The Randwick Council has voted against a proposal to install paid parking meters at several popular beach locations.

Randwick 市議會投票否決了一項在多個熱門海灘安裝付費停車計時器的提案。

The proposal suggested creating 1,400 paid parking spaces at beaches including Clovelly, Coogee, and Maroubra. Under this plan, local residents would have received free permits to avoid paying. This version of the plan was smaller than the original request for 3,300 spaces, which was changed after the council spoke with the community. Data showed that about 85% of the 9 million people who visit these beaches every year come from outside the local area.

該提案建議在包括 Clovelly、Coogee 和 Maroubra 在內的海灘設立 1,400 個付費停車位。根據此計劃，當地居民將獲得免費許可證以免繳費。在市議會與社區溝通後，該版本的規模較最初要求的 3,300 個車位有所縮減。數據顯示，每年造訪這些海灘的 900 萬人中，約 85% 來自當地以外的地區。

There were strong disagreements between council members regarding money and fairness. Mayor Dylan Parker and four other Labor councillors supported the plan, emphasizing that the $23.5 million spent annually on beach maintenance is currently paid only by local taxpayers. They asserted that the meters would generate between $3 million and $3.5 million per year to fund lifeguards and coastal paths. However, a group of Liberal, Greens, and independent councillors rejected the idea. They argued that paid zones might expand in the future and that charging non-residents was unfair. Additionally, some local businesses worried that these fees would discourage visitors from coming.

市議員在資金與公平性問題上存在嚴重分歧。市長 Dylan Parker 及其他四名工黨議員支持該計劃，並強調每年用於海灘維護的 2,350 萬美元目前僅由當地納稅人支付。他們主張計時器每年將產生 300 萬至 350 萬美元，用於資助救生員和海岸步道。然而，一群自由黨、綠黨及獨立議員否決了此想法。他們認為付費區域未來可能會擴大，且向非居民收費並不公平。此外，部分當地商家擔心這些費用會降低遊客的到訪意願。

This is not the first time the community has fought against paid parking in this area, as similar protests happened twenty years ago. Although surveys showed that 55% to 64% of people supported the plan, the council ultimately voted 10 to 5 against it. Consequently, the council will now look for other ways to manage parking, such as increasing the monitoring of existing timed parking zones.

這並非社區首次反對該地區的付費停車，二十年前也發生過類似的抗議。儘管調查顯示有 55% 至 64% 的民眾支持該計劃，但市議會最終以 10 比 5 票否決。因此，市議會現在將尋找其他管理停車的方法，例如增加對現有限時停車區域的監控。

The paid parking proposal was defeated, meaning the council must now find different ways to manage traffic and fund beach services.

付費停車提案被否決，這意味著市議會現在必須尋找不同的方法來管理交通並資助海灘服務。