The City of Melbourne is enticing people back with the return of $5 parking at dozens of car parks across the CBD.
From Wednesday, parking at selected Wilson, Secure, Ace, Care Park, Nationwide and First Parking car parks will be discounted to $5 on weekends, and after 4pm on weekdays.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the successful initiative is being reintroduced by parking providers to bring the buzz back to Melbourne.
“When we launched the $5 deal in July, it generated more than 41,000 bookings in just a few weeks,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This is one of the many initiatives we are rolling out to support city businesses, encourage visitation, and help Melbourne bounce back faster and stronger.
“On the first weekend after lockdown lifted, some key city locations experienced up to a tenfold increase in activity in the evenings. That confirms what we suspected – that people are bursting to get back to City of Melbourne.
“We’re calling on everyone to rediscover our city as it comes back to life with street dining and trading, live music and entertainment, and iconic events like Melbourne Fashion Week, Melbourne Music Week and the much-loved Christmas Festival.”
The Lord Mayor said the deal will accommodate people who want to stay in the city longer, in off-street parking.
City Activation portfolio lead Councillor Roshena Campbell said the discounted parking deal will drive visitation back to the city.
“An independent transport review by Deloitte found that during the pandemic, trips to the city by car have recovered faster than any other mode of transport,” Cr Campbell said.
“We want to make it as easy and affordable for people to dine, shop and explore all that Melbourne has to offer.”
The transport review also found that getting people back on public transport is the most effective way to support Melbourne’s economic recovery.
