No comparison with Turin
NATHAN PAINE, Executive Director, Property Council: Last week’s article (The city where a car park tax works) describes Turin, a city that shares similar stories and an economy with Adelaide. The cities already have strong links thanks to a 2010 Urban Development Tour that brought South Australian Minister Leon Bignell together with Turin Councillor Stefano Lo Russo.
We have much in common but car parking is not one of them. InDaily’s story quoted many numbers but left key facts out.
First and foremost, Turin uses cordon charging to keep cars out of the city, as most Italian cities do. This is a congestion charge paid by those vehicles entering the inner city areas.
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In terms of car parking costs, there is simply no comparison. In Turin the cost is about 1.50-2.00 euro per hour in the central city area – which compares favourably to Adelaide, where the cost is $7 per two hours on street. The divergence for off-street could not be more stark where the cost is 1-2 euro per hour versus $5 for the first hour and rising at one of the friendly Adelaide U Parks.
We have much to learn from Turin but to draw a comparison between our two great cities on the car parking tax is a leap too far. The proposed car parking tax for Adelaide is nothing more than a grab for cash that will strike directly at the heart of the Government’s policy of bringing vibrancy to the CBD. It is time to put the issue to bed and scrap the tax.
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