Families face a hit to the hip pocket with Melbourne Zoo’s bargain $2 a day parking under threat.
A new Royal Park master plan could scrap the cap in an attempt to get more visitors out of their cars and onto public transport.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Melbourne Zoo’s $2 parking under threat
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The packed car park at Melbourne Zoo has families lapping up the $2 parking deal.
“It’s the most convenient part about coming to the zoo. If you’ve got a zoo membership, the zoo membership is free and you just pay $2 for the whole day,” one mother said.
But that could change, with council hinting at scrapping the zoo’s parking fee cap under the new Royal Park master plan.
“It’s basically discouraging locals coming here as well. I mean, this is the cheapest car park I’ve ever seen so far and I think it’s a really good motivation for me to come to the zoo more often and we can support the animals in the zoo,” one visitor said.
The move is part of a bid to get more Victorians travelling on public transport.
“Coming when you’ve got kids on public transport is probably not as easy as driving your car with all the pram and the food. So that’s kind of, you know, might make it harder for families,” another parent said.
“I wouldn’t come with the kids, no,” one visitor added.
Council said it expects movement and transport to change significantly over the next 20 years. The master plan takes a long-term approach to reducing the reliance on private vehicles and improving public transport.
Opposition MP David Southwick criticised the proposal, saying “hiking car parking prices only turns more people away and it just should not be happening in a cost of living crisis.”
“I’d come, but obviously with like petrol going up as well, like it’s a lot of money coming out if it goes up,” one visitor said.
And it’s no surprise what locals think about keeping the current arrangement.
“I think leave it as it is,” one said.
