Come July, when council releases it hotly-anticipated $240,000 transport study, there will be just weeks to solve the parking crisis before council goes into caretaker mode ahead of the September local election.

If council can’t fix the parking issues by August 9, shoppers and struggling business owners will not have satisfaction until at least October, after any new councillors are educated and bedded down.

Councillor Paul Funnell implored his colleagues to stop “hiding behind bureaucracy” and take action before Fitzmaurice Street businesses go broke. 

“There’s been report, on report, on report about parking and in the meantime businesses are going begging,” Cr Funnell said.

“We are wasting ratepayers’ money, we need to solve this with local knowledge and common sense.

“A group of locals could sit down on a Saturday afternoon and solve it on the back of an envelope.

“Council collects $1 million in parking fines and 100 per cent should be going toward small, multilevel car parks.

“Outside consultants have done reports and studies for the sake of them for more than 10 years and this study won’t include any new solutions.”

The Wagga Chamber of Commerce and Industry devised solutions to the same parking problems back in 2003, according to former senior vice-president Graham Gorrel.

“While council considers all these reviews and surveys, what's to stop an interim decision?” Mr Gorrel said.

“We should get new signs printed allowing angled parking for a minimum of two hours on Fitzmaurice and Kincaid streets.

“This is a local problem, that needs to be solved by locals, it doesn't need a team of consultants to get this done.”

Council’s strategic planning manager, Liz Rankin, in effect ruled out any concrete decisions before the local election.

“The community will have another opportunity to have their say on the draft strategy when it is on public exhibition in the coming months,” she said.

“The final strategy will be considered for adoption by council after this exhibition period.”