Many traders in the CBD are calling for urgent action from their civic leaders on the issue of parking, declaring that business has never been worse in what was once proudly called Warrnambool’s Golden Mile.

Only a fool would think that parking is the sole issue for a drop-off in foot-traffic but it certainly plays a part in deterring shoppers from choosing the CBD, especially when there are free-parking alternatives in other parts of the city to the east and north.

Mayor Michael Neoh says that blaming parking for all of retail’s woes is too simplistic and many factors play a part in the ebb and flow of retailing.

He’s right. But it would be naive and insulting to dismiss Warrnambool’s parking issue as completely irrelevant without having a closer look to see if anything can be done to help local businesses.

Independent traders suffer from stubbornly high rents imposed by greedy landlords, a growing trend towards online shopping and more franchised stores, but the shoppers don’t care about these things. 

Shoppers want convenience and they want to shop in the CBD without the fear of copping a large parking fine. 

The council is hoping to embark on a plan to beautify Liebig Street, which is a good thing but while this may result in our city centre looking more attractive it is not guaranteed to bring shoppers flooding back to the precinct.

No one expects the council to dispense with parking fees or fines altogether, but maybe it is time for a gesture of goodwill towards local traders.

With 11 empty shops in the CBD and two more about to follow, a circuit-breaker is needed. Maybe it’s time to look at a cost-benefit analysis of fewer parking restrictions.

As one long-time trader said this week, something as simple as giving people the first hour of parking free would be a start.

Why not give it a try?