In 2023, the City of Melbourne introduced a Parking and Kerbside Management Plan 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.
Kerbside space is limited with on-street parking making up just 4 per cent of road land use across the City of Melbourne.
Across West Melbourne, 58 per cent of households own a car. In 2021, over 2,765 residential vehicles were registered. To support this, the West Melbourne kerbside parking system has around 4,000 on-street parking bays and over 4,800 off-street parking bays.
To make parking simpler and more available across West Melbourne, a series of parking improvement works were rolled out across the neighbourhood from May 2025 to November 2025. Find out about the West Melbourne parking improvement works.
We’ve now returned to review feedback received from the community and parking data since these improvement works were completed to see if further refinements to on-street parking across West Melbourne are needed.
A key principle of these parking improvements is that the changes are not 'set and forget'. As part of our commitment to review them each year to make sure they are working well, we checked in on how parking was working in February 2026.
This check-in process included:
Following this check-in, the short-term actions below will be delivered from May 2026.
We will be back in West Melbourne in 2027 to review how these changes have worked and hear from the community again. We will also provide an update on the longer-term actions we will investigate, as outlined below.
Key themes identified in the community check-in have informed the short-term changes we will roll out from May 2026, plus additional recommendations we will explore as part of our annual review of on-street parking in West Melbourne.
Respondents expressed frustration about residential parking exemptions not providing enough availability for permit holders.
Here is an example of what people told us:
Residents reported difficulty finding weekend parking that suited their needs.
Here is an example of what people told us:
Respondents raised concerns about the ongoing shortage of on-street parking for both residents and weekend visitors.
Here is an example of what people told us:
Respondents reported challenges related to the residential permit spaces in West Melbourne.
Here is an example of what people told us:
Some residents did not believe additional paid parking to manage demand in the neighbourhood benefited them.
Here are some examples of what people told us:
Requests were made for additional checks of new line marking to ensure safety and access of users in the area.
Here is an example of what people told us:
We received reports that changes were needed to some signs, post installation.
Here is an example of what people told us:
Key recommendations were made from the above feedback. Below is an outline of these recommendations and next steps.
Short-term actions that will be delivered from May 2026:
Additional recommendations we will explore as part of our next annual review of on-street parking in West Melbourne:
Under the Parking and Kerbside Management Plan we have already committed to the following which address key concerns from the West Melbourne community:
We won’t set and forget the new conditions.
We will return to West Melbourne in 2027 to see how these changes have worked in our Annual Review.
Over the coming months, any immediate actions identified from the West Melbourne Check-In will begin to rollout with adjustments to some parking controls.
Any further feedback regarding these changes will be incorporated in the next West Melbourne parking review, which will happen in 2027.
For more information about the general improvements to parking we’ve made in West Melbourne and changes in your street go to parking improvement works.
You can have your say any time on parking in your neighbourhood by completing the survey.
In 2023, the City of Melbourne introduced a Parking and Kerbside Management Plan 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.
West Melbourne has approximately 2,900 on-street parking spaces managed by the City of Melbourne. There is a mix of 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, 4 hour and all-day parking. There are also a range of short-stay bays including No Parking, Loading Zones, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes etc.
The area is a mix of paid and unpaid parking. Some areas have permit zones and some have permit excepted spaces.
This mix makes parking difficult to manage and effects the community’s ability to find space that meets their needs.
The community feedback we heard will be used to inform the final design of upcoming parking changes in West Melbourne. Delivery of these changes begins Monday 5 May 2025 and you can read more about the changes at West Melbourne parking improvement works.
In West Melbourne, the second phase of engagement was run in March and April 2025.
During this engagement process, we ran a targeted social media campaign and provided postcards to residents and businesses directing them to our survey to provide feedback on proposed parking changes in West Melbourne.
Through this consultation process, we had 599 responses from 532 residents, businesses, workers and visitors whose feedback will help us plan the next steps.
You can still have your say on West Melbourne parking via our always on survey. You can also learn more about what we heard from the community in the first round of engagement in the next tab. A key principle of these parking improvements is that the changes are not 'set and forget'.
Good parking management helps keep our city moving, and through its Parking and Kerbside Management Plan, the City of Melbourne is committed to making parking simpler and more available.
Parking controls – such as time limits, or paid parking – are used around the world to manage demand for on-street parking – and Melbourne is no different.
But it’s important that the right parking controls are in place for each neighbourhood.
West Melbourne’s parking controls haven’t changed for many years. That’s why we’re reviewing on-street parking in West Melbourne to make sure the right parking controls are in place.
We looked at every street and analysed data and parking surveys to understand when on-street parking was being used.
