Councillors have been under a sustained attack from Fitzmaurice Street businesses suffering a downturn in trade, prompting a snap poll to lengthen parking from one hour to two hours. 

Mayor Rod Kendall had been adamant a $240,000 transport study was the silver bullet to end the Fitzmaurice Street parking pain and claimed “the worst thing we can do at this stage is come up with ad hoc decisions”. 

Cr Kendall has since softened his stance after realising the study would not be finished before the council election, meaning “interim” changes to parking conditions need to be made in advance of the study’s findings or nothing will change until at least October.

“There’s an opportunity for council to test some scenarios and see how they work in the real world, before a final decision is made after the report is released,” Cr Kendall said.

“The intention is to test what we’re being told.”

Owner of Thai restaurant Thaigga, Robert Baliva, urged councillors to vote in favour of the longer parking time limits, before trendy new breweries, cafes and restaurants are forced to move.

“This could mean people stop worrying about getting a parking fine or moving their their cars in the middle of a meal,” Mr Baliva said.

“One hour is not long enough for people to come in and have a meal, which means people don’t stay to enjoy a nice lunch.

“This has been the sleepy end of town for a while, but it’s livening up and councillors have to act on this problem now, before customers don’t come for fear of getting fined and businesses relocate.”

Other businesses such as Nemo’s Fish and Chips and Carpet Court have lobbied for 15-minute spaces, but it remains unclear whether a combination of parking limits will be debated.

Councillor Greg Conkey described Monday’s vote as a “knee-jerk reaction” and would have preferred more time “to canvas the thoughts of people who work there”.

“I want information about what all residents want, not just a handful people and I’m in favour of seeing the Integrated Transport Study first,” Cr Conkey said.

“However, there’s a huge demand in an area that was dying, which has created the parking problem, a problem we like to have.”