all day. That doesn’t help local businesses, it doesn’t help customers and it doesn’t help traffic flow.

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The reality is our region is growing rapidly and parking demand is increasing. Council has a responsibility to manage that growth properly and make sure our busiest precincts continue to function well into the future.

The new strategy keeps free short-term parking in place while improving parking availability in high-demand areas so more people can access local businesses and services throughout the day.

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There will also continue to be free long-term parking available at Waterson Way, only a short walk from Main Street, along with affordable permit options for workers and regular users.

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Importantly, parking infringement costs are being reduced under the new approach, and during the transition period Council will issue warning notices first to help educate the community before full implementation begins.

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We’re also improving parking technology through smarter monitoring and easier payment options like the EasyPark app, making the system simpler and more convenient for users.

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At the end of the day, this is about improving access, supporting local business customer turnover and planning properly for the future growth of the Whitsundays.

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Smarter Parking. Better Access.

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