In 2023, the City of Melbourne introduced a Kerbside Parking Strategy that committed to regular reviews of the kerbside parking system based on proactive engagement in local areas and sharing the data that underpins decision-making.

Data was provided, and opinions were sought on the following topics:

• The allocation of space at the kerb between parking and other kerbside uses.
• Short-stay parking. Defined as bays with a stay limit ≤ 3P that support several Arrivals across the day.
• Long-stay parking. Defined as bays with a stay limit ≥4P that support one or two Arrivals per day.
• Off-street parking. Commercial parking facilities open to the public.
• Home-base vehicles including shared kerbside vehicles for zero-car households (car share), private home-base vehicles stored off-street and private home-base vehicles stored at the kerb under the permit system.
• Enforcement of the rules of the parking system.

In Kensington, the cycle of regular reviews began with a round of engagement between February and April 2024.

The engagement process included 2 workshops (attended by over 60 residents), online surveys and interviews with key stakeholders such as sports and recreation groups, developers and State government projects.

We will be back in Kensington in 2025 to see how initial changes have worked and hear from community again.

We heard from residents, workers and businesses across Kensington.

• Residents of Kensington expressed concerns regarding the absence of on-street parking bay markings, and inadequate signage in the neighbourhood, which they perceive as a safety hazard for road users.
• Stakeholders noted the low number of disabled parking bays in Kensington.
• The community expressed concerns about the simultaneous occurrence of numerous construction projects, leading to trades parking for extended durations. This situation hampers access to on-street parking bays.
• Highest number of concerns related to Construction Permit Zones (20 per cent), following by long-term parking (13 per cent), resident priority parking (11 per cent) and safety (10 per cent).
• The community expressed dissatisfaction with the land use in the neighbourhood, residents believe that an excessive amount of public space is allocated to on-street parking, and the high volume of cars in Kensington is not conducive to a vibrant neighbourhood.

City of Melbourne worked with the Urban Forest and Ecology to make sure alignment for engagement and works is undertaken across the City of Melbourne and specifically in Kensington in the McConnell Street and surrounds.

Examples of what we heard:

• 'I think it is crazy giving up so much public space for the storage of private vehicles. Should be parklets, seating areas, wider footpaths, kerb-separated cycle lanes - anything other than parking!'
• 'Parking by construction workers has been invasive.'
• 'There are to many commuters parking in Bellair Street from the train station right through to Arden Street and in side roads, people are travelling to and parking here because there are no restrictions.'

The consultant report recommendations include:

• Line marking all parking bays, starting in the area around Smith St and Rankins Rd.
• Improve enforcement outcomes through more consistent controls and regular patrols within the neighbourhood. This aims to reduce the number of fines and increase overall compliance.
• Apply consistent time limits in mixed use areas.
• Consider priorities for increase the number of bays. This includes disabled parking, pick-up drop-off (“No Parking”) and the amount of short-term compared with long-term parking.

We are designing changes for Kensington parking which are planned to commence implementation in July-August 2024.

For more information on changes in your street go to melbourne.vic.gov.au/parkingworks

We won’t set and forget the new conditions once works are complete; we'll give the community time to adjust and then review the functionality and performance of those changes. We will undertake a comprehensive review of how these changes are functioning, beginning in 2025.

You can have your say any time on parking in your neighbourhood by completing the survey. The next review of your neighbourhood will use this data to inform future changes.