We also worked with local businesses, residents and visitors to understand what’s working well, and what your challenges are.
We’ve used data and feedback to come up with some proposed changes.
West Melbourne used to have lots of businesses, where people worked 9-to-5. This meant that parking controls were switched off in the evenings and weekends.
But today, that’s when drivers flock to West Melbourne – such as when the football is on at Docklands.
And while this activity is great, it can mean that cars are staying in bays for long periods – reducing options for other people to find available parks.
Because of this, we’ve proposed changing the parking controls so they apply every day of the week and run to at least 7pm.
We know demand for on-street parking is going to increase quickly.
West Melbourne’s population will increase more than 70% in the next 20 years.
Updated road connections will mean more drivers are coming into West Melbourne.
And with Arden Station opening soon, even more drivers will come to the neighbourhood.
So, we’ve proposed that parking bays in a 200-metre radius of North Melbourne train station will be metered, to make parking more available in this key location.
Today there is a huge mix of parking controls. Some streets have different sets of parking controls on either side, or from one end to the other.
You can find streets where there are metered bays, and then unmetered bays, and then more metered bays.
So, we’ve proposed making these controls simpler and more consistent, while also considering the needs of each street.
These changes will free up parking, making it more available to more people. Have a look on Participate Melbourne to learn more.
West Melbourne is your neighbourhood, so now’s the time to share your thoughts on how we can fine-tine these proposed changes – and get the balance right for people who live, work or visit here.
Once we’ve heard from you, we’ll finalise the changes and roll them out. And after this happens, you can still provide feedback via the always-on survey, and we will be back to review next year.
Thanks for helping us get the balance right for on-street parking in West Melbourne.
We will be in touch with the West Melbourne community in late 2025 to check in and hear your early feedback about the changes that will roll out from May 2025. All feedback from the always on survey will be used to understand key themes, concerns and areas for improvement in this check in.
Once this round of parking change in West Melbourne is complete, an Annual Review will be scheduled. We'll give the community time to adjust and we will review the performance of the new conditions each year and fine-tune them where necessary. Through this process, parking conditions may evolve over several years.
We had 599 survey responses from West Melbourne.
This included:
We also received direct submissions and heard from a range of stakeholders including employers such as Melbourne Assessment Prison, Middy’s Melbourne and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.
We received 252 responses about paid parking. Here are some examples of what people told us:
We received 85 responses about resident parking. Here are some examples of what people told us:
We received 48 responses about commuter parking. Here are some examples of what people told us:
We received 26 responses about parking times. Here are some examples of what people told us:
We received 18 responses about parking uses. Here are some examples of what people told us:
We’ve made some key revisions to the delivery of parking changes in West Melbourne from the above feedback. These include:
To read about the changes to parking being delivered in West Melbourne from May 2025 please read our West Melbourne parking improvements page.
We won’t set and forget the new conditions. The community feedback we heard will be used to inform the final design of upcoming parking changes in West Melbourne. Delivery of these changes begins Monday 5 May 2025 and you can read more about the changes here.
We'll give the community time to adjust and then review the functionality and performance of the changes. We will be back in West Melbourne to see how these changes are working and hear from community again.
You can have your say any time on parking in your neighbourhood by completing our always on survey.
We are continuously seeking feedback in our municipality and specific neighbourhood engagement periods are just one element of our feedback collection. The following feedback relates to one specific engagement period, and 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.
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.
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.
A summary was provided to the public along with a survey seeking feedback on the following:
In West Melbourne, the cycle of regular reviews began with a round of engagement between March and April 2024. The engagement process included two workshops (attended by 14), stakeholder interviews and 38 survey responses.
You can still have your say on West Melbourne parking via our survey.
We will be back in West Melbourne in 2026 to see how initial changes have worked and hear from community again.
We heard from residents, state projects, businesses and workers across West Melbourne.
We had low numbers of responses regarding West Melbourne during this engagement. As such we will be meeting with the community consistently throughout delivery and review as well as reaching out to key businesses and stakeholders to get feedback.
Our survey is always on to support further feedback for West Melbourne as we progress.
The engagement activities highlighted some key parking feedback including;
Examples of what we heard:
Findings:
Recommendations have been made to council that include:
Council will assess these recommendations and start staging out design for changes to West Melbourne parking which will begin in 2025.
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 the changes. We will undertake a comprehensive review of how these changes are functioning in 2026.
For more information on proposed changes in West Melbourne, go to West Melbourne parking review.
Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners
The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the unbroken spiritual, cultural and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations.
We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and are committed to walking together to build a better future.
