General News
29 April, 2025
Parking Meter survey results
Horsham Rural City Council has released the results of the recent community survey on temporary free parking in Horsham's CBD and with almost two thousand responses the council will now assess the parking issue going forward.
A spokesperson for HRCC said," The survey, conducted to assess the impact of the temporary suspension of parking meters announced in December, attracted 1810 responses from the general community and 73 from local businesses.
"HRCC will now review all submissions. Councillors will consider the feedback and make a final decision at an upcoming meeting," they said.
Mayor Cr Ian Ross said council was pleased with the level of engagement and the broad mix of respondents, which included not only locals but also people from surrounding towns who regularly travel to Horsham for shopping, services, and appointments.
“This feedback gives us a strong foundation to make an informed decision about the future of parking in our city centre,” he said.
The survey invited residents, visitors, and business owners to share their experiences during the meter-free period, aiming to gauge changes in convenience, accessibility, and parking behaviour around the central business district.
Since December, parking in the Horsham CBD has been free after the newly elected Horsham Rural City Council in 2024 unanimously voted to switch off the controversial parking meters.
Time limits still applied, but parking was free.
The parking issue in Horsham has been the topic of conversation and social media since the installation of the new system, with businesses saying there was an immediate reduction in foot traffic and members of the public objected to the system which many found difficult to use. Others used the app and said it wasn't an issue for them.
The decision now remains with the council whether free parking will continue, the meters will be switched on again and paid for parking will be re-introduced or the meters will be removed permanently,