Tamworth Regional Council free parking policy to end on Monday

Tamworth Regional Council switched off the city's parking meters in April as part of a COVID-19 stimulus package but on Monday will switch them back on, a spokesperson announced on Friday.

"From 8.30am on Tuesday September 1, 2020 any driver who chooses to park in an area with a parking meter must buy and display a parking ticket. Any vehicle which overstays, or does not display a purchased ticket (or EasyPark e-ticket), risks being fined," they said.

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Goodyear Autocare Tamworth owner Terry Balla said switching the meters back on will just discourage customers from parking in the paid parking spots in Bicentennial Park across the road from his business.

"When the meters are on, no-one parks there, the whole thing's empty," he said.

"It's totally ridiculous, they put the meters in and nobody parks there so the whole thing stays empty all day. If a customer manages to park out the front you know, within two seconds, the parking guy is going to be there.

"They'll walk in to get a price or something and the parking guy will book them."

Mr Balla praised council's free parking policy during the COVID crisis as "proactive" and said it had helped their business.

"It's made it a million times easier for us as a business," he said.

"Now they're going put them back on and just be totally stupid again. Business is still struggling whether they like it or not. COVID is still affecting everyone."

The council charges $1.20 per hour for parking in the White Street car park at Bicentennial Park, on Kable Avenue carpark on the south side of Ray Walsh House, at the Country Women's Association and Hands of Fame car park, in Kable Avenue and at the Tamworth Town Hall car park.

It costs $3 to park in a full-day car park. There are 902 free parking spaces in the CBD.

Last year, the council received $764,430 in income from car parking but it spent more than that on operational costs and capital works for car parking.