The City of Port Phillip faces significant parking and traffic congestion challenges now and in the future.

Like many of Melbourne’s inner city municipalities, demand for parking and road space far outweighs availability.

Factors influencing this include:

  • A growing population
  • Increasing car ownership with 81.6% of dwellings now having one or more vehicles
  • Increased housing density through changes in land use and rezoning
  • Cars remaining a primary form of transport to and from work - 88,000 people work in the municipality and 63% of these work journeys are undertaken by car
  • Our popularity as a tourist destination

Parking Neighbourhood Scheme

Previously Council reviewed parking restrictions at an individual street level. However, due to population growth and other changes in local neighbourhoods, this no longer meets community, visitor or business needs.

Council is now reviewing all existing parking restrictions over the next four years on a precinct basis through the ‘Parking Neighbourhood Scheme’. Precincts generally comprise entire suburbs and neighbouring areas that share similar characteristics.

We recognise different precincts have their own unique character and transport needs.

This precinct approach allows for:

  • traffic and parking issues to be considered with respect to the surrounding areas rather than in isolation
  • greater consistency, clarity and transparency to parking restriction decisions
  • improved utilisation of parking resources and availability
  • less confusion, easier compliance and enforcement measures to ensure parking pressures do not automatically migrate to adjacent streets.

What steps are involved in a parking review?

A precinct review includes:

  • Parking occupancy studies to identify opportunities for parking change
  • Consultation with residents and businesses
  • Implementation of new or modified parking restriction changes.
  • Once a precinct has been reviewed, any new requests for parking restriction changes will be recorded and reviewed every three years (exceptions to this would be changes in land use, sub-division and road design).