Council scrapped free parking. Dragana says she’s lost business over it: ‘Kick in the gut’

Exclusive: A popular free parking trial in Victoria has been scrapped, leaving locals frustrated as they’re forced to fork out cash in a cost-of-living crisis.

Dragana Nenadić owns and operates a 24-hour pilates studio in Central Geelong, about 75 km south-west of Melbourne, and she said the return to paid parking is costing her clients.

“Somebody came in yesterday for a trial, and she said, ‘with the parking going back to being paid, I just won’t be able to make it work’,” Nenadić told nine.com.au.

“That is such a kick in the gut, that that’s what’s preventing them from coming in.”

The City of Greater Geelong kicked off a 12-month free parking trial in Central Geelong last year.

Introduced to encourage visitation and support local businesses in the area, the trial offered two hours of free parking on some of the city’s busiest streets.

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It was a hit among residents, workers and visitors and demand far exceeded expectations.

Nenadić, who has lived in Geelong since she was a child, was baffled when it suddenly concluded on July 4.

“I just came in one Monday and we had to start paying,” she said.

The City of Greater Geelong opted not to extend the trial following a decision made as part of its 2026–27 budget.

Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the free parking trial didn’t boost retail or hospitality spending “as we had originally hoped”.

According to council meeting minutes from May, a third quarter financial review resulted in a full-year forecast underlying operating deficit of $13.8 million for the 2025-26 financial year.

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Fees and charges were forecast $5.8 million below budget and there was a significant decline in casual parking revenue.

“The decline in parking revenue referenced in the May council meeting was largely linked to the trial, with reduced revenue from three-hour, four-hour and all-day parking,” Kontelj told nine.com.au.

Visitation to Central Geelong didn’t increase as a result of the trial, per the City of Greater Geelong website.

Like many locals, Nenadić had hoped the “fantastic” initiative would be extended due to its popularity.

The street her studio is located on offer two-hour parking between 9am and 5.30pm on weekdays, starting from just under $4 per hour.

It doesn’t sound like much but Nenadić said the cost adds up quickly.

“For my members, if they’re coming in five times it adds up, especially when you think about the fact they’re already paying for the membership,” she said.

Nenadić herself now has to pay about $8 to park outside her studio for two hours.

If she wanted to spend eight hours at her business each weekday, it would cost more than $300 in fees to park on the street.

Nenadić can work from home, but that’s not an option for everyone.

Visitors to Centrelink and other support services located in the CBD must now pay to park nearby, as do those visiting loved ones at University Hospital Geelong.

Nenadić said the return to paid parking is just putting more financial pressure on many locals already doing it tough.

She started a change.org petition calling on the City of Greater Geelong to reinstate free 2P parking and has already racked up more than 450 signatures.

Kontelj confirmed there are currently no plans to reinstate free two-hour parking.

However, data collected during the trial will be used to develop a new comprehensive parking plan.

“Council is undertaking a broader review of parking across the municipality, informed by the findings from the trial,” Kontelj said.

“Once this work is complete, we’ll have more to say about the future of parking, including how we can make the best use of existing parking spaces for residents, workers, businesses and visitors.”